Lewis H. Lapham

Serial killers are neither born nor are they created; rather they are the product of both elements when put to extremes. A predisposed mental disorder is sure to cause one to have some troubles in life, but does not automatically make one a future serial murderer. Along with that claim, a troubled childhood is also not grounds for future damnation. But when combined in extremes, one begins to become at risk for a very complicated- and sometimes deadly -future. Originating from former FBI…

Throughout Devil in the White City, Larson uses different characteristics and events to give the reader a wider, better idea of who Holmes really is, as well as letting the reader draw their own conclusions about characters that may not be as foregrounded as others. We are given hints on how other people view Holmes, including females. While he was described as rich and good looking, at the same time, he gives a look and feel, a sort of devilish impression. Larson writes of Holmes (in terms of…

“I was 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” (Larson 109.) In the book, The Devil in the White City, Burnham, an architect, is having many different struggles in building the World’s Fair by opening day, but after the many struggles he ends up making the fair a dreamland. At the same time, Holmes, the first serial killer, is luring young women into his hotel and killing them without getting caught;…

Exposition) occurred. Larson uses the disturbing and gruesome stories of a serial killer named H. H. Holmes (or Herman Webster Mudgett) along with the life of the architects behind the Chicago World Fair to get a sense of what Chicago was going through in the late 1800s. The historic events that are covered in The Devil in the White City include the Chicago World Fair of 1893, illustrations of the Gilded Age in…

Never before had the United States faced a serial killer such as Doctor H. H. Holmes, his influence would forever detail and shape the American populous’ perception of evil. Doctor Holmes was a coveted wealthy entrepreneur in the time of the Chicago World’s Fair who crossed the boundaries of the law and common social restrictions repeatedly, committing horrible acts of fraud and murder in order to promote his own agenda and future. Serial killers have detailed and puzzling patterns and cycles…

On November 17, 1894, the notorious H. H. Holmes was arrested for the murder of B.F. Perry (Cipriani 1). What was first thought to be a case of insurance fraud quickly spiraled into a murder investigation, prompting the discovery of Holmes’ “Murder Castle” and the numerous bodies found within its walls. To this day, it is still unknown how many murders Holmes is responsible for. After his arrest, he confessed to the murders of 29 people; however, authorities believe that he may be responsible…

In Larson’s book The Devil in the White City, Larson portrays Jackson Park, the location of the Chicago World’s Fair, in different ways, based on the characters’ knowledge of the park. He uses three characters’ quotes and thoughts to give the reader an image of the park: Olmsted, Burnham, and the east coast architects. The image he gives the reader is never perfect, but the first impression he gives the reader is acceptable. At first, Larson describes Jackson Park as a place that may not have…

The Devil In The White City Essay #1 The majority of people will realize this book is different after just reading the first two chapters of The Devil in The White City. Rather you find out the book is being told from two stories being jumped back in forth between two totally different men in chicago during the world fair, or the interruptions of flashbacks, and little details you come across from Erik Larson's own research. This sounding like chaos Larson still has his book set up with a…

A murderous atmosphere pervaded the late 1800’s, numerous people at the time were reported missing and bodies of the deceased piled. The contribution of these victims can be linked to the rise of serial killers, especially the two most notorious serial killer in of the time Jack the Ripper and Herman Webster Mudgett, who went by the alias of Dr. H.H. Holmes. The two killers began killing around the 1880’s, and they were able to escape captivity for years. It is widely debated whenever Jack the…

When Mudgett, also known as Holmes, was little his parents were devout methodists who relied heavily on rod and prayer (page 39). His mother always wanted MUdgett to pray with her in her room. H wasn't really a religious type person, he mostly surrounded himself with poetry written by Jules Verne and Edgar Allan Poe, and he also invented things like a wind - power mechanism that scared birds away from the fields. This is an religous example, because even though Mudgett’s family was religious, he…