Part four finalized the story portion of the novel. Finally, Holmes was caught and was sentenced to death by being hanged. As the crime of the murders were revealed, corruption, that people have been blinded to, has been officially revealed to and opened every eye. Corruption, as it came along during the gilded ages of prosperity, was shown to its depth and further exposed itself in this last section. Overall, we were able to see that corruption was taken far and is a very dangerous factor that had to come up with success. This is paralleled and seen through Holmes' murders because Holmes was always prepared with his murders and was ready in order to stay concealed. This shows how the corruptible nature of America was able to proceed so smoothly.
Lastly, the epilogue of the book shows the effects of the Fair. The Fair was quite unsuccessful, but it did bring America unity and definitely a lot of advancements. Without the Fair being given to Chicago, great architects like Burnham and Root would have not been given a chance to reveal their abilities and talent for creating amazing architectures, such as the Ferris Wheel. With the theme of the gilded age, in the epilogue we are able to see that with power comes much cruelty and wrongdoings. In order to be able to be successful, this must be balanced out well and America has learned a great lesson once the nation was able to come out of this dark period.
So I have a few questions for all of you guys. Do you think the fair was worth the time and money? (Especially with the crime that came along)
TO a certain extent the fair was worth the time and the money. Yes, in the sense that it brought Chicago on the map. This fair was the stepping stone for a moderately successful future that Chicago was going to have. This fair enabled Chicago to surpass Philadelphia with population and pride. No, in the sense that it brought immense amount of crime to this beloved city. Majority of deaths came from murders. Husbands killing wives. Wives killing husbands. Children killing other children. This city was in shambles when it came into terms of a society level. Personally I think that yes the fair was worth the time and the money because without it. We probably wouldn't be so immense culturally diverse. Without it, Chicago wouldn't the city that it is today.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the fair was most definitely worth the time and the money, because it left a lasting impact on Chicago, the nation, and the world. I felt that at the end of the book, neither good nor evil prevailed. They continued to coexist, just as they did at the beginning of the book and throughout the World Fair.
ReplyDeleteThe good that came out of the fair included lasting building and architectural designs that would change the landscape of America, Walt Disney's magical creations, Frank Sullivan's designs, the plethora of inventions and patents, and of course a sense of much needed higher security in large cities.
The bad that came out of this fair of course includes the lives of many that were taken by H. H. Holmes, and the mysterious happenings that took place to all that were connected to his conviction. But even these mass murders has a place in the world. Revealing just how poor security is, America steps up the police and security force in big cities.
I think the fair was completely successful, despite all the corruptions and evil that it concealed. First, it was literally a success, business-wise by attracting 751,026 people and paying off $1.5 million dollars of debt (Pg.320). Second, it enabled competition between the cities of America, the architects of America and challenged America as a whole which led to advancement of the U.S in fields of cultural diversity, technology advancement (electricity), and architectural innovations (The Ferris Wheel). Despite all the chaos and political instability shown by Prendergast/ Mayor Harrison, and the gruesome murders of Holmes, I think it all led to positive outcomes in that it eradicated Chicago of the evil done by Holmes, it shed light on the corruption and flaws of the police department and it ultimately reminded people of the evil a man is capable of.
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