Caid Faske “The Devil in White City” The Devil in the White City is a classic novel that was written in 2003 by highly acclaimed author, journalist Erik Larson. The book starts in the year 1890, around the time of the building of the famous World’s Columbian Exposition, also known as The Chicago World Fair. The book is centered on the two main characters of the novel, Daniel Burnham, the chief architect of the Chicago World Fair. The antagonist of the book is Herman Webster Mudgett, also known as serial killer Dr. H.H. Holmes.
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America is a 2003 non-fiction book written by Erik Larson. Set in 1893 Larson weaves the story of Daniel H. Burnham, the architect behind the Chicago 1893 World’s Fair, and Dr. H. H. Holmes, America’s first serial killer. Being a bit of a crime buff I chose to read this book because it covered a topic I was not entirely familiar with, H. H. Holmes, and I wished to learn more about him. The book begins in 1912 aboard the RMS Olympic, on April 12th – the day her sister ship, the RMS Titanic, has struck an iceberg and is sinking. Daniel Burnham, aged and ailing from gout, commissions the ship’s steward to send a ship-to-ship telegraph to him to Francis Millet aboard the Titanic.
AP American History Book Review The Devil in the White City Introduction The Devil in the White City written by Erik Larson is the riveting account of the first modern serial killer of the 19th century in America. Published in 2003, Larson carefully and accurately creates a connecting plot of two very different characters. The first character introduced in the book is Daniel Burnham. Burnham is the architect who builds the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. He faces many challenges in his journey to construct the most incredible World’s Fair the world has ever seen.
Fairly early on, Smith is introduced to his secretary, a critical woman named Clarissa Saunders who for the beginning of his term considered him nothing more than a rookie who didn't belong. As the story unwinds and Smith attempts to buckle down and introduce his own bill with help from Saunders, he uncovers a corrupted link in the government of the country he loved so dearly as he finds his own associate, Joseph Paine had introduced a bill to turn Willet Creek into a dam, which would result in the profit of the man who owns that land, Jim Taylor, and all else involved. In an attempt to speak out and keep this bill from passing, Senator Paine rises and accuses Smith of using his own bill for his own profit. At this accusation, evidence was forged and used in attempt to incriminate Smith, and was believed by a majority and when Smith was asked his defense, he stormed out of the room in disgust. He is later found by Ms. Saunders, who convinced him to run a filibuster on the Willet Creek Bill and prove his innocence.
After this incident, he and the rest of the Canadian Contingent set sail to England. While on the ship, one of his horses breaks a leg and he is forced to shoot it. This being the first time Robert has ever killed anything, he is extremely panicked; yet he completes the task. Sustaining an injury during the incident, Robert stays in a hospital accompanied by his friend Harris, who suffers from pneumonia. Harris later dies and on January 24, 1916, Robert arrives in France, heading for the trenches where the war is being fought against the Germans.
Charles exhibited Cain-like traits, which can be seen when Adam beat him at a game, “the hatred in Charles’ face frightened him” (page 23) Charles had a competitors will to win over others, combined with his strength and malice, he was a dangerous man starting at a very young age. Most importantly Charles was jealous of Adam which led to contempt for him, which is Cain’s most influential trait. Charles shows his jealousy when he points out the reception of their presents from their father, “That dog sleeps in his room… And where’s the knife?”(page 24) This jealousy leads to Charles trying to kill his brother, mirroring the story of Cain and Abel exactly until the point to execution. When Charles succumbs to the jealousy of his brother he has lost the battle of good and evil
According Bio. True Story (1994-210), “Allan Pinkerton was born on August 25th 1819 in Glasgow Scotland and died July 1st, 1884. He was a Scottish born detective and founder of a famous American private detective agency. Pinkerton became involved in Chartism, a mass movement that sought political and social reform. His activities resulted in a warrant for his arrest, and in 1842 Pinkerton fled to the United States, settling in Chicago” He was a cooper by trade, a trade he had learned in Scotland.
This also shows that if Burnham was going to be constructing the Worlds Fair, it had to be large scale and amazing for anyone to want to see it. "The White City had drawn men and protected them; the Black City now welcomed them back, on the eve of winter, with filth, starvation, and violence." part III page 323, shows the significance of what Burnham did. After his wonderful and magical fair, everyone had had jobs, been happy, and had an extraordinary time, but when the marvelous event was over, all the native Chicagoans were left again to be jobless, lonely, and miserable. On the other hand we have Dr. H. H. Holmes.
“The Devil in the White City” is a non-fiction book that is told in a fictional style. It is based on true characters and events that happened in the 1890’s, in Chicago, at the famous World’s Fair. At this time period, the city of Chicago was a very unique and mysterious place. This book is so great because it captures two stories that were taking place at the time with two main characters. The first was the creation of the World’s Fair in 1893 by the first of the main characters, Daniel H. Burnham.
Devil in the White City takes two actual stories that occur in Chicago in the late 1880s and the early 1890s and meshes them together. The story of the White City enhances the story of the Devil that found contentment within its walls. Daniel Burnham and John Root created the White City with the help of many architects from New York, Boston, St. Louis and Chicago. Throughout challenges, disasters and tragedy, Burnham moved the planning and building of the White City forward. He focused on his own career and the fact that all of America was counting on him to earn the world's respect.