Larson's The Devil In The White City

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The Devil in the White City dives straight through all of the layers of the Gilded Age. Showcasing the wonderful eye-catching parts, as well as the malicious and masked parts of this time period. Larson had a very intriguing way of devising his book, he switched every chapter from Holmes' story to the description of the World Fair and its preparation. Allowing the reader to compare and contrast each chapter. Holmes, the rotting core, is a perfect example of the Gilded Age. Larson described Holmes as a well-liked man who seemed sincere and adored by everyone, even children. However, this divulges the readers into Holmes' real sociopathic tendencies. Larson uses Holmes to provide readers with an understanding of the complexities of the Gilded …show more content…
Readers begin to descend into the life of Holmes and see his path of deceiving people. His first wife, Myrta, described Holmes as a man who was “never vexed or irritable but was always happy and free from care.”(65) How could a man so carefree and happy be so sinister? This was a time before society had experienced the nature of psychological disorders; furthermore, allowing him to roam free for such a long period of time. Holmes’ ability to switch from a typical man to a cold blooded killer solidifies that he represents the gilded age and what it stands for; a beautiful appearance with rotten corruption spreading from within. The golden layer of this book would most likely be the architecture and the cities appearance itself. One example of this is Larson’s description of the buildings, “Each building was huge to begin with, but the impression was amplified by the design...all were so shockingly, beautifully unlike anything the majority of visitors ever had seen.”(252) The buildings were stunning, as described, and the drew in crowds of people due to their appearance and

Irony In Erik Larson's The Devil In The White City

The novel “The Devil in the White City” was a instructive and thrilling story that kept readers captivated throughout reading. Its author Erik Larson uses irony, vivid diction, and point of view in order to strike horror the reader while constantly reminding them of the legitimacy of the novel. The use of irony is displayed all throughout the novel by Larson. An example of Larson’s mobilization of irony is when Larson recounts how Holmes “removed the apron and rolled down his sleeves. The…

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Polar Opposites In Erik Larson's Devil In The White City

Erik Larson’s book Devil in the White City portrays the story of “the brilliant architect behind the legendary 1893 world’s fair,” The fair was intended to portray the ideal city, one without vices or sins, and it did. Visitors and residents of Chicago were struck by polarizing images of the dark and evil old Chicago, and the new white city. In the same way, the two main characters Daniel Burnham and Henry H. Holmes seem to be polar opposites yet are inextricably connected. As a young man, Burnham…

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The Devil In The White City Essay

“I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing” (Doctor H. H. Holmes, during his confession). H.H. Holmes is known today as America’s first serial killer and is estimated to have killed between 40-200 people, mostly women, during the World’s Fair of 1893. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, follows the story of murderer H.H. Holmes and his acquisitions of his victims, and the story of Daniel Burnham…

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The Devil In The White City Analysis

The Devil in the White City Analysis Paper While writing Isaac’s Storm, Erik Larson came across the killer, Dr. H. H. Holmes, which drew him to write The Devil in the White City. The Devil in the White City is about a serial killer, Dr. H. H. Holmes, who is the “devil” in this fascinating book, and Daniel Hudson Burnham, who is the architect of the Chicago World Fair. Larson juxtaposes these two contrasting yet similar stories together in this “nonfiction novel.” Larson uses structure, tone, and…

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The Devil In The White City Figurative Language

Erik Larson’s inspiration for writing The Devil in the White City was Chicago’s willingness in the Gilded Age to take on the impossible. Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City is about a serial killer, H.H. Holmes and an architect, Daniel Burnham, and their lives during the Chicago World’s Fair. Holmes is the “devil” at the fair, while Burnham is the architect of the World’s Fair. Larson combines these two contrasting, yet similar personalities into one fascinating nonfiction novel. Using antithesis…

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Devil In The White City Book Report

One man builds a city that houses the most vicious serial killer in history. Both men have no physical relationship with each other, nor any connection other than that they brought the spotlight onto Chicago. The city of Chicago is the backdrop for murder and ambition in the nonfiction novel, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson. The novel written blends two tales of men of Chicago as if Larson lived in the city circa 1893 to tell…

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Imagery In Devil In The White City

Murder is, and has been, one of the most inhumane acts in all of human history. For someone to commit such a crime, there must be something wrong with them. Erik Larson, author of the nonfiction book, Devil In The White City, uses a great deal of imagery throughout this novel. Larson also uses an excellent contrast between the two main characters, H.H Holmes and Dr Burnham. He uses imagery to create a contrast with the two different stories included. It helps contrast the story of H.H Holmes and…

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The Devil In The White Mitty Analysis

The Devil in the White CIty is about the Columbian Exposition and the World Fair. Author, Erik Larson, used a various amount of techniques to get one’s attention, and ended each chapter making the reader crave for more of his story. In his prologue, “Aboard the Olympic,” he used many styles to pull the reader in on what was actually occurring. Later, he portrays what had occurred in the mansion with Jack the Ripper. In the chapter, “The Trouble has just Began”, he uses the complexity of the World…

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Burnham's The Devil In The White City

The book The Devil in the White City describes the creation of the World's Columbian Exposition and its profits in two different perspectives. One in the perspective of Daniel Hudson Burnham, the director of the fair; while the other perspective focused on Henry H. Holmes, a cold blooded murderer that owned the hotel near the fairgrounds. To begin, the author explained the background of the characters, and the fight against large cities such as New York for the chance to hold the World's Columbian…

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Devil in the White City Essay

Devil in the White City written by Erik Larson is a true story based on the building of the most important fair in the United States of America, the 1893 Columbian Exposition World’s Fair in Chicago. Erik Larson also told the story of the psychopathic murderer; H.H. Holmes used his World’s Fair Hotel as an evil castle to lure in young women who came to see the fair. The story starts off with Larson describing that Chicago won the Congressional vote to host the World’s Fair and beat out its competition…

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