The Street of the Lifted Lorax — A Photo Essay

Anna Lee, Photographer

“The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss is a children’s book in which the Lorax confronts the industrial Once-Ler about the environmental impact of the Once-ler’s factories. However, the Once-Ler never stops his destructive practices, resulting in the land becoming nearly barren. “The Street of the Lifted Lorax” imagines a future where the environment is so neglected by humans that it no longer exists but in art and memories. As the title of the photo portfolio suggests, this imagined time-to-come is comparable to “The Street of the Lifted Lorax”, where “the wind smells […] sour when it blows”. More alarmingly, this “time-to-come” is very similar to the present day — it unfortunately may be too late for the “unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot” bit that comes at the end of the book. 

“Way back in the days when the grass was still green”

 

“and the pond was still wet”

 

“and the clouds were still clean.”

 

“The song of the Swomee-Swans rang out in space… one morning, I came to this glorious place.”

 

“Then I chopped down a Truffula Tree with one chop. And with great skillful skill and with great speedy speed, I took the soft tuft. And I knitted a Thneed!”

 

“Then… Oh! Baby! Oh! How my business did grow! Now, chopping one tree at a time was too slow. So I quickly invented my Super-Axe-Hacker, which whacked off four Truffula Trees at one smacker.”

 

“And at that very moment, we heard a loud whack! From outside in the fields came a sickening smack of an axe on a tree. Then we heard the tree fall.”

 

“Now all that was left beneath the bad-smelling sky was my big empty factory” – “The Lorax,” Dr. Seuss