Devil in the white City Summary
To me, the text had one BIG theme: evil as the result of good. The World's Fair was an amazing event for our country. It represented how capable we were and how amazing our technology could become. It negated many of the stereotypes surrounding Chicago that it was only a city of animal butchery. It set a standard for how cities should be run and it picked up the economy with all of the work and tourism it created. But, hidden within all of this good was evil. Although pick pockets and thieves were very common, largely represented in the book is murder. Holmes takes advantage of this situation and lures in young women who are traveling alone. Without the magnificent fair, he would have had a much more difficult time doing what he did. The good that people were creating within the fair created this room for evil. Honestly, it seems this is a real world theme as well. Wherever good is done, corruption is always a possibility and often this opportunity is taken. The sad theme that permeates this book is that where there is good, there will be evil. And although unfortunate, it is reality.To me, the text had one BIG theme: evil as the result of good. The World's Fair was an amazing event for our country. It represented how capable we were and how amazing our technology could become. It negated many of the stereotypes surrounding Chicago that it was only a city of animal butchery. It set a standard for how cities should be run and it picked up the economy with all of the work and tourism it created. But, hidden within all of this good was evil. Although pick pockets and thieves were very common, largely represented in the book is murder. Holmes takes advantage of this situation and lures in young women who are traveling alone. Without the magnificent fair, he would have had a much more difficult time doing what he did. The good that people were creating within the fair created this room for evil. Honestly, it seems this is a real world theme as well. Wherever good is