The Red City By Erik Larson

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.

In the 19th century the World's Columbian Exposition came about. It brought a time of American pride and perceived tranquility. The fair was a multi layered event that had new inventions come about as well as having beautiful features, although there were some things happening deeper in the fair such as murders that create eeriness throughout the book. Two prominent characters in the book are Daniel Burnham and H.H Holmes. Burnham an architect and Holmes a serial killer, these two main characters were the main difference between the light and the dark of the fair throughout the book. Erik Larson uses tone, imagery, and figurative language in The Devil in the White City in order to express the difference between the two characters motives and goals for the Chicago fair, demonstrating the good and evil in a peaceful time.

Topic: Chicago World Fair 1893Question: What was the effect H. H. Holmes left with his murders in the chicago world fair area; did anyone notice; what was actually going on inside the event as all of this was happening?Thesis: In the Chicago World Fair of 1893 America got its first serial killer H. H. Holmes. He used his hotel the ‘’Murder Castle” to hide what he was doing since guest for the event would check in and no one would notice the deaths with such a huge event. Inside of the event itself there were inventions being made and improved. The World Fair opened on May 1st for its annual event filled with inventions and ideas that would last for the next six months. In the event there were things being made such as Wrigley’s Gum, Cracker

The main focal point of Erik Larson’s Devil in the White City is centered around the excitement, murders, and magic of the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. In 1890, Chicago was becoming a very populated and anxious city of America. The city itself wanted something to prove to the more traditional eastern cities of the United States. Driven by its massive civic pride, Chicago joined in the election against New York, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. to be considered where the placement of the next World’s Fair would be located. Paris, France hosted the previous World’s Fair and left the world astonished with its architectural achievements with the Eiffel tower. Civic leaders in the opposing cities ultimately agreed to place the Fair in Chicago.

Although it faced many obstacles in construction, time, and many other aspects, the Chicago World’s fair was immensely successful and served as a great boast of American pride. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson is a nonfiction novel, taking place during the building of the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, also known as The World’s Columbian Exposition. Each chapter of the novel alternates to show the lives of the two real men during this time: the main architect of the fair, Daniel Burnham, and the charming behind the scenes serial killer, H. H. Holmes. In The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson effectively utilizes juxtaposition between “the Black City” and “the White City,” metaphorical figurative language, and detailed imagery in order to portray the dreamlike qualities of the White City.

Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City, a nonfiction novel that spans the years surrounding the building of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, also known as The World's Columbian Exposition, recreates 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. In the book, Holmes is not simply another mindless criminal breaking the law for the reason of money; Holmes is a twisted, yet highly intelligent individual that gains pleasure from the death of his victims. Larson is able to utilize tone, imagery, and syntax to dig into the mind of H.H. Holmes and reveal how he thinks and what inquires him to do horrific deeds.

The thick, dark smoke that covered one of the largest cities in the world was oh so easy to “get lost” in. Chicago had quickly climbed the ladder of extravagance and become one of the most sought out cities in the world for labor, but was also one of the most dangerous due to the increase in population caused by the upcoming Chicago World’s Fair. In the 1890s, women and men who had come from every corner of the world to find work were beginning to disappear quickly and without explanation. The crowd that The World’s Fair brought made Chicago the perfect place to go missing without any questions being asked. The Devil in the White City follows the two very different tales of two very similar men: H.H. Holmes and Daniel Burnham. While there may not seem to be many similarities between a serial killer and an architect, both of these men became great historical figures because of their synonymous demeanors. While Burnham used his ambition, good looks, and pride to create a fair that was unsurpassable, Holmes reflected the same qualities allowing him to achieve a more sinister goal.

With his “murder castle” complete and the World’s Fair being hosted in Chicago in 1893, Holmes had the idea to market his castle as a hotel. With all the visitors coming to Chicago, Holmes could lure more people into his castle to murder. For the next few years, he selected victims among his employees, lovers, and hotel guests to torture and murder. Some of his victims were locked in sound-proof rooms lined with gas lines that allowed him to asphyxiate them at any time. He would also lock some of his victims in a large vault next to his office, so he could listen as they screamed, panicked, and finally suffocated. After being murdered, the victim’s body would be sent down to the basement. The bodies were sometimes dissected, stripped of flesh,

Holmes became a medical student at the University of Michigan (“H.H.” 1). This is when he started to steal human bodies and experiment on them. This is when people started to heed and pay very close attention to him. “I was born with the devil in me”, he wrote. “I could not help the fact I was a murderer, no more that the poet can help the inspiration to sing” (Larson 109). This gives an insight into his mind. Based on this statement, it seems that he had no control over his actions. H.H. Holmes was hung on May 7th, 1896 (“H.H.” 1). They considered him to be one of America’s first serial killers. He killed anywhere between 20 to 200 people. He is most definitely a stark opposite of good.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson is a non-fiction book about an architect who led the Chicago World Fair of 1893; a serial killer used the fair to lure people to him. Blocks from the fair, the killer built a hotel with equipment ready to use. This book known for incorporating some of America’s history also had very dramatic and entertaining story behind it. Erik Larson wrote in third person. He wrote this book to inform people on what happen in Chicago. Erik uses a great amount of imagery and diction to inform people of this event. ”The lake was grey, darkening to a band of black at the horizon “was just one of his many spots of imagery. His tone also comes across as objective and neutral limits from using any language that

1893. World’s Columbian Exposition. 27,500,000 attendees. Over 250 people killed. 27 confessed murders. In his best-selling novel, The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson writes about these details that illustrate two significant events that forever changed Chicago, Illinois in the late 19th century. Larson uses detailed imagery to describe the Chicago World Fair and its’ extravagance, an ominous tone to describe Dr. H.H. Holmes, his murders, and their darkness, and loaded language when describing both to make the reader more aware of the evil that could be lurking in the midst of something beautiful.

In the book, The Devil in the White City, written by Erik Larson, he created the book in order to inform his audience about what had happened at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. He included the process of how the fair became the World's Fair and how it was built. However, he also describes the sick understory of Henry Holmes. Larson did so, so he could illustrate that the world was so blinded by the extravagance of the fair, therefore paid no attention to the serial killing that was happening only a few blocks away from the fair. Homes had a fairly neutral viewpoint, however; he leaned towards siding with Henry Homes because he portrays Holmes as more gentle and he give reasons for Homes actions.

The World’s Columbian Exposition to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World was held in Chicago in 1893. With the crowding of people, tourists have a high demand for a place to stay during their visit. A young man by the name of H.H. Holmes decides to open up a large hotel during the Columbian Exposition to bring in extra money. Little did his customers know that the man they are staying with would soon become one of the first documented serial killers. Many aspects throughout Holmes’s life formed him into the kind of person he turned out to be. Influences from his childhood, his greed for money and power, and his intelligence gave him the ability to construct his “Murder Castle” and carry out the numerous killings.

HH Holmes is considered the first ever known serial killer in the history of the United States. He admitted to 20+ people murdered. But there is a belief that he could’ve killed nearly 200 people. His killing spree was inhumane, some of his killing included gasing, trapping people and helping suffocate. He basically played the cat and mouse game with his victims. His infamous hotel was called the “murder castle “. This paper will look into the life and crimes of HH Holmes

Donald Miller was born in August 1971 in America. Miller is one of the best-selling American author and some other books he has written include: Prayer and the Art of Volkswagen Maintenance, Blue Like Jazz, Searching for God knows What, amongst others. Most of Miller’s books are based on Christian spirituality and history. Supreme City is a book that basically explains the growth of New York City from early 1920’s and all the people behind the growth. Miller categorically insists that most of the people who contributed to the growth of the Manhattan came from other places (Miller 12). Such notable names are: Florenz Ziegfeld who invested on entertainment, William Paley and David Sarnoff who both founded radio networks in New York, Elizabeth Arden, and Helena Rubenstein who both were dealing with fashion and cosmetics. Other exciting characters in the text are Fred F- the real estate investor, Tex Rickard who had specialized on fights and in fact built Madison Square Garden where large crowds of people used to converge to watch boxing and Jimmy Walker who was the mayor (his name was essential in defining the era). It is important to note that the book has very vast number of characters who the author tries to explain how they contributed to the growth of the city.