The Devil in the White City

Kayla Wyrick

Eric Larson● Born January 3, 1954 in Brooklyn, NY● Won Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime● He attended Columbia Graduate School of Journalism

and graduated in 1978● He has taught non-fiction at San Francisco University,

John Hopkins Writing Seminars, and University of Oregon

Setting Chicago ● Chicago is going to hold the next worlds fair● Brings people to Chicago ● Increase in population ● Holmes came to Chicago in look of work

PlotThe plot is Chicago 1893. Daniel Burnham is the main architect in charge of the World’s Fair. H.H. Holmes has just moved to newly booming Chicago. He eventually starts a hotel and people from the World’s Fair stay there, but they don’t know they are going to be his victims. As people go missing it ruins Burnhams plans.

Daniel Hudson Burnham ● Architect in charge of building Worlds Fair in

Chicago 1893● Partner is John Root● Business person of the two

H.H. Holmes● Doctor, Pharmacist, and Psychopathic Serial

Killer ● He moves to Chicago in search of work● He gets caught and arrested in Philadelphia ● He is executed by hanging

John Root● Partner of Burnham● He is the main Architect of the two ● He died before construction started from

pneumonia in 1891

George Ferris● Creates the Ferris Wheel● Builds the first Ferris Wheel for the 1893

Chicago Worlds Fair

Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die.

“I was born with the Devil in me..”

First Ferris Wheel, 1893 Chicago World’s Fair

Main IdeaTurning a black city into a white cityChicago turned into a place where everyone wanted to be and everyone wanted to have a place just like it.

Symbols● Black: the darkness before the fair and

popularity it brought Chicago; The darkness Holmes is building with his hotel

● White: It the brightness and fame Chicago and American received due to the World’s Fair

ComparingBurnham and Holmes ● Burnham was building and constructing the

World’s Fair● Holmes was constructing his hotel to lure his

people from the World’s Fair from

ContrastingBurnham and Holmes● Burnham was trying to make a profit and

make Chicago a better and white city● Holmes was trying to get victims easily

ThemeGood vs EvilHolmes eventually gets caught in the end and hung, and Burnham succeeds in the fair and closes it.

ProtagonistDaniel Burnham is the Protagonist because he is the main character. He is the head architect for the World’s Fair project and is going turn the city around.

AntagonistH.H. Holmes is the Antagonist because he is killing people which is causing the people to rethink the World’s Fair, because so many people are missing from the fair.