Quotessence
Home / Books / The Narrows

The Narrows

Book by Ann Petry · 4 quotes · Blacks, African Americans, Black Men

Filter quotes by topic

AllBlacksAfrican AmericansBlack MenRelationshipsWhite WomenWhitesWomenFearHateMenRace RelationsWealthAffairsAfrican American MenAgonyAmericaAppearancesBeing AfraidBrothelsChurch

The Narrows Quotes

“The gravel road widened into a large turnaround where three similar looking and designed brothels sat waiting for customers. They were called Sheila's Front Porch, Tawny's High Five Ranch and Miss Delilah's House of Holies. "Nice," Rachel said as we surveyed the scene. "why are these places always named after women -- as if women actually own them?" "You got me. I guess Mister Dave's House of Holies wouldn't go over so well with the guys." Rachel smiled. "You're right. I guess it's a shrewd move. Name a place of female degradation and slavery after a female and it doesn't sound so bad, does it? It's packaging.”

WomenSlaveryMarketingExploitationProstitutionDegradationAppearancesBrothels
Book:The Narrows
Create image

“Well, of course," Camilo said, and grinned back at JohnRolandJoseph and his long line of bought and paid for ancestors, as friendly and unselfconscious as though all her life she had been looking for men, black men, big black men--plantation bucks (stud) look at his thighs, look at that back, look at his dingle-dangle--as though all her life she had been looking for colored men to whom she was not married, to whom she would never be married because she was already married to a nice young white man, as though all her life she had told uniformed monkeys who pulled elevators in rundown colored hotels, in Harlem, that she couldn't find, had lost, misplaced, a gentleman of color named Williams.”

WomenRelationshipsAfrican AmericansBlacksRace RelationsWhitesAffairsBlack MenWhite Women
Book:The Narrows
Create image