The Murder Castle Holmes Empathy

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“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...I was born with the evil one standing as my sponsor beside the bed where I was ushered into the world, and he has been with me since.” (Holmes)
The quote above will give you a better understanding about the personality of Dr. Henry Howard Holmes (actually born Herman Mudgett in New Hampshire in 1861); one of the first documented serial killers in the United States of America and maybe the worst. Holmes is infamous for his “murder castle” a three-story, labyrinthine hotel designed for the express purpose of killing victims and disposing of their bodies. (Poltrack) The World’s Fair “The Murder Castle” located in Chicago, Illinois was known at first as The World’s Fair Hotel but because of its massive height and it extending over a block long, it earned its first name; …show more content…

Not having empathy can be viewed as a lack of understanding. So when a murderer can’t see the aftermath of his actions or the effects of their actions upon their victims, killing turn into a possibility. For example, “crimes of passion”, those are events that happen in the spur of the moment. At that moment the killer’s judgement is off because he’s fueled by his emotions. Those emotions can vary at any given time. They could be anger, jealousy and love…anything. But “passion” is not the reason for all murders. Other killings are carefully thought out and well- planned with a certain victim or goal in mind. For this scenario, I no longer can say that is a “spur of the moment” killing. What is it that makes people get around that feeling of empathy? Does a killer feel what their prey feels and still continue to murder them? Can you imagine that it’s possible to turn someone into a killer? Or even make someone enjoy the feelings that trigger our survival

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