The Devil in the White City

The United States of America is characterized in many different ways. Some people may say it is a land of opportunity and success, while others would argue that it is a place of regret. In The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson, the United States is described as a mixture of good and evil. Larson accomplishes this reflection of America by telling a story which follows two different men with opposing motives. The first is Burnham, the architect in charge of building the World’s Fair. He

In 1893, Chicago had the pleasure of hosting the World’s Fair to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World in 1492. In the novel “The Devil In The White City”, written by Erik Larson, tells the story of two different men who had an impact on the World’s Fair. Both men impacted the reputation of the fair and of Chicago with their actions and accomplishments. The reputation of America was tarnished during the previous World’s Fair that was held in Paris,

Name:Mariana Estrada Date:September 22, 2017 Period:4th Book Title:The devil in the white city Genre:Nonfiction Author:Erik Larson Number of Pages:464 Brief summary and “Arrangement” of the book: Arrangement:The book is arranged into four parts with 57 chapters. Part 1.Ch 1:Is mainly going over what's happening in chicago around the 1800’s and is setting the mood for the upcoming events by listing frequent deaths.It also introduces us to a pharmacist/killer H.H.Holmes. Part 1.Ch 2:We get

Devil in the White City, a book that intertwines two plot lines about a man named Burnham and another of H. H. Holmes. It takes place in Chicago in the 1890’s and follows the two men who have completely different upbringings, describing each person in-depth. The first person Erik Larson introduces the reader to is Daniel Burnham, one of Chicago’s greatest architects who’s given the task of helping build the World’s Fair with other team members. With the creation of the World’s Fair happening, many

For starters, Part II of The Devil In The White City (pg. 113- pg. 235) intrigued me much more than Part I, and in this section Holmes is beginning get his plans on a roll, with another handful of victims. It was full of foreshadowing, and tension from the fair's deadline and the suspense created from he little things Holmes did that could indicate something bigger to come later on. Regarding Holmes, Burnham begins to feel a little stressed about the fair, his concerns about it not being finished

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

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

Fair, brought forth numerous innovations people use commonly today: Juicy Fruit chewing gum, Shredded Wheat, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Ferris Wheel, books printed in Braille, automatic dishwashers, even Aunt Jemima pancake mix. In The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, Erik Larson presents these brilliant inventions with a flourish that makes the reader feel as though he is there, experiencing the magic in person. However, despite the spellbinding

our everyday lives. Our daily actions will always evoke some kind of conversation about the differences between good and bad, however, as we move backward in time, these conversations become less and less frequent. In the work of literature Devil in the White City, the character of H. H. Holmes sparks these discussions about the moral, ethical, and legal perspectives of “abnormal” behavior. Displaying the characteristics of a psychopath in times where the understanding of the human brain was truly limited

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson explores the creation of the World’s Columbian Exposition. Larson narrates the two intertwining stories of murderer H.H Holmes and architectural genius Daniel Burnham. H.H Holmes builds a hotel called The World’s Fair Hotel where he kills many of his victims, mostly women. Burnham and his partner, Root, who later died before the construction of the fair even started, were called upon to organize the fair and it’s workers. After Root’s death Burnham was left