The Devil In The White City Sparknotes

Ali Humbrecht

Honors 3110

Dr. Pethel

A Book Review of:

Larson, Erik. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America. New York: Random House, Inc., 2003. 388 Pages.

If asked to picture late 19th century Chicago, one may describe an urbanizing, industrializing and rapidly growing city; most do not think of murder. The Devil in the White City is an enthralling, creative nonfiction novel which takes the reader on a journey throughout the years surrounding Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair, “the greatest event in the history of the country since the Civil War” at that point in time (5). Author Erik Larson goes back and forth between the stories of murderer Dr. H. H. Holmes and architect Daniel H. Burnham, who

After six months of debate, Burnham settled on hosting the event in Jackson Park in Chicago’s South Side and began designing and building for the exposition, which they only had two and a half years to do. Burnham had a difficult time finding reputable architects, but he eventually found a team of men to do the job. The Devil in the White City emphasizes the sexist nature of this era. The World’s Fair team was mainly male, with a few exceptions of underpaid females. At one point, Burnham sends one of the female architects to an asylum because she has an argument with another organizer. Also, women were so drawn to Chicago “by the prospect of living on their own,” only to meet their doom at the hands of fire, crime or Holmes (6). These events, along with others, show the culture that allowed men to be aggressive and disrespectful toward

Workers were able to make the grounds presentable just one month before opening day. Acting as a counterpart for Paris’ Eiffel Tower, George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr.’s Ferris Wheel astounded and captivated fairgoers. This amazing feat was a symbol for American pride and nationalism and was built in order to trump the Eiffel Tower. Through accomplishments like these, the US was able to show that it was a technological and architectural power equal to the countries of Europe. On opening day, however, there was still six months worth of work that needed to be finished. Workers were present throughout the duration of the exposition, which provided an incredible amount of relief for poor families of this time. However, after the fair was through, “ten thousand construction workers… returned to a world without jobs,” production fell and new rail construction all but stopped