Devil In The White City Essay

Daniel Burnham had to overcome many manmade and natural obstacles in building the World’s Fair. The most important obstacle Burnham had to overcome was time. He was only given three years to build the World’s Fair. Daniel Burnham hired four

The attachment “Murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed america” to the title hardly does the novel justice. Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City, a nonfiction novel that surrounds the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, also known as The World’s Columbian Exposition. The novel follows the lives of two real men, Daniel Burnham, the architect who builds the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and H.H. Holmes, the serial killer who exploits the fair to find his victims. Many new inventions were introduced at the fair, such as Juicy Fruit gum, the Ferris Wheel, and many other novel ideas that impacted the lives of many people for generations. The beautiful fair Burnham creates provides the perfect distraction and lure for Holmes’ activities. In his novel The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson suggests that good and evil coexist in the world by using charged language, imagery and juxtaposition to show although people view the fair as a perfect dreamland immune to evil, it still lurks outside in the dark, influencing the rest of the world.

The 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, more formally known as the Columbian Exposition, was a fair constructed to celebrate Columbus’ arrival in the New World. Chicago was known as the White City, but did not appear as pure and spotless as its name suggested. For instance, there were many ways one could get killed. “Fire took a dozen lives a day...There was diphtheria, typhus, cholera, influenza. And there was murder.” (Larson 12). These unstoppable causes of death was one of the reasons Chicago’s reputation was tarnished. Furthermore, the Panic of 1893 struck and greatly affected the city of Chicago. The Panic’s effects included “financial crises”, “bankruptcy”, and “high rates of unemployment and homelessness”. (Panic of 1893). Because of the city’s economic depression, the fair would decide whether Chicago’s circumstances would improve or deteriorate. Eventually, the 1893 Chicago’s World Fair displayed what America would soon become in an industrial, military, and economic perspective.

Throughout parts I and II of the novel, Larson switches between the plotline of Burnham and the plotline of Holmes. The 1893 Chicago World’s Fair is introduced in chapter two. In this chapter we are also given more

The theme of appearance vs reality is prominent throughout The Devil in the White City. The novel was written in 2 storylines; one for the protagonist, Daniel Burnham, and another for the antagonist, Dr. H. H. Holmes. During the 1800’s, Burnham and his partner Root were promising, young architects trying to make a living for themselves in Chicago. On the other hand, Holmes was a conniving murderer who had traveled throughout the east before seemingly settling down in Chicago. When the prospect of the World Fair arose in Chicago, both men saw this as a huge opportunity. Burnham became a considerable leader, builder, and organizer of the fair; at the same time, Holmes used the fair to attract victims. Larson portrayed both men as having

The book The Devil In the White City by Erik Larson re-tells the story of Chicago’s World Fair, while H.H. Holmes, also known as “America’s first serial killer”, emerges as a dark force within the fair. Switching back and forth between the experiences of the head fair administrator, Burnham, and the other directors along with the evils of Holmes, the reader begins to understand the world of tragedy and crime that lies behind the public’s excitement. From a devastating storm to the deaths of multiple builders, suspense builds as tragedy is followed by more tragedy. Through the use of contrasting ideas and ethical clauses highlighted by symbolisms and descriptions within the book, Erik Larson creates an underlying argument that one’s pursuit of pride and success often causes destruction and comes at the price of another’s well-being.

Larson’s, The Devil in the White City, recounts a defining time period for America. Larson sheds light on the ageless conflict: Good v.s. Evil, as he recounts the events that took place at the fair that changed America. With America falling behind in global dominances and its need to strive, Daniel Burnham tries to successfully construct the Chicago World's fair and hopes it will spark the turn of the century. As Burnham tries to builds up the White City, and while H. H. Holmes flourished in the dominant Black City, Larson takes the reader on a tour of both cities. As Holmes lives in the shadows of the Black City, he successfully murders many people without any suspicion. Holmes’s ability to manipulate, his charisma, and his bravado marks

In the novel The Devil in the White City, Author Erik Larson uses imagery, irony, and juxtaposition to parallel the good and evil sides of the city of Chicago during the 1893 World’s Fair. Larson takes a more upbeat, joyous tone while following the story of Burnham and the architects designing the World Fair, but the tone turns much darker when perspectives change and we follow the plot of H.H. Holmes, America’s first known serial killer. Using rhetorical devices like imagery, diction, and syntax, Larson is able to paint a picture of Chicago from both the good and evil side, setting a more serious and ominous tone for the novel.

Given the nickname the "White City" because of its elegant and pristine buildings, the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 was one of the most powerful events in American history. There were long lasting impacts on American culture, economy, and technology- the fair brought new advancements in virtually every aspect of daily life. It was held “to commemorate Columbus’s discovery of the New World” (Larson 15). The fair was a symbol of the expertise America possessed, but simultaneously highlighted the hardships that surrounded it. The fair increased wages, marketed more products for public use, and produced architectural feats that challenged the ones that stood at the 1889 Exposition Universelle. There was much more to the fair behind the showstopping displays that it created. Behind the exotic Algerian belly dancers and astonishing replicas of famous cities, the corporate world was establishing its dominance. Labor unions struggled to fight for fair wages and working time. Although disturbances and disagreements in the construction of the fair foreshadowed a negative ending, breakthroughs such as white lead paint and the Ferris Wheel attracted many visitors. The Chicago World's Fair of 1893 is a vivid exhibit of the independent cultural, economical, and technological superpower that America would grow to become in the future.

The motives of a person reflect who they are. In the book, Burnham had a goal to make the Chicago World’s Fair the best it could be. One way he did this was by noticing the need for a clean water supply. He believed “that the fair’s workers and visitors needed a better, safer supply [of water]” (138). This action made the exhibition a greater success and more appealing. Burnham also chose to use Westinghouse electricity to illuminate the White City better than the previous arc lights could. His actions were meant to help the country as a whole. Erik Larson showed how there are people who strive to use their

     Although the Chicago World’s fair of 1893 only lasted 6 months, it had an enormous impact on the city of Chicago, its people, and indeed the entire country. Up until that point in its history, the US had done nothing on the scale of the world’s fair, and was regarded as a country of barbarians and cowboys by

Hundreds of people crowded the streets of Chicago in late October of 1892, eager to hear the official announcement of where the World's Fair would be held. Although other nicer looking and cleaner cities were up for consideration when it came to where the fair would be held, the passion and excitement that surrounded Chicago’s local residents was enough to convince representatives of the fair to pick Chicago to host the remarkable event that would forever change America. The Chicago World's Fair had an astounding impact on Americans, both from Chicago and in other parts of the country as well. The exhibition showed many that times were changing and the country was on the verge of revolution in a variety of fashions. In essence, the 1893 Chicago World's Fair set new industrial, military, and economic standards that would serve as vital roles in America’s passage into the twentieth century.

The World's Columbian Exposition, or Chicago World's Fair of 1893 as it came to be known, was the "fair that changed America" (Larson). It ushered in a period of great achievements and a sense of patriotism, as well as civic pride. However, amidst the glorious celebration, there was an evil lurking; from the murderous Dr. H.H. Holmes to the delusional Patrick Eugene Prendergast. Erik Larson tells the story of 1893's Chicago World's Fair, touching upon the lives of those who were affected, and successfully conveying to the reader an image of a time period that changed the course of America.

On May 1st, 1893, the political and economic elite of the city of Chicago spared no expense when they host the Columbian Exposition, which showcased the technological, economic, and social capabilities of the United States of America and the City of Chicago to the world (Hoyt, 2003). For the United States, this cultural, technological, and economic showcase was an example of the massive capabilities of the country that now rivaled—perhaps even surpassed the capabilities of Europe. For Chicago, the hope was to cement a change in its social and cultural appearance to the outside world. Although one of America’s fastest growing cities—as well as one of the largest, Chicago was having immense struggles with its image as its impoverished and marginalized

This book details multiple stories where Erik Larson connects them through the events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. The dominant characters, Daniel Burnham and H.H. Holmes never actually meet one another. The novel begins with Daniel H. Burnham, a famous Chicago architect, aboard the Olympia ship during the year of 1912. Burnham has a flashback to the 1893 World’s Fair, in which he was one of the leading architects. He decides to sends a wire message to a fellow friend from the fair, Francis Millet, who is aboard the Titanic. The message is never received. During the late 1800’s, Chicago was a brutish, dirty, and industrious city, yet Chicagoans hope to win the bid to hold the 1893 World’s Fair. Burnham and his business partner John