- Think back to the history of urbanization in the US in the late 19C and early 20C, when the US transitioned from a rural to urban nation. Consider, for example, the rapid rise of Chicago:
• 1830: 350 people (fur-trapping village)
• 1880: about half a million people
• 1890: about one million people
• (You might also recall the late 19C/early 20C growth of cities like New York, Detroit, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, etc.)
Consider Chang’s reference to some of the great American novels of the late 19C and early 20C (61-2). How might these novels shed light on the story Chang is trying to tell about these women in Dongguan? (For an example, read quickly this short write-up about Theodore Dreiser’s 1900 novel Sister Carrie: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/05/100-best-novels-sister-carrie-theodore-dreiser, and reflect on how this may illuminate the stories Chang tells.)
Sample Solution