White oppression is present throughout the novel The Street by Ann Petry. White people are constantly holding down blacks, letting them see the privileged upper class society, but never letting them grasp it. Petry utilizes two white teachers in Harlem, Mrs. Rinner and Luties elementary school teacher, in order to show the views of white people that keep African Americans impoverished and confine them to Harlem.
Throughout the novel, Petry uses Rinner and Lutie’s teacher to show how whites oppress all members of the black community in Harlem. During class, Rinner is scared of her students for no valid reason, for they haven’t done anything wrong. She blames it on a “sudden, reckless violence about them and about their parents” which has no logic behind it other than that the children and parents are black (Petry, 330). Moreover, Rinner’s fear of harmless children solely because of their race proves how white people keep blacks in Harlem. Whites fear black people for their whole lives, and because of this they never give them opportunities to escape Harlem and poverty. These entrapping stereotypes are not only shown in classrooms and hiring for jobs, they are constantly shown anytime there is a white person near a black person. While Rinner sits on the bench waiting for the subway, a …show more content…
Rinner and Lutie’s elementary school teacher are both important figures used to show how white oppression traps black people in the lower class, and never lets them leave Harlem. Petry uses Mrs. Rinner to exemplify a racist mindset and how the actions of white people when they first meet an African American imbue their horrible living conditions in harlem with no chance of escape. Luties elementary school teacher shows how white people drive the degrading mentality into black people's heads from childhood, and how it stays with them for their lifetime. While racism may seem like a thing of the past, examples of racist behavior are still found in our society, to some extent,
Throughout the novel, Petry uses Rinner and Lutie’s teacher to show how whites oppress all members of the black community in Harlem. During class, Rinner is scared of her students for no valid reason, for they haven’t done anything wrong. She blames it on a “sudden, reckless violence about them and about their parents” which has no logic behind it other than that the children and parents are black (Petry, 330). Moreover, Rinner’s fear of harmless children solely because of their race proves how white people keep blacks in Harlem. Whites fear black people for their whole lives, and because of this they never give them opportunities to escape Harlem and poverty. These entrapping stereotypes are not only shown in classrooms and hiring for jobs, they are constantly shown anytime there is a white person near a black person. While Rinner sits on the bench waiting for the subway, a …show more content…
Rinner and Lutie’s elementary school teacher are both important figures used to show how white oppression traps black people in the lower class, and never lets them leave Harlem. Petry uses Mrs. Rinner to exemplify a racist mindset and how the actions of white people when they first meet an African American imbue their horrible living conditions in harlem with no chance of escape. Luties elementary school teacher shows how white people drive the degrading mentality into black people's heads from childhood, and how it stays with them for their lifetime. While racism may seem like a thing of the past, examples of racist behavior are still found in our society, to some extent,