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Simile
Explanation and Analysis—Herd of People:
When Lily moves to Chicago in Chapter 3, she uses a simile to compare the large crowds to a herd of cattle:
When the train pulled into Chicago, I took down my little suitcase and walked through the station into the street. I’d been in crowds before—county fairs, livestock auctions—but I’d never seen such a mass of people, all moving together like a herd, jostling and elbowing, nor had my ears been assaulted by such a ferocious din, with cars honking, trolleys clanging, and hydraulic jackhammers blasting away.
This simile goes to show Lily's inexperience in being in a big city, as well as her frame of reference for the world. She describes her experiences in Chicago through the lens of a rancher, since, even when she was a schoolteacher, ranching was her world. She does not have much life experience beyond that, so a massive herd of cattle is a natural comparison.
This simile also shows the homogeneity of life in Chicago. The people "move like a herd," contrasted to the crowds of ranchers she's seen before at auctions and fairs. There is little individuality in the crowd of people, as though they are all cows being told to go somewhere instead of exercising their free will. From her first moments in Chicago, Lily distances herself from the people there, establishing her need for freedom and her desire not to follow the crowd.
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