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Imagery In Devil In The White City

Decent Essays

In the nonfiction novel The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson uses Imagery, dark tone, and oxymorons to portray H. H. Holmes, whose point of view is half of the story, as the Devil incarnate: evil and subhuman. Larson utilizes imagery to exemplify Holmes’ character and actions to the audience. He describes Holmes’ reaction to a friend’s sister’s death to give the reader an idea of the cold inhumanity he possesed. Even though “Holmes told Ned how sorry he was” about her passing, yet “in his eyes there was only a flat blue calm” like that of a “lake on a still August morning” (123). Larson presents this imagery to give the reader a clear view of Holmes’ point of view on death. When he reacts with such a “flat blue calm,” the reader can clearly see that he did not posses even the slightest bit of sincerity. This serves to help the reader see the surface, and allude to what lies beneath. Larson further proves his inhumanity with the portrayal of Holmes’ murder of his pregnant fiancée, Julia. Holmes promised he would marry her, but with the condition that she had to allow him to execute an abortion. He then “held the cloth” coated in chloroform “over her nose and mouth” and within seconds “her eyes fluttered and rolled upwards” followed by “the inevitable, reflexive disturbance of muscles, like a dream of running” (148). Larson uses words like “flutter” and “rolled” to show the reader that her consciousness fled from her with no objection from her being noted. This is to

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