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Ideas And Groups In Ann Petry's The Street

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Ideas And Groups In Ann Petry's The Street
The Street, by Ann Petry, is a novel which heavily questions value of institutions in 1940’s Harlem, with some characters such as Lutie Johnson believing these fundamental organizations within America to be like a stone mansion, while time and time again Petry shows other characters in higher positions of power who have not put stock in those same institutions, recognizing them to be the house of cards that they are. Three prominent institutions within the novel deserve deep examination—that of marriage, law enforcement, and the State (with regards to children’s services). It is apparent in the novel that Petry believes ideas and groups put in place to assist members of society often fail at their function (particularly if said member is a
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