The Devil in the White City Question 10

Final Blog Post
Question 10: What effect does the book have on you beliefs thoughts and theories? Explain.
Reading this book really gave me a unique perspective on the World's Fair. It's amazing to think that the crimes committed by Holmes' would remain undiscovered until years later. It's also amazing to think that an event like this was unknown. Until I read that book, I had no knowledge at all about the World's Fair and had no interest in it. Even when Holmes' was found guilty back in the 19th century, no one knew anything about his work, except for those who read the papers with his story. Erik Larson was able to bring to light this story. After reading this, I now begin to wonder of other crimes committed at events in history that no one knows about. It's possible that at other major events around the world (other expositions, centennials, etc.) awful crimes were committed that no one knew about. This book has opened my eyes to a whole new world of thought. There are incredible crimes that have been committed around the world that no one knows about. The fact that Holmes and his murders went unnoticed is amazing. However, regardless of how the book changed my outlook on the world, it was an amazing book and I enjoyed reading it.

The Devil in the White City Question 9

Question 9: Would you read another book by this author? Why or why not?
There is no question that this was an amazing book. The way Larson was able to transition between the characters was amazing. The story itself was incredible. As a review says, "So good, you find yourself asking how you could not know this already" (Esquire), which I completely agree to. The story of the murders that took place was incredible and the fact that until this book, little people knew about the event is unbelievable. I was impressed by the research Larson must have done to learn all about this event. I probably would read another of Larson's books. The way he was able to portray the event was incredible and his style of writing was entertaining and unique. He was also able to capture the emotions felt by the characters, namely the fear from the women Holmes would murder. I will admit that it took a while for myself to truly enjoy the book. However, it was when the fair finally took place that I appreciated the story. I enjoyed his book very much and would be very interested in reading another one of his stories.

The Devil in the White City Question 3

Question 3: What is the most important event or passage in the text? Why?
This story depicts the lives of Holmes and Burnham throughout the Worlds Fair in 1893. However, most of Holmes' story involves him building a "castle" which he names the World's Fair Hotel. He planed on building the hotel to lure young women to stay there during the fair. Throughout most of the book, it becomes evident that Holmes is murdering these young women with the motivation of having them fall in love with him so that when they are killed, he can cease their assets through the use of aliases. However, due to his wit, Holmes is able to outsmart the police and gets away with the murders. It is not until 1895 that he is finally caught and reveled.

While being held by Philadelphia Police, the story leaves Burnham and turns to a secondary protagonist, Geyer, a detective who begins to investigate Holmes. During this part of the story, the mood turns into suspense as the detectives eventually investigate Holmes' "castle." Upon reaching the basement the passage became lifelike; "The eeriest phase of the investigation began when the police, holding their flickering lanterns high, entered the hotel basement, a cavern of brick and timber measuring 50 by 165 feet. The discoveries came quickly: a vat of acid with eight ribs and part of a skull settled at the bottom; mounds of quicklime; a large kiln; a dissection table stained with blood" (Larson 364). This passage was crucial to the novel because it finally revealed that Holmes was a murderer and had been outwitting the police and other companies, all in the pursuit of money.

The Devil in the White City Question 4

Question 4. What parts distract from the work's overall effectiveness? Why?
Throughout the book, the story flashes between Burnham and Holmes, the main characters. However, during Holmes' part, it branches off from his point of view and instead reveals the lives of the women he is around and how he manipulates them. While these passages are important to the development of Holmes' role, overall they are distracting to the story. I will admit that the passages are interesting as it gives the readers a chance to explore the mind of Holmes' victims and see how he was able to manipulate them. However, it doesn't really have an effect on the novel. The passages mainly talk about their life and how they met Holmes and began a relationship with him.

Personally, the stories on the girls are very annoying. I would prefer to have the story told with Holmes' view and not other people involved with him. The first few chapters gave me insight on Burnham, but not a whole lot on Holmes. Most of his parts in the story have nothing to do with him and focus on other people. Obviously, the ending will reveal why he's killing so many young women, but the mystery and suspense is great. While the passages with him are full of suspense, they only last for a short time and then it switches back to the women's view, and their passages have no effect on the story at all.

The Devil in the White City Question 2

The Devil in the White City has a unique form of writing. The text flashes back and forth between Burnham, the architect and protagonist, and Dr. Holmes, the serial killer and antagonist. In the beginning, I saw the text as interesting, flashing back between Holmes and Burnham. It reminded me of another series, The Lorien Legacies. The second and third books in the series use the same style of writing as this book, flashing back and forth between the protagonists. Upon making the connection, I was compelled to continue on into the book. While the text is very unique, I prefer one over the other. For some reason, I am more interested when in the book when I am reading about Burnham. At times, Holmes' story does strike me with intrigue, I cannot immerse myself in the story. However, I am certain that later in the book, Holmes' role will develop more and I will be able to become more interested in his story.