@article{ART001263338},
author={안지현},
title={Lutie's Nightmare: Deconstructing the 'American Dream' in Ann Petry's The Street},
journal={Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University},
issn={1598-3021},
year={2008},
number={59},
pages={3-28},
doi={10.17326/jhsnu..59.200806.3}
TY - JOUR
AU - 안지현
TI - Lutie's Nightmare: Deconstructing the 'American Dream' in Ann Petry's The Street
JO - Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University
PY - 2008
VL - null
IS - 59
PB - Institute of Humanities, Seoul National University
SP - 3
EP - 28
SN - 1598-3021
AB - This paper is an attempt to re-evaluate Ann Petry’s The Street in light
of the recent culturalist readings of the text that read Lutie as a negative
character who has internalized the ‘American dream’ and suggests that the
black women’s community comprised of Mrs. Hedges and Min should be
viewed as an alternative to the hostile white society. The paper argues that
contrary to this negative characterization, Lutie does not internalize the
‘American dream’ and furthermore, is very much aware of the fictionality
of the discourse of the ‘American dream.’ Lutie, who perceives the fictional
nature of the ‘American dream’ embodies the Du Boisian double-consciousness.
In this context, Sacvan Bercovitch’s assertion that ‘American dream’ is an
ideological construct is much more useful in reading Petry’s Street. In fact,
the text can be read as a theoretical precedent to Bercovitch’s theorization
of the critique of the ‘American dream.’ This paper goes on to demonstrate
that through the figure of Junto who symbolizes the oppressive nature of
capitalistic democracy in white America, the text deconstructs the ‘American
Dream’ by fundamentally questioning the validity of capitalistic democracy
as a workable system for black women in the 1940’s. The text suggests
that the system of democratic capitalism is deeply flawed by showing the
destructive forces brought on by the disfigured character Junto who
embodies both white control of capital and the spirit of democracy gone
awry. In this way, The Street refuses to be contained but rather subverts the
existing order, compellingly contesting Bercovitch’s argument that all
narrative challenges to the ‘American dream’ are already and always contained.
KW - ‘American Dream;’ Ideology;fictionality;Ben Franklin;Junto;
double-consciousness;subversion
DO - 10.17326/jhsnu..59.200806.3
ER -
안지현. (2008). Lutie's Nightmare: Deconstructing the 'American Dream' in Ann Petry's The Street. Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University, 59, 3-28.
안지현. 2008, "Lutie's Nightmare: Deconstructing the 'American Dream' in Ann Petry's The Street", Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University, no.59, pp.3-28. Available from: doi:10.17326/jhsnu..59.200806.3
안지현 "Lutie's Nightmare: Deconstructing the 'American Dream' in Ann Petry's The Street" Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University 59 pp.3-28 (2008) : 3.
안지현. Lutie's Nightmare: Deconstructing the 'American Dream' in Ann Petry's The Street. 2008; 59 : 3-28. Available from: doi:10.17326/jhsnu..59.200806.3
안지현. "Lutie's Nightmare: Deconstructing the 'American Dream' in Ann Petry's The Street" Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University no.59(2008) : 3-28.doi: 10.17326/jhsnu..59.200806.3
안지현. Lutie's Nightmare: Deconstructing the 'American Dream' in Ann Petry's The Street. Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University, 59, 3-28. doi: 10.17326/jhsnu..59.200806.3
안지현. Lutie's Nightmare: Deconstructing the 'American Dream' in Ann Petry's The Street. Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University. 2008; 59 3-28. doi: 10.17326/jhsnu..59.200806.3
안지현. Lutie's Nightmare: Deconstructing the 'American Dream' in Ann Petry's The Street. 2008; 59 : 3-28. Available from: doi:10.17326/jhsnu..59.200806.3
안지현. "Lutie's Nightmare: Deconstructing the 'American Dream' in Ann Petry's The Street" Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University no.59(2008) : 3-28.doi: 10.17326/jhsnu..59.200806.3
