The Devil In The White City Essay

From the 1870’s to the early 20th century Chicago passed through a time period known as the Gilded Age. This was a time of social evolution for many parts of the United States, especially Chicago. Various social problems began to emerge out of this era, but were ignored and covered up. Eventually these problems came to light, and Chicago became renowned for rampant crime and filthy living conditions. During the time of the Columbian Exposition in the early 1890’s these traits became Chicago’s defining characteristics, and people began to view the metropolis as the Black City. In The Devil in the White City, author Erik Larson utilizes primary sources in order to establish Chicago’s reputation that they are trying to overcome.
Through the primary
accounts of visitors, Larson depicts Chicagoan society in a dark light in order to establish their tainted reputation. For instance, French editor Octave Uzanne describes Chicago as “a gigantic peepshow of utter horror” (Larson 28). This along with his other description of the city as being “satanic” (Larson 28) casts a black shadow of evil over the city. These comments were introduced before the introduction of the World’s Fair, and demonstrate Chicago’s standing before the exposition. By describing the city as something immoral and sinful like a peepshow, the account emphasizes how outsiders viewed Chicago before the fair opened. The French man’s commentary demonstrates the kind of dark reputation Chicago had not just throughout the United States, but throughout the world. Another visitor, Rudyard Kipling, a famous poet, stated “Having seen it [Chicago]…I desire never to see it again. It is inhabited by savages” (Larson 52). Through the inclusion of Kipling’s reference to the populace of Chicago as savages, Larson emphasizes how people viewed the Chicago residents as a bunch of uncivilized heathens. The fact that Kipling, a popular and world renowned author, would state this about Chicago implies that this was a popular view held by many at the time. Through these descriptions of Chicago it is evident that Chicago had a dark reputation throughout the world. Larson presents comments made by Chicagoan residents in order to show that they have high self-regard and are trying to shed the dirty reputation of their city.
An example of this lies early on in the novel when the fair is being decided and the newspapers of Chicago say “why not Chicago” (Larson 16). This statement comes from the fact that the United States was debating where to have the fair, with cities like New York and St. Louis being popular sites. The phrasing of this statement puts emphasis on the ‘why not’, so as if to state that there is no reason Chicago should not be considered. Chicago residents believe that their city has just as much of a right to host the fair as various other cities. The Chicagoans see the fair as an opportunity to shun their ill standing and prove to the world the great city that they are, and as such want their city to be considered for the fairgrounds. Chicagoans self-respect for themselves can be seen when a popular Chicago newspaper, the Tribune, “warned that “the hawks, buzzards, vultures, and other unclean beasts…of New York are reaching out to get control of the fair” (Larson 16). The newspaper’s description of New Yorkers as ‘unclean beasts’ demonstrates how the Chicagoans are trying to compete with various other citizens of the United States for the fair. The comparison of the New Yorkers to birds is crucial in this statement. The citizens weren’t referred to as glorious eagles or elegant swans, but instead were referred to as
dirty ‘buzzards’ and ‘vultures’. Through this insult to New Yorkers the Chicagoans hope to rise above the New Yorkers, and assert that they are just as qualified to host the fair as New York. This description of the New Yorkers as filthy birds shows that the Chicagoans are trying to defend their honor and release themselves from their negative reputation. The idea of Chicago residents upholding their dignity can be seen when a citizen states that “any person from St. Louis would rob a church…Or poison his wife’s dog” (Larson 17). These claims were stated in an effort to uphold and defend Chicagoan character. These defensive claims reflect the common thoughts of Chicago society at the time, for immediately afterwards there’s “wide agreement” (Larson 17) from the crowd around the citizen making the claim. This wide agreement shows that many people agree with and support these statements, and have pride in themselves and their city. It also demonstrates that they are uniformly trying to uphold their city’s character. These claims by the Chicagoans show that they respect themselves and have pride in their home. Larson includes these to emphasize that the Chicagoans are trying to overcome their damaging reputation.
Through his uses of various primary sources, Larson presents Chicago’s reputation that they are trying to overcome. Through the accounts of various visitors, it is clear that at the time of the fair Chicago was viewed as a city of sin. Famous people and common foreign folk alike viewed The Black City in a dark light. People in Chicago, however, still had pride in themselves and their city as is evident in the numerous statements made by the Chicagoans. They hoped in the end to transcend the ill reputation that had been prescribed to them.