America has become accustomed to the “flashy” things in life. The goals are to be richer, have the most cars, have the biggest house, and own the nicest possessions. Many argue that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, and the rich only give money to the poor every now and then to appease a growing animosity towards the elites. Even so, they are still doing something, right? Extravagance is the key word. More, More, More. Bigger, Bigger, Bigger. These are the obsessions of America. These have always been the obsessions of America, as it grew its fledgling self to a superpower force to be reckoned with. It had to make a name, and there have certainly been ways it has done so.
That’s where the Chicago World’s Fair comes into play.
It would be the exposition to top all expositions. It would beat out France. It would host only the finest exhibits, and only the most advanced ideas to get Americans to notice; to get the world to notice. It was “that marvel of late nineteenth-century hubris, enclosing the greatest volume of unobstructed space in history.” It was certainly, without a doubt, an exhibition of arrogance, with its extravagant size and cost.
Daniel Burnham set out to find only the finest things for the fair. He had decided it needed something of great stature, something to outdo the Eiffel Tower that was brought in for the Paris Exposition. He knew he had to “out-Eiffel Eiffel.” Here, at the Chicago World’s Fair, the Ferris Wheel was born, along with the launch of a newfound materialism and gregarious competition for attention.
All throughout the fair, arrogance was noted. Buildings set up by different countries or states were adamant to be the largest or most ornate of all of the buildings. They aimed to stand apart from the others, creating even a rivalry amongst states in America as well.
Chicago took aim at a high bar to not be the city known for its austere feeling, smoke and dirtiness, and instead found refuge in colorful buildings, welcoming tourists and money.
I believe that in many creative and arrogant endeavors such as the creation of the Chicago World’s Fair (or the World’s Colombian Exposition) it will automatically engender a darker, destructive parallel. With creative minds, come creative solutions, and more often than not, manipulation and greed. The “White City,” white being the symbol of purity and class, had a dark history. Men died during the building of the fair, “savages” were put on display, left for fair-goers to gawk at and dehumanize as though they were at a zoo. The fair, and all that the planners wanted it to be, carried with it danger and tediousness that could only be described as a darkness. Its large size brought in millions of visitors, and even the most notorious at that. H.H. Holmes brought his Dark Castle to the 63rd Chicago block, fully aware of the influx of people that were going to arrive because of the fair. With concentration on such a large event, police and media were distracted, giving Holmes the perfect opportunity to murder and torture with the newly arriving women that journeyed to Chicago for a glimpse at the extravagance and arrogance of the fair.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
"No, don't open that door!"
“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.”
-H.H. Holmes
“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” 
-Daniel H. Burnham
Two quotes, from two seemingly very different men. The novel “Devil in the White City” by Erik Larson juxtaposes the lives of these two unlike men, which takes readers on a journey through the 1800s, but most importantly, the planning and construction of the Chicago World’s Fair, or Colombian Exposition, and the orchestration of a bone-chilling scheme by a murderous mind. On the surface, the plot seems to be a non-fictitious memoir of an architect, Daniel Burnham, and a charming serial killer, H. H. Holmes. However, it reveals an in-depth analysis of the “ineluctable conflict between good and evil” and the perhaps dark, inner-workings of two brilliant men, no matter how terrifying they might be.
Throughout this novel, there is a stark contrast of good and evil, or “the ineluctable conflict between good and evil," if you may. One of the most significant, and blatant conflicts of dark and light, good and evil, is the layout of the book itself. It roughly alternates chapters of Burnham and Holmes; examining the planning and constructing of the Colombian exposition to appease the world in the view of Daniel Burnham and; examining the construction of a murderous castle and murderous personality by H.H. Holmes. Various symbolic notions appeared throughout the book, such as the contrast of the very gloomy, plain, and dark, street taken up by Holmes’ castle and the Chicago streets around it that were bright and full of life.
The book also shows a conflicting good and evil within the men themselves. Burnham set out to be the head architect of the Chicago World’s Fair, an attraction to bring happiness to fair-goers; however the journey there becomes tedious and difficult. Burnham struggles to keep his head on tight, cycling through follies, disasters, and the looming darkness that contributes to the recipe for the expo. Every day, Burnham saw men dying from the building process, and felt extreme pressure in finding someone who could “out-Eiffel Eiffel.” Yet, his vision of an amazing expo still stood through all of the dust and dark. Furthermore, the color that was decided on to paint the city was white, a symbol of purity and innocence. It is the color of light that would set the city apart from all of the rest.
Holmes also had slight displays of confliction, although it was all a ruse and he was a phony. When he was hiding his wickedness, he made women swoon, and spoke so eloquently that anyone could be persuaded into what he wanted. He could pick up a baby and hush it from crying in a matter of seconds. It was the side of Holmes that kept him out of public perception and out of the radar of the police. However, his dark side was that of a monstrous, but brilliant craft.
Burnham and Holmes possessed many differences, but surprisingly, they also had some similarities. Both men were brilliant. Both men wanted to create something that had never been orchestrated before, something that would be remembered by everyone. Both men were constructors of a revolutionary project. Both men were both destined to go down in history as the playmakers of something new, even if it may be a terrible feat.
Not to mention.. look at those moustaches.
-Daniel H. Burnham
Two quotes, from two seemingly very different men. The novel “Devil in the White City” by Erik Larson juxtaposes the lives of these two unlike men, which takes readers on a journey through the 1800s, but most importantly, the planning and construction of the Chicago World’s Fair, or Colombian Exposition, and the orchestration of a bone-chilling scheme by a murderous mind. On the surface, the plot seems to be a non-fictitious memoir of an architect, Daniel Burnham, and a charming serial killer, H. H. Holmes. However, it reveals an in-depth analysis of the “ineluctable conflict between good and evil” and the perhaps dark, inner-workings of two brilliant men, no matter how terrifying they might be.
Throughout this novel, there is a stark contrast of good and evil, or “the ineluctable conflict between good and evil," if you may. One of the most significant, and blatant conflicts of dark and light, good and evil, is the layout of the book itself. It roughly alternates chapters of Burnham and Holmes; examining the planning and constructing of the Colombian exposition to appease the world in the view of Daniel Burnham and; examining the construction of a murderous castle and murderous personality by H.H. Holmes. Various symbolic notions appeared throughout the book, such as the contrast of the very gloomy, plain, and dark, street taken up by Holmes’ castle and the Chicago streets around it that were bright and full of life.
The book also shows a conflicting good and evil within the men themselves. Burnham set out to be the head architect of the Chicago World’s Fair, an attraction to bring happiness to fair-goers; however the journey there becomes tedious and difficult. Burnham struggles to keep his head on tight, cycling through follies, disasters, and the looming darkness that contributes to the recipe for the expo. Every day, Burnham saw men dying from the building process, and felt extreme pressure in finding someone who could “out-Eiffel Eiffel.” Yet, his vision of an amazing expo still stood through all of the dust and dark. Furthermore, the color that was decided on to paint the city was white, a symbol of purity and innocence. It is the color of light that would set the city apart from all of the rest.
Holmes also had slight displays of confliction, although it was all a ruse and he was a phony. When he was hiding his wickedness, he made women swoon, and spoke so eloquently that anyone could be persuaded into what he wanted. He could pick up a baby and hush it from crying in a matter of seconds. It was the side of Holmes that kept him out of public perception and out of the radar of the police. However, his dark side was that of a monstrous, but brilliant craft.
Burnham and Holmes possessed many differences, but surprisingly, they also had some similarities. Both men were brilliant. Both men wanted to create something that had never been orchestrated before, something that would be remembered by everyone. Both men were constructors of a revolutionary project. Both men were both destined to go down in history as the playmakers of something new, even if it may be a terrible feat.
Not to mention.. look at those moustaches.
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