The 1893 Chicago World's Fair was a moment of triumphant success for the city of Chicago as well as the entire nation. However, the grandeur of the fair went hand in hand with 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 grandeur, and extreme horror. Within that bubble of magnificent buildings and forward-thinking ingenuity that was the fair, Americans escaped, at least for a moment, from the grime and filth of the outside world. Nearby, a man named Eugene Patrick Prendergast lived in a bubble of sorts, a bubble that would eventually burst and lead to the murder of Chicago's governor, Carter Harrison. As explained in Larson's The Devil in the White City, the madness nuanced in both Prendergast's delusional obsession and the national obsession with creating the World's Fair ultimately led to the downfall of one and the triumph of the other. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Prendergast's life was in many ways similar to the life of the fair itself. As it is being built, many, including those in Chicago, have serious doubts about the plausibility of completing such a difficult task. Yet when the Fair opens, it becomes clear that Chicago has accomplished something great. Those who participated feel as if they have entered a world that sees no poverty or hardship, but instead a world of immense prosperity and opulence. This false sense of security and hope is the same feeling Prendergast feels for much of his adult life. Just as the Fair is a symbol of the country's hope for the future, so the idea of ​​gaining office under Governor Harrison is a symbol of hope for Prendergast. As he works miserably in a newspaper distribution warehouse, it is his "high hopes for the future, all pinned on one man: Carter Henry Harrison," that drives his ambition, just as he fulfills the promise of fame and fame. the Fair from collapsing in its construction (Larson, 59). Ultimately, Prendergast's madness and delusion are no different from the madness needed to build the fair. It is only with the success of the Fair that crazy projects like the Ferris wheel and the massive Manufacturing and Liberal Arts building become more than just wild ambition. As misguided as Prendergast is, his ambition and initiative are no crazier than the vision needed to build the Fair. The Chicago World's Fair was not simply a monument to man's ability to create, but also a monument to an evolving American culture. Inside the fair people escape the stringent social standards of the time. Young single women from all over the country travel alone to experience 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 make-believe, Prendergast's imagination allowed him to invent his own altered sense of reality. Yet, with the end of summer, the fair comes to an end and, with it, the magic of the strange "white city". At the same time, Prendergast realizes that Governor Harrison will never appoint him as a business advisor. This can be seen when he is asked why he shot the governor and replies: “Because he betrayed my trust. I supported him during his campaign and he promised to appoint me as a management consultant. He did not keep his word” (331). Prendergast's ambition and imagination lay exclusively.