Reading Response #2 to The Street by Ann Petry

       The book I'm currently reading called The Street by Ann Perry is very slow-going so far.  It has a ton of description which can be good and bad.  I think description needs to come in moderation, because too much dialogue can be confusing and too much description can be boring.  There is not a lot to talk about that is happening in the book because there is no major conflict or major character flaws appearing just yet, even though I have been reading it for about a week.  I'm not sure I'll be able to finish it because it is taking forever to read.
       One character trait that is present in the mother, Lutie Johnson, is that she is slightly overbearing towards her son and wants to protect him from everything.  I think this theme is very interesting because it is timeless.  All mothers are going to be overbearing and protective of their children at one time or another, because they simply want what's best for their babies.  Though most all children, especially in today's culture as well as books and movies, always seem to rebel against this affection or simply misunderstand it for cruelty and therefore grow apart from their family.  This is something that every child goes through and so does Lutie Johnson's son, Bub.
       Bub is attempting at making some "extra" money for he and his mom by shining shoes on the streets.  Lutie is always saying how "they can't buy this" or "don't waste your money on that" because they are not rich.  They are one of the many small families trying to survive in Harlem in the 1940s.  They didn't have a lot of extra spending money.  They barely had enough for food and rent.  So Bub thought the least he could do was help out a little buy making a few cents each day after school.  Though his mother did not approve of this.  She believed that boys who shined shoes on the street would never aspire for more and end up living on the streets all their lives.  Of course she wanted way more of her child so she slapped Bub when she found out what she was doing.  This confused Bub and made him sad and angry, because all he was trying to do was help yet he still got reprimanded.  Though once Lutie explained they figured things out and he understood.  This is a lesson for all children that parents just want the best for you, even though sometimes they can be confusing and aggravating.