The events at the 1893 World's Fair are described in the novel Devil in the White City. The plot develops from the narration of the personal lives of the different characters in the story, which is primarily set in the City of Chicago. H.H. Homes is a figure that Larson chose to give more attention to; he is both a psychopathic doctor and a pharmacist. The readers learn about Holmes' journey to Chicago as well as some of the mysterious activities he engages in outside of his day work as a doctor. In an attempt to unravel the mystery behind the World's fair of 1893, Larson employs some literary techniques to make the rather unfortunate incident quite interesting to read. The detailed descriptions of various characters and the settings make the audience feel part and parcel of the story.
Evaluation of the Central Theme
At face value, it seems that the book is attempting to give a historical account of what transpired in Chicago in the 19th Century. However, a critical evaluation of Larson's nonfiction story lies the underlying argument that in general, people put in immense efforts only to meet rather meaningless desires. In order to prove this argument, Larson employs various stylistic devices such as analogies, metonyms, irony, imagery, and allusion. Analogy, for example, is manifested in many parts of the book. It begins on the first chapter that is titled "Evils Imminent" where Holmes and Burnham are compared (Larson 1). This is a trend that is evident in the subsequent chapters. However, in the first chapter Larson highlights the fact that in as much as Holmes and Burnham had not physically met and come from diverse backgrounds, they both desired to fulfill certain farfetched goals but failed miserably. Holmes, for example, was finally apprehended and executed for the numerous murders he had committed. Burnham, on the other hand, struggled to change the Black City to a more desirable White City only for it to burn down to ashes. It, therefore, seems that although both characters had endeavored to meet certain goals, in the end, all their efforts were in vain.
Larson also used metonyms to substantiate his main argument. This style essentially involves replacing a word with another that resembles or is related to it in some way. In many instances, Larson replaced the World's Columbian Exposition with the phrase "the White City." Burnham had strived to ensure that Chicago had been transformed from a city that was associated with filth and garbage to an absolute beauty that attracted people from various places. Burnham initially achieved this as was seen when Mrs. Lucille Rodney of Galveston, Texas had to endure a long journey just to reach the White City (Larson 226). Nonetheless, all these achievements were short-lived, and in only a matter of time, the Black city started manifesting itself (Larson 260).
There were also instances where Larson, in his book alluded to some historical events. The one that was evident was the Titanic. In advancing his central argument, Larson highlights that in as much as Ismay had strived to go back to the deep seas in search of any survivors from the Titanic disaster, he was hoping that the rescue team did not find any (Larson 314). This is because he felt that the survivors would be too shocked to see the Olympic, a vessel that resembled the Titanic, come for their rescue (Larson 314). Ismay tried all means to ensure that the Olympic did not go to rescue the survivors out of the humiliation he felt after numerous lives were lost. However, all his attempts were in vain since he was still held accountable for the deaths since he was the person who had built the Titanic.
Imagery is also one of the most profound styles in Larson's work. He ensured that he provided a detailed description of the events that transpired in order for the reader to have a vivid picture of what happened. This description inadvertently creates a mental picture in the audiences' minds. Larson describes various instances of how Holmes executed his murders for example in part II the book states that "He held the cloth over her nose and mouth. Her eyes fluttered and rolled upward. Then came the inevitable, reflexive disturbance of muscles, like a dream of running. She released his hand and cast it away with splayed fingers. Her feet trembled as it tapping to a wildly beating drum" (Larson 117). The gruesome manner in which Holmes murdered his victims makes the audience ponder over the motives behind them only to realize later that he had none other than to ensure that he had dominion over other people's lives. Furthermore, it was ironical that Burnham had envisioned that the White City would be a serene and secure place yet in the real sense people mysteriously disappeared without a trace. In the midst of all the praise that the White City was receiving, Holmes was killing very many people without being caught. Burnham's vision for a haven was pointless since Holmes was progressively undoing all the gains he had made.
Critique
The Devil In The White City is an Interesting book to read particularly for the audience who are not disgusted by gruesome details. However, one of the major drawbacks in the book is the fact that Larson lays more emphasis on the description of various events and this makes the story drag so much. A case in point is where the book was describing how the White City was being constructed. The chapter was very lengthy and rather monotonous to read. Such instances distract the reader who might drift away from the central argument that Larson was trying to advance in the story. Furthermore, though the book is packaged as a nonfictional story, the literary and stylistic devices that Larson uses are similar to the ones contained in fiction books. For example, the story has some instances of foreshadowing and flashbacks as well as the stylistic devices that have been mentioned earlier in the text which make the story somehow unreal. If some of these styles were kept at a bare minimum, then the story would fit in perfectly in the nonfiction genre.
Conclusion
Larson stated that some of the major things that drew him to author The Devil in the White City were the number of books he read. He pointed out that his interest in Chicago was sparked by the books he had read related to the fair and Chicago during the Gilded Age (Larson 318). He stated that most of the works he read came from archives of the Chicago Historical Society and the Ryerson and Burnham libraries of the Art Institute of Chicago (Larson 318). Furthermore, the Library of Congress in Washington, as well as the University of Chicago, were equally important sources of information for Larson as he was drafting the book (Larson 318). Owing to the fact that Larson physically interacted with his sources both by reading the biographies of the characters or interviewing certain people and also by avoiding acquiring any information from the internet, it would be correct to state that his sources were adequate. Finally, it is evident for any person who has read The Devil in The White City that it is a very interesting and informative book that contains immense historical knowledge.
Work Cited
Larson, Erik. The Devil in the White City. New York, Vintage Books, 2003.
