In the second half of the book, Super comes to the conclusion that Junto and Lutie are an item. How does he come to this conclusion. THey have not even talked to each other up to this point.

-- Anonymous, April 07, 2000

Answers

I think a big part of it is that the super is so obsessed with Lutie that he has to come up with a reason that she won't be "with him" since he doesn't realize she just doesn't like him. Also, Mrs. Hedges has already said that there's someone else that wants her (I don't recall if she told the super it was a "nice white gentleman") and if Junto is a rich white man who owns a business in the area, he obviously has some power, and what do most white men usually use their power for with good looking black women (supposedly)? There are also some connections between some characters that don't show up until later on that help explain some things.

-- Anonymous, April 07, 2000

The Super is a very insecure, lonely man. If he believes that he has nothing and that Junto had everything; power, money and contol; it seems likely that he could think that Junto has Lutie,too. Maybe in his experience he saw black women pair off with white men. Sometimes we have steroetypical views of good looking women clinging to men who have status and money. White men in "The Street" have the status and money. If one goodlooking black woman would go with a white man, doesn't it mean that all good looking black women would do that? I think the Super was sterotyping Lutie because of her looks rather than getting to know her as a person.

-- Anonymous, April 08, 2000

I think that the Super is sure that Lutie will not give him the time of day and is sure that she is interested in someone else, especially since he sees her coming in late at night all dressed up and ect. Plus, Mrs. Hedges told him to watch out for Junto after he cornered Lutie by the cellar door. She told him that he better watch himself cause Junto has his eye on her.

-- Anonymous, April 10, 2000

I believe that since the super has been in the basement to much daydreaming about Lutie. Its his way of seeing why him and Lutie aren't together in reality. Jones thinks it is Junto fault that he isn't with her. Its Jones way of giving a reason why he doesn't have Lutie. When the real reason is because he is a sick old man. His whole conclusion with Junto and Lutie is to make himself feel better about why she wouldn't want to be with him.

-- Anonymous, April 12, 2000

Jones is a very different man. He has a lot of different things that run through his head. I also think that he is a little paranoid and dillusional. He wanted Lutie so bad, and he thought that he was completely normal and that any attractive young woman would want him. His imagination got the better of him and made him believe that the only reason why Lutie didn't want him had to be because she was with Junto. The reason he decided it had to be Junto was because Junto was such an influential part of everyone's lives. Junto was behind everything. This was probably why Jones thought the way he did.

-- Anonymous, April 23, 2000