The devin the the White City by Erick Larson - Book Report/Review Example

Order 521402 Topic: "The Devil the White by Erick Larson Introduction: The contents of the book by Erik Larson are unbelievable, but true. The author has cautioned about this aspect in the introductory stage. The deeds of the awesome “Devil” in the White City are ghastly and tough for the printed page to capture. The author has given an extraordinary account, that this can happen in this beautiful world and to what extent ‘a two legged devil’ goes to destroy the human beings, who must have come to his contact in good faith, some of them innocent children!

The ways of the destiny are strange indeed! Those extraordinary geniuses like Daniel H. Burnham and Dr. H.H. Homes should be there on Planet Earth at the same time-period, and perform their respective actions! The former was Director of Works, World’s Columbian Exposition, 1893, whose work ethics or ambition of life as stated by him was, “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir man’s blood.” The goal of life of the latter according to his concession, 1896 was, “I am 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.” Incredible, but true! Paying glowing tributes Richard Harding Davis called the exposition, “the greatest event in the history of the country since the Civil War.”(p.5) Such was the level of its beauty, and it has been described thus: “Some wept at its beauty.”(p.5) When the dream of humanity stood at one side opening its door to millions of moon-struck visitors, by its sheer size and grandeur, at the other stage the high drama of Holmes was being staged.

He was busy executing his dark fantasies at the cost of precious human lives. The plan was well thought off, and executed with precision. He constructed a big hotel near the exposition grounds, and many tourists walked into it in good faith, without knowing that it was their final destination. Holmes was a serial-killer. The basement of the hotel was a crematorium, where he had a dissecting table to cut into pieces the bodies of his victims and dispose them off. The great achievement and the dark deeds go parallel and the two individuals have nothing in common except that they owned passions of contradictory nature.

One was the architect of construction and the other the planner of destruction. In the final years of his life, Daniel almost turned philosophical and revealed his approach to life thus, just before the voyage he told his friend(he also suffered from pain in the leg, and his movements were restricted), “This prolonging of a man’s life doesn’t interest me when he’s done his work and has done it pretty well.”(p.3)When Holmes was tried for his crimes and sentenced to death, the world of science desired to have his brain and a futile attempt was made to get it.

“The man was something more than a mere criminal who acted on impulse,” Greeman said, “He was a man who studied crime and planned his career. His brain might have given science valuable aid.”(p.386) Conclusion: The book provides a detailed analysis of the creativity of Burnham who was responsible for building the White City, how he challenged a number of resolute professional obstacles and emerged successful to complete the project. This man of great dreams, ignored his personal tragedies to see through the White City, and channelized the creativity of some of the greatest architects of the era.

At the other end, Holmes set up his World’s Fair Hotel. A man of extraordinary charm and guile lured the unsuspecting single girls that arrived in Chicago, outsmarted the police, and committed a number of cold-blooded murders, until the law of the land challenged him ultimately to send him to the gallows. Works Cited Larson, Erik, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, Vintage, February 10, 2004.