The Chicago World's Fair of 1893 represented a moment of triumphant success for the city of Chicago as well as the entire nation. Yet the grandeur of the fair was accompanied by an equally large amount of corruption and abuse. During this period known as the Gilded Age, America experienced many extremes: extreme wealth, extreme poverty, extreme greatness, and extreme horror. Inside the bubble of magnificent buildings and forward-thinking ingenuity that was the fair, Americans escaped, at least for a moment, the dirt and grime of the outside world. Nearby, a man named Eugene Patrick Prendergast lived in his own sort of bubble, which would eventually burst and lead to the murder of Chicago Governor Carter Harrison. As Larson explains in The Devil in the White City, the madness tinged with both Prendergast's delusional obsession and the nation's obsession with creating the World's Fair ultimately led to the downfall of the one and the triumph of the other. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Prendergast's life was in many ways similar to the lifespan of the fair itself. As it is being built, many, including those in Chicago, have serious doubts about the plausibility of accomplishing such a difficult task. Yet when the Fair opens, it becomes clear that Chicago has achieved something great. Those who attended feel like they have entered a world that knows neither poverty nor hardship, but rather one of immense prosperity and opulence. This false sense of security and hope is the same feeling Prendergast experiences for much of his adult life. Just as the Fair is a symbol of the country's hope for the future, the idea of ​​Harrison running for governor is also a symbol of hope for Prendergast. As he toils miserably at his job in a newspaper distribution warehouse, it is his "great hopes for the future, all of which rested on one man: Carter Henry Harrison", that drives his ambition, as does the promise of fame and glory. the Fair to collapse in its construction (Larson, 59). Ultimately, Prendergast's madness and delusion are no different than the madness it takes to build the fair. It was only with the success of the Fair that projects as crazy as the Ferris wheel and the immense manufacturing and liberal arts building became more than just crazy ambition. As misguided as Prendergast is, his own ambition and initiative are no crazier than the vision it took to build the Fair. The Chicago World's Fair was not just a monument to man's ability to create, but also a monument to an evolving American culture. Inside the fair, people escape the strict social norms of the time. Young single women from across the country travel alone to discover a world that seems to have no rules, where they too can become new people. Just as the fair allows people to live in a world of simulation, Prendergast's imagination allowed him to invent his own sense of reality. However, at the end of summer, the fair ends and with it, the magic of the strange “white city”. At the same time, Prendergast realizes that Governor Harrison will never appoint him as the company's legal advisor. This is evident when he is asked why he shot the governor and he responds, “Because he betrayed my trust.” I supported him throughout his campaign and he promised to.