IntroductionThe Devil in the White City written by Erik Larson is the riveting account of the first modern serial killer of the 19th century in America. Published in 2003, Larson carefully and accurately creates a connecting plot of two very different characters. The first character introduced in the book is Daniel Burnham. Burnham is the architect who builds the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago.
He faces many challenges in his journey to construct the most incredible World’s Fair the world has ever seen. After the death of Burnham’s partner, John Root, he must make many compromises in his grand plan. Building drafts continuously incoming late, construction worker deaths, extreme economic weakening, and the reveal of the Eiffel Tower are just a few details that compromise Burnham’s design. However, Burnham tirelessly works through the obstacles and completes the construction which in the end brings a profit.
Erik Larson ties the second major character, H.H. Holmes, into the novel via the attraction of the Chicago’s World Fair. Holmes moves to Chicago in hopes of working in the medical field.
Holmes lands a job as a pharmacist coincidentally very close to the location of the upcoming World’s Fair. After some time, Holmes purchases the lot across the street from the pharmacy where he is working and builds an elaborate home for himself; the first floor consisting of a pharmacy and the second and third floor having rooms which could be rented. As the Fair arrives he turns his home into the World’s Fair Hotel. The rooms become extremely convenient for many of his killings. Holmes married few women and killed many while going bankrupt in the process. After fleeing Chicago he is eventually caught in Philadelphia and charged with insurance fraud.
Only later is he discovered to be the man behind countless murders.Summary of the ContentThe Devil in the White City is not written in chronological order. The novel is divided into four parts. The first three parts mainly take place inChicago, Illinois and the last part in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One can infer the theme of this novel to be good and evil.
This is displayed by Larson’s technique to have two opposing characters which vary in terms of morals and actions; Burnham represents good, and Holmes represents bad. Larson does not seem to be making in argument in his novel, rather transforming a piece of American History into a thrilling, almost fiction like story.Part one of the novel begins by expressing the hardship and anxiousness of getting the World’s Fair to Chicago, a newly dangerous city. As many people wait for the announcement Larson gives the reader a flashback of Burnham and Root which provides more background knowledge of the two characters appearing first in the book. Larson switches gears to H.H.
Holmes and again describes a flashback which foreshadows the events that Holmes commits. Frederick Olmsted is introduced who helps in the location decision of the World’s Fair. As the location of the fair is being decided Holmes reconnects with a lover, Myrta, from Minneapolis who he eventually marries and conceives a child with. He begins to construct his home in great secret. Jumping back to Burnham’s story, as plans are approved he calls upon five of the best architects in America to help construct the fair.
However, none of these men being from Chicago angers the city and ultimately five Chicago firms are brought onboard. Still these men were unenthused by the construction and site of the World’s Fair. Meanwhile, Holmes begins construction as well on his new idea for the World’s Fair Hotel. He swindles money from Myrta’s great uncle and conjures the idea to create a kiln, which he rallies support for among the people he needs to help him build it. Shortly, Ned Conner, accompanied by his wife, daughter, and later sister, move into Holmes's building so that Conner can run the jewelry counter in Holmes's pharmacy.
He begins to become jealous of the attention Holmes gives his wife and sister. At the end of Part 1 Burnham is faced with tragedy as his best friend and partner, John Root, dies. After this event he considers quitting the fair but persists on with the other architects.Part two begins in 1891 when the architects gather to reveal their plans for buildings. Olmstead is concerned with his job as landscape designer because he will have to wait for the buildings to be erected before he can begin his work.
With the fair only two years away tensions grow strong as Italian workers are hired to dig drainage ditches. This hiring angers many unions as they are angry with foreigners taking their jobs. Tensions are also raising high on Holmes side of the story. Ned’s sister wants to move out of Chicago but will not tell Ned the reason. When she finally gets back to Iowa she becomes ill and dies.
Ned also suspects Julia and Holmes are conducting an explicit relationship behind his back.As Ned and Julie continue to grow apart Ned flees the house and pharmacy, only to try to get Julia back. The couple divorces and Ned forfeits custody of Pearl, his daughter. Once Julia becomes single Holmes loses interest in her. As spring of 1891 rolls around problems with execution of the fair arise. With the soil not being strong enough to hold the largest building and architects turning in late designs Burnham experiences conflicts.
A new character, Sol Bloom, enters the scene as the midway designer. He was in Paris during the exposition and bought exhibits for the fair but was turned down by Chicago. After eventually being hired he moved to Chicago. During this time Holmes is involved in his first killing that the reader is directly exposed to.
Julia tells Holmes that she is pregnant with his child and wants to get married. Holmes agrees to marry her under the condition he gives her an abortion; Julia agrees. Before the abortion, Julia meets with a couple who is renting a room, the Crowes. She explains to them she will be going to Iowa for her sister’s wedding as they decorate a Christmas tree to surprise Pearl. On Christmas Eve, Julia is scheduled to have her abortion.
Holmes uses chloroform to make her unconscious. He then uses this on Pearl as well. He hires a man to strip Julia’s body, and he sells the skeleton to the medical school. Holmes then sends his partner and friend Pietzel to a treatment place for his alcoholism. When Pietzel returns and speaks of a beauty, Holmes calls her up immediately and offers her a job for twice the money she is working for now.
Emeline Cigrand, the beautiful woman, accepts the job and moves to Chicago. Cigrand and Holmes become involved with each other and despite warnings from Ned Conner, Holmes proposes and Cigrand accepts. In the meantime, Olmstead is growing concerned with the delay in the progress of the fair. He has become very ill and takes time off work to explore Europe with his two children. Seeing what is left of Paris’ exposition only angers Olmstead. When he returns to America he is pleased with the progress that is made.
Dedication Day is held which, despite the fair being unfinished, is a great success. Pendergast, who is in contention for the mayor’s office for the next election, grows ill.He writes a postcard to leading attorney, Alfred Trude, but does not sign his name. Although Trude considers this to be irrelevant, he keeps the note anyways. Concerning construction of the fair, George Ferris, Pittsburgh architect, is finally allowed to lead with his design in the midway which is supposed to rival that of Eiffel’s. With Ferris’ success Holmes experiences success with his second wife-to-be murder.
He strips Emeline’s body of skin waist up and gets unsuspecting residents to help him ship the body off to be finished and sold to medical science. However during this process, a woman’s footprint is unknowingly left on the vault. The whereabouts of the three dead females is now being questioned to Holmes by authorities.He begins to think he may have to leave Chicago. He hires a new personal secretary, Minnie Williams, who was a former lover of his. They two become married.
Meanwhile politically Carter Henry Harrison wins the election for mayor and becomes the mayor of Chicago during the fair. Pendergast supports him in hopes of being appointed a position. He is later seen walking into a tree.In part three opening day arrives. May 1st, 1893 attendance ranges from 500,000 to 600,000 people. This excitement doesn’t last long however as long 10,000 people arrive the next day.
Excitement however, is booming at Holme’s hotel. With many young women pouring in he denies rooms for men claiming there are no vacancies. These young women grow jealous of Minnie and Holmes convinces her to move to a flat a few blocks away. This move gives Holmes freedom at the hotel to kill more women. Suspicions of these missing women began to arise. The kiln however is great at disposing the bodies.
Anna, Minnie’s sister who was suspicious of Holmes, arrives in Chicago and is immediately swept off her feet by Chicago and Holmes. She eventually moves to Chicago. Concerning the fair, the Ferris wheel makes its debut and doubles fair attendance. Olmstead and Burnham experience dispute about decisions concerning fair prices and attractions.
Fair attendance is still nowhere near what was projected by stakeholders. Independence Day attracts many fairgoers, including Holmes, Minnie, and Anna. Holmes offers them a trip to Europe for Anna to explore art schools. They accept and Holmes takes Anna on a tour of the hotel as Minnie stays home to pack the next day.Holmes takes Anna to his office and locks her in the vault. He enjoys listening to her as she believes she has been accidentally locked in the vault.
He fills it with gas and kills her. He then tells Minnie she will be waiting for them at the pharmacy. Holmes also tells the people they are renting the flat from they no longer need the flat and calls upon a furniture mover to have a box full of Minnie and Anna’s possessions sold to his friends. During this time, weather wreaks havoc and a fire erupts at the fair.
This hinders many and Burnham is taken to court charged with negligence. Although not arrested he still in faced with the challenge of encouraging attendance to the fair. He plans a midway ball which increases daily attendance over 100,000. Holmes uses the new interest in the fair the lure his next courtship in Georgiana Yoke.Two other couples are also married, including Mayor Harrison.
As Chicago Day is announced the fair reaches record attendance of over 750,000 people in one day. Even though the fair is experiencing great financial success Holmes is experiencing quite the opposite. He sets fire to the roof of his building and files for insurance. With insurance investigators concerned of Holmes past not repaying people they assemble everyone who Holmes owes money to, to meet with Holmes. Holmes is startled by this and scared he plans to move to Texas and construct a similar building to that in Chicago.
After moving around a bit Holmes is captured in Philadelphia for insurance fraud by faking Pietzel’s death. Frank Geyer, detective, is set on the mission of H.H. Holmes.He is concerned about where Pietzel’s children are and reads letters which they wrote to their mother to try to trace Holme’s footsteps. With Geyer traveling the Midwest, Holmes manipulates prison life to his comfort.
He begins to write a memoir of his life. Geyer in the meantime hits a lead in Toronto and find the bodies of the Pietzel children. Holmes finds out about the discovery and writes in his novel how Minnie was behind the murder. Geyer returns to Indianapolis in search of Howard Pietzel’s body, which he finds. Holmes in convicted of the murders and his book is published.
Evaluation of the BookI found The Devil in the White City riveting. Larson does an incredible job of transforming nonfiction events into a fiction-like novel. The book is extremely convincing to me. The evidence I found most assuring was the bibliography in the back of the book. This detailed account of every source Larson used is proof that the accounts in the book were very accurate. Because of these cited works I find myself with nothing to challenge Larson with.
I would however, like to know how long it took Larson to write the book, from start to finish. This book really gave me insight to the disease which ran rampant before today’s technology. The novel also gives the reader an example of the ease it was to commit crimes. Without the sources we have today murder was simple to get away with.
These facts help me understand better the events and reasons behind American history.Historical FactsThe invention of the Ferris wheel by George Ferris was created to rival that of the Eiffel Tower. The debut of Juicy Fruit gum was at the World’s Fair in Chicago. The debate of where the fair would be held consisted of many cities besides Chicago including Washington, DC and New York City. H.H.
Holmes built an elaborate building all to hide his killings. Pendergast murdered Mayor Harrison.Burnham had to testify in court for alleged negligence even though he took extra precautionary measures concerning fires including building fire hydrants and hiring a fire department. The Chicago World’s Fair did not hit record attendance compared to that in Paris as predicted by stakeholders. Weather was such a huge problem concerning the fair.Holmes married many women which he ultimately betrayed.
