Street Love

Like the titular teenagers in William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Street Love’s Damien and Junice face opposition to their dating. While a historic rivalry keeps Romeo and Juliet apart, socioeconomic class divides Damien and Junice. Damien is initially interested in the equally privileged Roxanne, whom his best friend Kevin agrees is beautiful and, more importantly, approved by his mother, Ernestine. However, Damien ultimately falls in love with Junice. He feels an inexplicable pull to his schoolmate, one he equates to Shakespearean fate. It is this love that drives him to pursue her, and he is unthwarted by his parents’ disapproval. Though Damien prides himself in approaching problems with logic, he is unwilling to do so whenever Junice is involved. While this logic comes from a place of privilege, he is genuinely concerned for Junice and doesn’t see her family history as reflective of her character. To him, love—forbidden or otherwise—makes the risk worthwhile. Perhaps inspired by his own entrapment by his parents, Damien does not judge Junice’s situation, and he ultimately wants them both to succeed in love where their parents failed.

Though initially skeptical of Damien’s interest, Junice grows to love him. Her mother, Leslie, accuses her of behaving foolishly by prioritizing a boy over her freedom. However, this accusation is unfounded, as Junice never shirks her responsibility to her family. She frequently urges Damien to stay away, believing her economic hardship will impact him. With time, this caution gives way to comfort, as she finally acknowledges her desire for company. In the end, Junice becomes equally willing to defy her mother and people like social worker Rachel Davis, and she agrees to flee to Memphis, Tennessee with Melissa and Damien. In this way, the novel suggests true love triumphs over prejudice, internalized or otherwise, and that it has the power to bridge the gap between any social divide.

In contrast to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the main characters do not die at the end of the story and are instead left to face a hopeful, though uncertain, future. Through this final twist, Myers suggests that past tragedies do not have to repeat themselves; although a similar tale of forbidden love has previously been told, that story doesn’t determine the fate of these young lovers. Myers’s break from the anticipated ending reflects Damien and Junice’s determination to defy expectations and not repeat the mistakes of their parents.