Petrys View of Victimization in The Street

When she is finally able to break free, her future is left ambiguous. Lutie, raising Bub, alone was responsible for all aspects of Bub's life as well as her own. The teacher has such a disdain for the children, there is no possible way she can pass on to them any type of knowledge that may be able to save them from "the street". Lutie was awestruck when she saw the lifestyle that they led. Deep down, she knew that no matter how hard she worked, she would never live the way they did. She left her family and home and sent all her earnings to support them. The portrayal of the Chandlers was a clear illustration of the racial divides at the time. This is particularly ironic because Lutie did succeed at raising Bub the way she wanted; however, because of the circumstances, she was never able to know the whole story of how he ended up falling victim to Jones' evil scheme. Her life is a double edged sword, because she needs to be at home and working at the same time: an impossible task. Her relationship with Jones is not loving or nurturing at all. There is a double standard here, though.

Ironically, it is because he was set up that Bub winds up falling into the trap of young African-American males, ending up in juvenile hall, not because of the fact he knew he was committing a crime. The luxuries they had would never be accessible to someone like Lutie.