Analysis Of Devil In The White City By Erik Larson

As humans we often find ourselves drawn to the horrible and macabre thing that happen in this world. In particular, serial killers have become a very popular subject matter for study. In Devil in the White City, Erik Larson capitalizes in this interest in order to produce a national bestseller about H.H. Holmes and his series of gruesome murders. What makes Larson’s novel even more shocking is the fact that everything is grounded in truth. With extensive studying and a seemingly never ending list of cited sources, it is easy for the reader to place their trust in the writer. However, the book is not simply about the life of H.H. Holmes, but rather the city of Chicago during the time that he inhabited it. The story of Daniel H. Burnham, a

The tagline of the book reads “Murder, magic and madness at the fair that changed America.” This tagline does mention the World’s Fair, but the primary thing that it addresses is “Murder” as it fits this word first and on it’s own line. Also, there is no mention of the city of Chicago which is the main focus of the earlier part of the book. It isn’t until the end of the book that the focus shifts to follow Holmes’s story, but this is after the police had begun to investigate him. The reason that this shift in focus works is because it provides the book with a clear cut end. Holmes’s conviction for his crimes provides the reader with a clear conclusion that is rarely allowed for in real life. However, Burnham isn’t forgotten about as the book comes full circle to the prologue in which Burnham is aboard the Olympic, awaiting news about the Titanic. Larson informs us about Burnham’s ultimate death which occurred only day after, and his burial among all the other characters that had passed throughout the course of the book. In this case, the ends of the lives of the characters function as a closing for the

The beginning of the book marks the preparation for the fair, the climax that occurs on the Fourth of July happens at the fair, and the book comes to a close not long after that fair ends. The fair also works as a driving force behind H.H. Holmes’s story, and he uses the Fair in order to bring more tenant to his hotel and a place for him to bring the women that he lures into his life. As mentioned above, the only events that take place after the Fair is the capture of H.H. Holmes, and Burnham’s trip aboard the Olympic. Both of these plot point functioned as conclusions, as the Fair is what worked to drive the story forwards, it’s end marked the need to tie up loose ends. To this point, the World’s Fair is almost it’s own character in the book, and it’s development is what drives the