After reading parts of this book, and taking the standpoint that this is about a serial killer. I have noticed that the most significant issue to me is the fair and the vastly over populated streets of Chicago. These two questions go hand in hand, the way I see it the fair was an amazing time where new ideas were becoming known. There were many people flooding the streets not only in Chicago but coming to the United States and staying. It could be looked at one of the best things to happen for Chicago since during this time they had to win a bid over other cities to host the fair. Also, I believe that since so many people came overseas it was a huge amount of people and not enough space. If you look at big cities now like L.A, they are overpopulated which causes high prices of living and even much worst a growing homeless population. Same thing happened in Chicago; too many people with no place to stay or go, which leads me into how the fair and Holmes goes hand in hand.
Larson intertwines the fair and the serial killer Holmes because of a few reasons. First off with so many people coming to Chicago from other countries and other areas in the United States it was easy to go missing without a lot of people knowing. Also in the book it states “Holmes’s new idea was to turn his building into a hotel for visitors to the World’s Columbian Exposition” (Larson 85). Holmes had this idea that seemed legit to the visitors, which ultimately ended their lives. It is a pretty simple way to incorporate Holmes with the fair. With that being said it’s easy to tie these two questions together. So many people flooding into Holmes’s hunting grounds and needing a place to stay since it was so crowded. It lead to a bigger issue than anyone could have ever expected and is why Larson intertwined these two together.
I think you are right, not only did we have a lot of people coming over from other countries and states ,but they were starting to settle in the city only. This made overcrowding an issue as everyone wanted to live in the hustle and bustle of the big city.
I agree with you that Holmes had great variety being at the center of where the Worlds Fair was to be held. Along with all of the other chaos this was perfect grounds for taking advantage of the system whether it was for good or bad.
Kyle,
I think you are correct in saying that the Fair was one of the best things that happened to Chicago. From an outsiders view it would certainly seem that way. Chicago was so excited and proud to commission the World’s Fair, but so far it has come at a price. Issues such as; where to build it, how to build it in such a short period of time, finances and egos have gotten in the way. And of course the whole serial killer thing..
I liked how you talked about Holmes using his hotel for future Fair goers. This was a smart analysis because it was a great way for him to come into contact with strangers. It was such a different time then, if someone went missing it was likely that no one would find them or find out how they died. They did not have the forensic technology we have today!