The Jungle

The author describes the scene the party sees out the window as it travels to the stockyards in a car. Citing details from the text, what does the landscape reveal about the living conditions of many people who live in and around Chicago?

The author describes the scene the party sees out the window as it travels to the
stockyards in a car. Citing details from the text, what does the landscape reveal
about the living conditions of many people who live in and around Chicago?

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Last updated by jill d #170087
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Sinclair details a drastic change in atmosphere, as the party enters the city. He notes the dingy color of the landscape, the thickening smoke, and a “strange, pungent odor.” The group cannot quite describe the odor. It is “an elemental odor, raw and crude...rich, almost rancid, sensual, and strong.” When they exit their streetcar in the part of town known as the Stockyards, or, Packingtown, they hear the sound of ten thousand head of cattle lowing in the distance. In this description, Sinclair exposes the poverty and filth.... the dangerous and unhealthy living conditions, in which, the people live.

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The Jungle