Blog Three: Holmes Monologue!

One of my favorite characters from this book so far has been Holmes. Although he seems approachable to most characters, Holmes reveals his plans to make a hotel that will front his murderous tendencies in his conversations with the narrator. I wanted to share a little piece from his point of view with you guys, and maybe show how he views the city of Chicago as a place where innocent people come as their way to leave their small towns behind and make their new lives in the city.


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An image to ~set the mood~





My hotel is underway, and all of the hiring and firing that I have been doing has surprisingly brought minimal suspicion to my endeavors. Police and debtors come by every so often, bubbling with rage, but a free coffee and an involved conversation can go a long way. I only hope that my luck may carry me out of the money I owe from buying lavish furniture to set the desired tone of my hotel. Ah, I can practically see my completed work. The finished hotel would allow me to live out my fantasies, and it would allow me all the women I desire. The rush of hiding such an exhilarating process! The joy of being with anyone of the scores of women flooding into a new and dangerous city. A place where the high-paced lifestyle leaves those who cannot keep up slipping under the train tracks. Besides, it isn't unlike people around here to disappear into the fog of the constantly buzzing environment. I should probably pay my wife a visit.

Our child has grown up so quickly. Then again, I have as well. It was only a few years ago that I left my last wife for bigger and better. I think it is safe to say that we both grew from the separation, even if it took me leaving her for it to happen. I probably would have used her for her life insurance, anyway.

The building will soon be complete, and I will hopefully be able to generate enough revenue from my pharmacy to pay my way out of debt (not that I ever would without being forced to do so). Either way, it would be nice to not worry every time a policeman stops by asking when any of my fictitious surnames will be paying back their massive loans. The World's Fair being a streetcar ride away is ever the more enticing for young ladies to stop by and buy some of my famous alcoholism-curing pills that "work every time". What keeps me going is the belief that small frauds lead to big successes, and times like these where my small acts of deceit are amounting to what will soon be a fountain of pleasure. A refuge where I can finally do as my heart desires without disturbing the rest of the outside world. A world where crime is overlooked as a bustling city reaches the peak of modernization. What gets left behind is only part of that modernization, and I too am a believer of working towards that future.

It's best not to think about what will happen if my plans take a less-than-perfect turn. Why bother myself with such trivial details? Tending to cadavers for them to be used for collecting life insurance and making fraudulent transactions does not lead to greatness if one gets cold feet.


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Now, an image to bring you back to modern day




What I found really intriguing when writing this was the way that Holmes thought of working towards a thing that he cares about (this is seen after you ignore that what he is working towards is a hotel that lures women into a death trap). Although the book recognizes this trait as a mere outgrowth of his psychopathy, I thought that his drive kind of resembled the way that the rest of the city was growing and developing as a result of America's rapidly changing atmosphere. As the city industrializes through Burnham's eyes, Holmes works towards his hotel. If only I was that forward-thinking. But hey!


Have a wonderful day!