The Devil in The White City': Analysis of Erik Larson's Use of Rhetorical Devices

Smoking, gambling, and drugs are among the many examples most people associate with an addiction. The subject of this essay is the novel, The Devil in the White City, where the author, Erik Larson, writes about H.H. Holmes, a handsome, cunning serial killer from Chicago who is predicted to have lured and killed more than two hundred people in the 1890s. Through the use of pathos and ethos, Larson strongly asserts that when one has a behavioral addiction, he suffers the constant feeling of unfulfillment, thus continuing the ugly cycle. Larson begins building his credibility with historical facts, esteemed sources and effectively uses emotional appeals in the text.

Pathos in The Devil in the White City

An urging tone builds Larson’s pathos, allowing him to humanize that addictions reoccur because of the persistent need of a high, then feeling left unsatisfied after the act. In the novel, Holmes confesses to twenty-seven murders but is said to have killed at least two hundred people. There is a fine line between the definition of a murderer and a serial killer. A murderer usually has a personal connection to a victim and it is a one-time event. On the other hand, a serial killer is described as a person that kills in a series of events and likes the high stakes that it will bring. Larson describes Holmes’ serial killing, behavioral addiction as “a transient thing, like the scent of a fresh-cut hyacinth. Once it was gone, only another acquisition could restore it” (Larson 257). Larson makes it known that Holmes’ serial killing is no different than the addictions people struggle with every day, just not to a certain intense degree. Larson addresses and uncovers the ‘ugly truth’ -- for lack of a better term, and forces the reader to realize that an addiction is not an issue one can turn away from. The urging tone used implicates how the audience is fairly similar to Holmes but may have never realized it because of his morbid and psychopathic tendencies. Though the readers are not serial killers, the author makes the text relatable because everyone is addicted to something. Larson adds, “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”(Larson 257). The abnormal psychological gratification Holmes gains is rather disturbing to the audience and it is Larson’s intent to do so. The author creates a subliminal message throughout the text that aids the reader to come to a realization that the addiction they are struggling with, which hits home for most.

Ethos in The Devil in the White City

Throughout his piece, Larson adopts informative ethos to highlight his credibility to support his argument using strong sources. At the end of the novel, The New York Times states, “Though their crimes may be sickening, they are not sick in either medical or legal sense. Instead, the serial killer is typically a sociopathic personality who lacks internal control -- guilt -- or conscience to guide his own behavior but has an excessive need to control and dominate others. He definitely realizes he has committed a sinful act, but simply doesn’t care about his human prey. The sociopath has never internalized a moral code that prohibits murder. Having fun is all that counts “(Larson 408). The author acknowledges Holmes’ serial killer stereotypical behaviors but also connects this idea to the fact that there are common behaviors and characteristics of an addict no matter what their candy is. The articulate diction in the text used gives the reader more information from credible sources instead of continuing the novel in narrative format. Larson similarly adds that Holmes’ killings were well thought out and he eagerly anticipated his next victim so that he could have another rush of adrenaline. Holmes’ conscience -- or lack thereof, contributes to the tunnel vision one may have when they have no sense of the difference of right and wrong morally. Nonconformity is a common trait of many different addicts because they do not believe that the rules of society apply to them. An addict must repeat a behavior over and over and will, unfortunately, get caught in a cycle that is difficult to break. Whilst further building ethos, Larson’s ability to intelligently write about the never-ending cycle of addiction, improves his credibility by using logical diction.

Conclusion

All in all, Larson aids the readers to come to a realization that they have more in common to Holmes than they may think. Through the effective use of rhetorical tools, he convinces the audience that impulsive serial killing is not drastically different from the addictions one struggles with every day, due to the fact that the constant hunger for the next high constantly leaves one unfulfilled.  

References

1. Larson, E. (2004). The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America. Vintage.

2. The New York Times. (2004). 'The Serial Killer as a Modern Urban Legend'. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/27/books/the-serial-killer-as-a-modern-urban-legend.html

3. Porter, L. E. (2007). The psychopath as physician: Historical perspectives. The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, 80(2), 129-133.

4. Roessler, E. B. (2014). Confronting the mythology of evil: Criminal minds, serial killers, and the dark triad. Critical Criminology, 22(4), 497-511.

5. Akhtar, S. (2009). Comprehensive Dictionary of Psychoanalysis. Karnac Books.

6. Capraro, R. L., & Capraro, M. M. (2014). Ethos, logos, pathos: Strategies of persuasion in social/environmental reports by energy companies. Journal of Applied Business Research (JABR), 30(1), 217.

7. Aristotle. (2007). Rhetoric. Courier Corporation.

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8. Gilbert, D. (2006). Stumbling on happiness. Vintage.