What is the main conflict in The Street by Ann Petry?

The novel begins in New York City on a cold and windy day in November of 1944. The story begins with the main character, Lutie Johnson, looking at an apartment available for rent. Lutie has two strikes against her from birth. She is black, and she is a woman. The women in the story show how their past experiences and current circumstances makes it virtually impossible for a black woman to ever achieve anything more than what they have managed to achieve.