How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
The rational explanation laid blame on the forces of change that during this time had convulsed Chicago. Amid so much turmoil it was understandable that the work of a young and handsome doctor would go unnoticed. As time passed, however, even sober men and women began to think of him in less-than-rational terms. (Prologue.9)
Can you rationalize madness? Some certainly claimed it was the great change that swept through Chicago that prompted Holmes' actions. But as the nation would later come to learn, no outside force could have made Holmes do what he did.
Quote #2
"I was born with the devil in me," [Holmes] wrote. "I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing." (1.10.25)
We get it Holmes; you're a little different. But saying you're the devil? That may be taking it a little far.
Quote #3
He liked being near enough to hear the approach of death in the rising panic of his victims. This was when his quest for possession entered its most satisfying phase. (3.5.4)
What about hearing his victims panic satisfies Holmes? We're gonna go ahead and say this isn't normal.
Quote #4
The choice was his, a measure of his power. No matter what the approach, the act always left him in possession of a fresh supply of material, which he could then explore at will. (3.5.4-5)
Holmes is a doctor after all, and during this time, doctors learned all about the wonders of the human body by studying cadavers. But seriously, buddy: there are other ways to go about getting cadavers.
Quote #5
The possession he craved was a transient thing, like the scent of a fresh-cut hyacinth. Once it was gone, only another acquisition could restore it. (3.5.6)
Welcome to the mind of a killer. At the time, people didn't know much about psychopaths—Holmes was one of the first known serial killers.
Quote #6
The search delighted Holmes. It satisfied his profound need for attention and gave him a sense of power over the detective. He knew that Geyer's search would be in vain. (4.2.2)
"Power" is a key word when it comes to Holmes. He desires power more than anything else…which is what leads him to kill.
Quote #7
"I wish to say that I am but a very ordinary man, even below average in physical strength and mental ability, and to have planned and executed the stupendous amount of wrong-doing that has been attributed to me would have been wholly beyond my power." (4.6.2)
Holmes is trying to pull a fast one here. Luckily, he wasn't able to weasel his way out of this.
Quote #8
The Chicago Times-Herald wrote of Holmes, "He is a prodigy of wickedness, a human demon, a being so unthinkable that no novelist would dare to invent such a character." (4.6.6)
Even Edgar Allan Poe couldn't have conceived of a character so wicked. Holmes is truly a breed of his own.
Quote #9
"I am convinced that since my imprisonment I have changed woefully and gruesomely from what I was formerly in feature and figure…My head and face are gradually assuming an elongated shape. I believe fully that I am growing to resemble the devil—that the similitude is almost completed." (5.3.9)
Right before he's executed, Holmes claims he's starting to look like the devil. Though prison guards would claim this wasn't in fact true (he looked the same as he always did), Holmes twisted mind had distorted his vision.