The Devil in the White City

Larson begins his novel with the intro “Evils Imminent”. He talks about how there will be good and evil in this story, where good is Burnham and evil portion is Holmes. When Larson writes, “Beneath the gore and smoke and loam…” he is explaining what the setting of the story will be. These words are used to describe the stock yards and the dirty streets that were really only seen in Chicago during the 1800’s. Burnham and Holmes are similar with the fact that they are both very passionate about the things they do and they are hard workers and want to get the job done. What's different is the job they’re doing. One does architecture and the other does murder. They both become well known for what they have done and accomplished. They live their lives with their own rules and they don't do what others say they should. Larson jumps into describing Holmes as a gentleman that is honest and trustworthy, but the evil inside of him isn’t shown. His murders have to be perfect because he strives for perfection. They have to go exactly as he plans them.
 Burnham’s ideas of perfection are with his buildings and his architecture. He works to create the biggest and the best buildings. His buildings always have to be taller than his competitor’s buildings. He wants the fame and the money for his buildings and the only way for him to achieve that is by creating the art out of his buildings. Burnham is always thinking of the fair and worrying about how he will make it better than the fair that was in France. Although they both have different occupations, they’re lives are somewhat the same with the fact that was to pursue and achieve greatness in the things they do.
The two men are quite similar with the fact that they create things that some view as impossible. The two men are connected to each other even though, ironically, neither of them have met the other. They are similar in how passionate they are and how they want to perfect everything they come across. But they are inevitably brought together by a single event “The World Fair.” You will notice in the book that Good and Evil, light and dark, White City and Black City are contrasted with the book’s main characters. Burnham is associated with the good, the light, and the white city. Holmes is associates with the evil, the dark, and the black city. In the story the White City is the beautiful, artistic, and glorious part of Chicago that most people walking around see, the place where Burnham thrives. Burnham has created much of the White City and that is where he sees his perfection. On the other hand, the Black City, is the place where Holmes thrives. This is the place that not many people see. It’s the darker side of Chicago, where Holmes can perfect his craft: murder. This is the place that people don’t want to see or talk about. They show the “dirty” part of the city and a place where not many people want to live. Larson uses this not only to prepare readers for the comparison of these two subjects, and the fact that their passion for perfection might cause their demise.