Comparison Between Chicago And The White City Of Chicago

In the late 1800’s, the upcoming World’s Fair was set to take place is Chicago, which caused citizens to gain anxiety and excitement because America had never been selected for anything of such splendor. The work had to be finished on a very tight schedule if it were to open on the anticipated date. The fair was barely accomplished in time for opening day, and everyone who went was on a high, it’s beauty and cleanliness were a sight that people loved to see. The fair was a rarity, with so many new inventions that people felt that they just had to see, even with all of the bank failures and money shortages, people still found ways to attend. Although everything seemed magical, there was a hidden murderer who lurked in the shadow of the Chicago

The main contrast start between the fair, “the White City,” (323) and the city of Chicago, also referred to as “the Black City” (323) due to all of the dirt and disgust along the streets. As the exposition “[drew]... and protected” (323) people from all over, Chicago “welcomed them back… with filth, starvation, and violence,” (323) this contrast causes both of them to become more amplified when the reader sees these things placed next to each other. The exposition, a world of wonder for all of the attendants, was placed right in the midst of Chicago, a grimy city full of dirt and darkness. The view of the exposition becomes more glorified when it is placed next to the “violence” (323) of it’s location, a safe haven in a foul city. Chicago sounds more dangerous when compared to the “protection” (323) of the Columbian World Exposition because it was so highly praised at the time. Chicago appealed to newcomers during the time of the fair, until they were greeted with “smoke… darkness… and the ever-present scent of rotting garbage” (264) that encased the entire town. The disgust of the city was masked by the fair, it fascinated all who knew of it. Even the structures in the city “awed [them]” (264) and made a huge contrast with Chicago itself. The stark differences between Chicago and it’s contents exemplify good and evil walking hand in hand throughout the time period of the World’s

The fair is described as “ravishing” with “lamps that laced every building and walkway,” (254) which is a clear and effortless visual in the reader’s mind. The lights were described as “the most elaborate demonstration of illumination,” (254) which isn’t just expressing what the lights looked like, but delves deeper in order to explain the degree of the brightness. The light displays goodness and astonishment that the fair placed onto the attendants. Although artificial light was not common in the late 19th century and it is one of the most highly common things today, the reader still can understand the depth of the fascinating sight for almost everyone who viewed the fair with their own eyes. Meanwhile, Holmes’s murder was affecting multiple families and leaving them stupefied, needing answers, with nowhere to find them. He used “surgical kits” (148) that lay “open and gleaming” (148) in order to operate on his victims and covered his tracks with ease. The view of the gear used to perform a surgery on an undeserving human disturbs the reader and leaves them awed at the image placed in their head. The views of the fair were incredible and the views of Holmes’s killing was horrific, these uses of imagery show how closely the good and evil lived in the city of