Devil in the White City Critique

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Sasha Rivera Mr. Moran AP English Language/Composition-Period 1 2 December 2013 The Devil in the White City Critique In his nonfiction novel The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson uses the two main characters to juxtapose the themes of good and evil. The book parallels the lives of Daniel Burnham, the chief builder of the World’s Columbian Exposition, and H. H. Holmes, a serial killer, during 1890s Chicago. Larson recreates the 19th century city and the two main characters to explore the development of good and evil. The author achieves this purpose using rhetorical strategies and symbolism. The book is divided in six parts: Prologue, Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, and the Epilogue. The Prologue presents the protagonist, Daniel Burnham, who is aboard the RMS Olympic in 1912. He unsuccessfully tries to send a telegraph to his friend Francis Millet, who is aboard the Titanic. While waiting to find out why the message did not send, Burnham delves into a flashback of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Part I creates the setting of a filthy, corrupt Chicago and describes how Burnham is named chief builder of the upcoming Exposition, as well as introduces new characters: Root, Burnham’s business partner, Olmsted, a landscape architect, and Prendergast, who writes letters to politicians. Also, Burnham goes through many struggles in this section from having to convince other architects to work with him and the lack of time for the entire project. The most important new character, however, is H. H. Holmes, the antagonist. With the help of his assistant, Pietzel, he fraudulently creates various businesses and captures his first victims. Part II describes the process of the fair finally coming together, and with urgent deadlines. Preparations are made for George Ferris to create a structure to rival the Eiffel Tower. There are many challenges such as storms, union

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