In The Devil in the White City, dreams take shape and materialize before Burnham, Chicago, and the world. Burnham dreams of the city and makes it happen. What he presents is a magical realm for all the greatest wonders of the world to converge in a single place. The White City would also inform author L. Frank Baum's wonderful Emerald City and later inspire the son of a construction worker named Disney to create his own magical kingdom.
Visitors of the fair were so convinced they had stepped into a dream, they believed they could remain there forever. But even dreams must come to an end and life has to return to its waking pace.
Questions About Dreams, Hopes, and Plans
- Why is the White City likened to a dream?
- Were the fairgrounds intended to be dreamlike? Why did visitors perceive it in this way?
- Why would people rather see the buildings burned than remain where they are forever?
- How does the decision to burn the grounds impact the way the fair lives on in memory?
Chew on This
The White City is a dream for all the wonders it offers visitors. Like dreams, people get to see, hear, touch, taste, and smell things for the first time—perhaps even the only time in their lives.
Only when compared with the Black City outside does the White City emerge as a dream. It offers people an escape from the grimy stockyards, impending economic failure, and gruesome murders occurring beyond the protection of the fair's realm.