Alannah Deer

Mrs. Dougherty

AP Lang

February 7, 2022

Who Holds the Power?

The concept of power can be defined under many categories. However, within Erik

Larson’s novel The Devil in the White City we saw power in a sinister and evil light. The

antagonist and one of America's first serial killers. H.H. Holmes exuded great power when it

came to his ability to swindle people into believing that he was a trustworthy and honest man. In

the case of H.H. Holmes, power can be defined as the ability to gain people's trust and loyalty

through character and finesse. While the world's fair was in the making, another character

showed great power and influence on the world. This man was the leading architect known as

Daniel Burnham. Burnham left his mark on the world by incorporating many different inventions

into his fair that still have an impact on the world today such as the Ferris Wheel and Cracker

Jacks. However, Burnham did not hold sole power, there were many other men that he leaned on

in order to make his vision come to life. Holmes, on the other hand, had full control and power

over other people. Through powerful rhetorical strategies Erik Larson was able to portray

Holmes' power through his ability to gain people's trust and their following through false

character and finesse.

In Chicago, at the time that the world fair was being built, Burnham was a man who, like

Holmes, held great power. Burnham was in charge of many important decisions that had to do

with the fair, however he was not the man completely in charge. However Burnham did not
display power through gaining people's trust with charm and finesse. While the fair was in the

making, catastrophes happened and Brunham was not made aware of them. “No one told

Burnham about the fire, no one told him of the cancellations, and no one told him of Murphy’s

forecast” (Larson 278). This syntactical list helps drive the concept that Burnham was not the

one who held the most power. Also the anaphora of the repeated phrase “ no one told him''

emphasizes that Burnham, although many of his powerful ideas came to life in the fair, he was

not the man in charge and wasn't kept in the loop about the forecast of the fair and other workers.

Burnham was not able to use finesse and character to get people to do what he wanted, he had to

rely on paid jobs to tell people what to do. And under this authority, many workers died. Larson

states, “Jenson, fractured skull, Electricity Building; Allard, fractured skull, Electricity Building;

Alger, stunned to obilian by a new phenomenon, electric shock, at the Mines Building” (Larson

145). By adding details “fractured skull” and “electric shock” the author exhibited just a few of

the tragedies that happened at the fair. It is clear that Burnham didn't hold complete power and

couldn't even keep his workers safe. He used these paid workers as a device to carry out some of

his ideas to bring the fair to life. Burnham proved time after time to not be the one who was most

in power and when he went to New York to meet with the architect he had one of his weakest

moments to prove so. Larson narrates, “ He wished Olmsted and Root were beside him” (Larson

80). The diction of the words “wished” and “beside” indicated that he was scared and intimidated

by these men who held more power then he did. They were some of the world's best architects

and he was not able to use charm and finesse to win them over and help him with the fair. Even

though they eventually came to help, this excerpt shows Burnham’s reliance on his partners and

how he is not the most powerful.

 Throughout the story H.H. Holmes is most famous for winning over womans’ affection,

making them trust him, and then gruesome killing them for pleasure. He made these women feel

excited and gave them a sense of happiness that gained their affection and attachment to him.

Larson Details, “To Myrta, Holmes seemed to have stepped from a world far more exciting than

her own” (Larson 62). This revealing detail about the way that Holmes made Myrta feel portrays

his power through his ability to gain people's trust and make them feel as if their life is “more

exciting” with him in it. This power is closely related with the assurance he is able to grant these

women in order to manipulate them for his own pleasure. Holmes’ power was so constricting and

brainwashing that even as the women were being murdered by him they were still nïeve to what

was happening and were in denial that he would ever hut them. Larson writes, “He would be so

apologetic. She could not show him how afraid she was” (Larson 295). The saddening diction

throughout Anna’s words in this passage demonstrate her loyalty to Holmes and her

unwillingness to accept the fact that he didn't shut her in the vault by mistake and he was actually

on the outside gaining pleasure from her screams. Describing how he would be “so apologetic”

exhibits how she is so infatuated with him she made up a fictitious scenario of what would

happen when he let her out of the vault. Holmes had such a lasting effect on these women that

when he left they felt disappointed and resorted back to their sad naive self. Larson explains

“When Holmes left them, they appeared crestfallen, their demeanor suddenly brittle and

snappish” (Larson 101). The diction of the words “crestfallen, brittle, and snappish” creates a

perfect image of the spell Holmes had these women under. Holmes used his power to gain their

trust and even finessed their mindset to believing that their lives were better when he was in it.
 Holmes did not only entrance women with his power and finesse but he was able to use

his charm to manipulate men as well. When his relationship first started with Myrta, her father

could sense that something was off about Holmes. However Holmes expressed his great power

when he was able to use his charm and fitness to win over Belknap, Myrta’s father, and get him

to sign over $2,500 for a home that he was supposed to build with his daughter. Larson writes,

“Belknap began to appreciate why Myrta had fallen so thoroughly for the man” (Larson, 87).

This contrasting detail demonstrates how Holmes was able to use his power and charm in order

to change someone's opinion of him. The words “began to appreciate” demonstrates the change

that Belknap has in his opinion of Holmes and exhibits the power Holmes holds in his ability to

manipulate people's feelings and emotions. When Holmes first arrives in Chicago, the author

uses vivid imagery to create a metaphor of how Holmes personality is, “H.H. Holmes walked

into one of Chicago’s train stations. The air was stale and still, suffused with the scent of rotten

peaches, horse excrement” (Larson 35). This image of the “rotten peaches” and “horse

excrement” as Holmes is walking in can be used as a metaphor of Holmes’ soul and could

foreshadow the harm that he brings to many people in the city. However Larson then goes on to

explain how through all of the filth and stench of the city Holmes still presents himself as a

powerful, clean man: “Despite the heat Holmes looked fresh and crisp” (Larson 35). This image

of Holmes looking “fresh and crisp” demonstrates the level of finesse he holds. This

demonstrates that Holmes is able to put on a mask and facade that he uses to gain people's trust

and make them feel comfortable with him. Even through the filth and heat of the city Holmes

still looks clean and approachable.

 Looking at what people's motives are for why they crave the power they do is interesting.

Holmes craved the ability to control people. He gained satisfaction from being able to charm

men and women into following him and believing that he was an honest man. Ever since he was

a little boy the eerie characteristics of a killer emerged. When the boys tried to bully him and

lock him in the doctor's office with the skeletons, in the end they were the ones who were

running away due to Holmes’ due to the scary enjoyment he gained from the experience..

Burnham’s want for power came from selfish desires just like Holmes. He wanted to prove why

America was the best in his petty idea to one up the creation of the Eiffel tower. Whether

Burnham and his team of men were able to do so is debatable; however, Burnham is not the one

who can take all of the credit for the fair because he was not the most powerful man. In order to

bring his vision to life he needed to lean on some of the world's best architects. Over all, Holmes

was able to prove himself most powerful through his impressive ability to gain people's trust and

their following through character and finesse.