THE LOCUS OF HARLEM IN “THE STREET” BY ANN PETRY

Abstract

The article examines the Harlem locus in the first novel by the African-American writer Ann Petrie. It is proved that the Harlem locus with the "center of gravity" at 116th Street is portrayed as a place that seeks to break the individual and the black community as a whole, subjugate them, plunge them into poverty and despair. The author realistically describes the streets and houses of Harlem, cramped apartments without sunlight, in which disadvantaged people live. The locus of the street defines the semantics of the whole Harlem - it is not a cozy home for an African American, but an unsuitable place for a person, devoid of light. The representation of Harlem in the novel is built in emphasized opposition - in contrast to the estate of a rich white family. Ann Petrie uses the technique of multiple voices within a single narrative, which is ensured by the use of non-speech of the characters, each of whom tells his/her own story of unfulfilled hopes. The Harlem locus allows reading, decoding the most diverse, hidden and manifest semantic layers relating to the essential aspects of the African American community, the author's attitude to the situation in which black people existed in the 40s of the 20th century.