Extended Reflection Journal: In describing the collapse of the roof of Manufacturers and Liberal Arts Building, Larson writes "In a great blur of snow and silvery glass the building's roof—that marvel of late nineteenth-century hubris, enclosing the greatest volume of unobstructed space in history—collapsed to the floor below" [p. 196–97]. Was the entire Fair, in its extravagant size and cost, an exhibition of arrogance? Do such creative acts automatically engender a darker, destructive parallel?
Throughout history, America has been trying to outshine and outdo everyone else, but along with numerous other countries as well. From The Imperial Age, to modern times, Americans always want something bigger and better and just plain and simply: more than anyone else. Nowadays, American's are always trying to one up their neighbors with a nicer lawn or a bigger car, or maybe trying to get a better grade than the student next to them, or trying to earn the most money. It's the American way of life, and it always has been. America is an arrogant country, always showing off what they've got, and not being afraid to show it. The World's Fair was just another example of arrogance and boasting the newest, best, most advanced technology, style, culture, trends and so on and so forth. The Fair was built on jealousy and materialism, showcasing America's strength. The World's fair introduced a new found obsession with becoming a world superpower in America in the 19th century. Arrogance is an overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors; directly relating to the fair. The fair was only installed and designed in order to project America as a wondrous country better than that of the former Paris exposition. It was supposed to be designed bigger and better than anything in existence no matter of cost or physical or earthly limitations. The fair was completely and one hundred percent a display of American arrogance during the 19th century. It was used throughout its running as an act to draw in and hypnotize tourists to believe and register America as a world power; the best, and only, of its kind. In order to reach this level of greatness no cost limit was implicated, displaying the arrogance and pride America soaked in and developed during the worlds fair construction and exposition. America wanted to reach the title of number one, outdoing the competition Paris displayed. This simple act of want, greed, and need for material popularity gained America arrogance not easily forgotten. Arrogance must be displayed in order to gain the superiority America strove for when wanting to build and construct a beautiful, amazing world exposition sure to draw in, capture, and shock tourists and business men from all over ready and willing to watch America sky rocket to stardom. The project was built purely for boasting and bragging rights, and to leave other nations behind in the metaphorical dust. The fair's amount of work and power required to function, of course will engender a darker, destructive parallel. Anything that takes this much work, with such a good outcome of course has to have a downside, or a downfall. THe whole novel contrasts the White City and the Black City, leaving a parallel of bad to go with the massive amounts off good that came out of the Fair. All good things have a bad side, including the magnificent World's Fair of the late 1800's; the work Burnham and the other architects put into it was incredible, while others like Holmes, were on cruel murdering sprees throughout the city, leaving a bad taste. The Fair was a fantastic event, all the while creating a bad effect.
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