Erik Larson uses figurative language to project how Monroe felt the night before he agreed to work on Chicago’s world fair. His metaphor comparing “a choirboy among cardinals” to his gut feeling shows how uneasy Monroe was about this decision; perhaps even hinting what would come to be in the future. It helps the reader better comprehend that this wasn’t exactly an easy decision, and it spread the feeling apprehensiveness the author was trying to exude from Monroe to the reader- because even with a choirboy among cardinals matching pitch, one listening would know there is something wrong. Monroe knew the idea of working on the fair sounded seamless, but in his mind, he knew something wasn’t quite
