SOURCE: “The Narrows: A Black New England Novel,” in Studies in American Fiction, Vol. 15, Spring, 1987, pp. 81–93

In the following essay, Weir discusses Petry's novel The Narrows, its indebtedness to Hawthorne, Wright, and other sources, and its clear portrayal of aspects of African-American culture.

When Ann Petry published The Narrows in 1953, the novel was reviewed in the leading newspapers and magazines. Since then, however, critics have neglected it, preferring to focus on Petry's achievement in The Street (1946) and in short fiction such as “In Darkness and Confusion.” This neglect of The Narrows is undeserved because the novel reveals the maturing of Petry's literary vision beyond the limited sociological determinism of The Street. The rich and complex rendering of black and white relationships in a small Connecticut city continues to compel readers. Of particular interest is Petry's use of both Anglo-American and Afro-American literary motifs. As Arna Bontemps wrote in...