In the note "Evils Imminent," Erik Larson writes "Beneath the gore and smoke and loam, this book is about the evanescence of life, and why some men choose to fill their brief allotment of time engaging the impossible, others in the manufacture of sorrow". This simple yet mysteriously confusing book revolves and thrives around the idea that the ineluctable conflict between good and evil" is absolutely inevitable. The entire novel revolves around that very complex idea that you cannot do good without committing some kind of evil. The format of the book is the first intricate and obvious indication that good can be evil. The chapters of the book are coordinate so that the face of evil and the profile of good are juxtaposed and contrast these two different "motifs" so to speak and to show how similar good and evil can truly be. For instance, one chapter will be all about the formatting and architecture of the fair. The fair is to be full of fun and entertainment but first it is just a building. Holmes buys a building intended to contribute to the fun of the fair, his building will be a part of the fun at the fair. The book reveals that you can't have fun all the time. You can get in trouble if you have too much fun unsupervised.
A masterpiece has never been created without a mastermind behind it. Burnham and Holmes were the brains behind each of their master plans. Surprisingly, the two men are more similar than different. First, both men's main objectives are to lure people in for business. They both rely heavily on the local train station to bring them doe-eyed customers into their "fun fairs"so that their quenches for lack of things to do can be satisfied. Burnham's satisfaction will be that the fair will become the best World's Fair on the planet even better than the fair in Paris. Holmes desires prey to hunt so he can satisfy his fancy to take a life. Nevertheless, their slight differences make them that much more alike. The two men both covet power. Power to control, power to fill them up and make them feel stronger than any other man. Power to deceive and ultimately succeed in their passions.
Not only are Holmes and Burnham similar in their hunger for power and so-called "riches" but they are also equally genius. As strange as it sounds just like any other criminal, Holmes is an extremely intelligent man. He is somehow able to bamboozle debt collectors, manipulate grown adults and fool the best constables and detectives. Holmes lured in his victims without them suspecting anything to be suspicious. He managed to kill his victims, come up with a lie as to where they disappeared to and successfully sold the remaining skeletons to various science academies. And not once did he get caught. Holmes did all this crime while managing a hotel and his own private "business" and yet he was still capable of keeping his reputation and the composure of the average human being. He was able to transform from human to minster in seconds without being caught. Obviously, Burnham is similar to Holmes in this case, after all he is the head of the construction and management of the Chicago World's Fair. Both men had such responsibility.
One difference between the two, perhaps the one difference that is least evident, is stamina. It's hard to catch it and I hadn't realized this until I sat down to my keyboard but Holmes never grows tired. Burnham of course is always exhausted. Maybe Holmes isn't drained from all his activities because he has much more passion towards his "career" than Burnham does for architecture and business. Burnham may be exhausted because he is losing his knack for running this big affair but to me, it seems as though as the days progress and as weeks turn into months, Holmes only becomes more advanced in his murders. And then of course there is the fact that Burnham is physically ill and is growing weak. Holmes is sick in the mind but he is growing stronger.
The Chicago World's Fair is the only thing that keeps them both going and in business.
Not only are Holmes and Burnham similar in their hunger for power and so-called "riches" but they are also equally genius. As strange as it sounds just like any other criminal, Holmes is an extremely intelligent man. He is somehow able to bamboozle debt collectors, manipulate grown adults and fool the best constables and detectives. Holmes lured in his victims without them suspecting anything to be suspicious. He managed to kill his victims, come up with a lie as to where they disappeared to and successfully sold the remaining skeletons to various science academies. And not once did he get caught. Holmes did all this crime while managing a hotel and his own private "business" and yet he was still capable of keeping his reputation and the composure of the average human being. He was able to transform from human to minster in seconds without being caught. Obviously, Burnham is similar to Holmes in this case, after all he is the head of the construction and management of the Chicago World's Fair. Both men had such responsibility.
One difference between the two, perhaps the one difference that is least evident, is stamina. It's hard to catch it and I hadn't realized this until I sat down to my keyboard but Holmes never grows tired. Burnham of course is always exhausted. Maybe Holmes isn't drained from all his activities because he has much more passion towards his "career" than Burnham does for architecture and business. Burnham may be exhausted because he is losing his knack for running this big affair but to me, it seems as though as the days progress and as weeks turn into months, Holmes only becomes more advanced in his murders. And then of course there is the fact that Burnham is physically ill and is growing weak. Holmes is sick in the mind but he is growing stronger.
The Chicago World's Fair is the only thing that keeps them both going and in business.
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