The Devil in the White City Essay Questions

What is the significance of the title of the book?

The “White City” is supposed to embody the American dream as well as the idea that Chicago—and by extension, America—could attain the status of revered European cities with glorious histories and pedigrees (such as Paris, London, or Madrid). The leaders of the day believed that the way to achieve this dream was to showcase their city by having them host the World Fair. In order to achieve this objective the civic leaders placed immense pressure upon the organizers of the fair to generate as much hype as they could about their city and the fair itself. The “devil” is a reference to the evil man who sought to use the hype generated by all the preparations for the World’s Fair to prey on the people drawn to it.

What did the stockyards symbolize?

It is ironic that the stockyards and the abattoirs that were all over the city generated a large chunk of the city’s wealth. The stockyards symbolized the truth of the city’s character, for the stockyards are proof that Chicago wasn’t the noble “White City” that the World’s Fair organizers were promoting; rather, it was a rough-and-tumble city born from blue-collar sensibilities fueled by revenues generated by bloody, dirty manual labor done by migrants and the disenfranchised. The stockyards, in a nutshell, symbolized everything that the image architects of the World’s Fair were working to eradicate.

Why is the book presented in novelistic, narrative format but classified as a historical non-fiction book?

The decision to present the material in the form of a narrative gives the novel both depth and humanity. It is also a very effective means of recounting the over-the-top events that occurred during this era. Looking at the events surrounding the creation of the World’s Fair and gruesome murders that happened parallel to its creation it is easy to see why the author decided to take this route in his writing: both events have all the elements of an excellent story—two excellent stories in fact—fascinating, larger-than-life characters, real human drama, and all the makings of a great biographical film and historical crime-thriller.

How does the fair engage with both the past and the present?

Many of the fair's exhibits hearkened to the past, especially those featuring Native Americans. Visitors were to see them as relics of an older era, of a primitivism that has been safely conquered and is now faded away or clustered on reservations out of sight and out of mind. The story of manifest destiny, of Columbus and of America's triumph over the savages let visitors glory in the past. Yet the fair was also deeply committed to the future—inventions and innovations, things that had never been seen before, numerous "firsts" when it came to utilities and buildings. The fair revealed what was to expand even further in the coming years—an explosion of mass-produced commodities and changes to the rhythm of daily life.

Why do the architects choose a neoclassical style, and why are the buildings all painted white?

Neoclassical architecture was a style that flourished in Europe starting in the mid-late 18th century. It took principles of design from Greek and Roman architecture, considering those forms emblematic of order, rationality, progress, and beauty. Thus, Europe's 18th-century neoclassical buildings were intended to emphasize the same things, as were the structures of the Chicago's World's Fair. By choosing the neoclassical style, America was asserting its own power and prestige and claiming it was elegant and harmonious and part of the great Western tradition as well—not just a rough upstart. The choice to paint the buildings all white was pragmatic, yes, but it was also in line with Greek and Roman architecture. White connoted purity and, for Anglo-Saxons, the preeminence of their race.