The Devil In The White City #2

Some things that our nation definitely tends to worry about is the latest in fashion, money, and fame, which sounds very self-centered. We always want the biggest and want what is the best or what is the latest in technology or what is on the market. America has always been seen as an amazing place or the country of prosperity. Even hundreds of years ago, America was the country that everyone wanted to live in. Another way to make this country more appealing is add an element of excitement: The World Fair. What comes with the beginnings of the world fair is a sense of arrogance and excess amounts of pride. Even with the fair in this book being in Chicago, it would fail unless it beat the fair previous to it, the Fair in France. The fair was designed as a way to bring revenue into the venue place and make that place even more and more appealing. No matter what the cost of the fair, or the stakes that are against them it had to be the biggest, the most extravagant, and the best. In order for us to have the best there is uncommonly the arrogance part of everything. America wanted to be number one and we showed the world the arrogant, prideful, and selfish side of us. We had become so greedy we didn’t care about anything but being the best. The Fair had to shock visitors and bring them to their knees. They needed to see what America could do, what beauty they could create in such little time. We needed to have all eyes on us during the show. When arrogance is thrown into the creation of something there is always a darker side. You have all your emotions coming into effect: your greed, your needs, and everything else. With everything light there is a dark. With beauty there is always an ugly side and that is exactly how it was for the world fair. The whole novel is encompassed by the comparison of the light and dark and this is a great example. The book even explains how the fair will bring out those who are different in the darkness and show people of Chicago what lies right under their noses. With the advancement of Holman and the fair, Holmes advances and so does his murdering sprees. Holmes becomes some what of an architect himself when he builds the building for himself and other businesses to occupy. He also throws in the greed factor. In the novel it explains how Holmes will buy anything he wants without paying and when collectors come, he somehow makes the, go away and he never has to pay a penny. Without showing this underlying effect of good and evil the novel would not be factual. Larson had to say and show everything exactly how it was and he accomplished that. And by explaining the destruction of the fair was because of arrogance you really show that when there is light there is always a dark. And Larson does a great job showing it and explaining it without having to make it easier for those to read.