The novel begins in New York City on a cold and windy day in November of 1944. The story begins with the main character, Lutie Johnson, looking at an apartment available for rent. Lutie has two strikes against her from birth. She is black, and she is a woman. The women in the story show how their past experiences and current circumstances makes it virtually impossible for a black woman to ever achieve anything more than what they have managed to achieve.
Lutie and her son, Bub, have been living with Lutie's father and his girlfriend, Lil. Lutie wants to get Bub away from Lil. Bub is only eight years old and Lil has him lighting her cigarettes for her and she is giving him sips of gin. Lutie fears Bub will develop a taste for cigarettes.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 357 words. This
study guide contains 18,393 words (approx. 61 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our The Street Access Pass.
