The Murder Castle Holmes Empathy

1157 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Psychology of murderer

“I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing...I was born with the evil one standing as my sponsor beside the bed where I was ushered into the world, and he has been with me since.” (Holmes)
The quote above will give you a better understanding about the personality of Dr. Henry Howard Holmes (actually born Herman Mudgett in New Hampshire in 1861); one of the first documented serial killers in the United States of America and maybe the worst. Holmes is infamous for his “murder castle” a three-story, labyrinthine hotel designed for the express purpose of killing victims and disposing of their bodies. (Poltrack) The World’s Fair “The Murder Castle” located in Chicago, Illinois was known at first as The World’s Fair Hotel but because of its massive height and it extending over a block long, it earned its first name; …show more content…

Not having empathy can be viewed as a lack of understanding. So when a murderer can’t see the aftermath of his actions or the effects of their actions upon their victims, killing turn into a possibility. For example, “crimes of passion”, those are events that happen in the spur of the moment. At that moment the killer’s judgement is off because he’s fueled by his emotions. Those emotions can vary at any given time. They could be anger, jealousy and love…anything. But “passion” is not the reason for all murders. Other killings are carefully thought out and well- planned with a certain victim or goal in mind. For this scenario, I no longer can say that is a “spur of the moment” killing. What is it that makes people get around that feeling of empathy? Does a killer feel what their prey feels and still continue to murder them? Can you imagine that it’s possible to turn someone into a killer? Or even make someone enjoy the feelings that trigger our survival

Show More
Related

  • Dr. H. H. Holmes: America's First Serial Killer

    1515 Words  | 4 Pages

    “MURDER CASTLE OF H.H. HOLMES! EXCERPT FROM "HAUNTED CHICAGO” N.p., 2003. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Katherine Ramsland Case Study

    1924 Words  | 4 Pages

    It’s not that uncommon for people to kill each other, and it happens every day. What is not common, is for someone to kill for no apparent reason. Typically there has to be some sort of benefit behind the murder. Whether that may be to get that out of their way for some reason, or to get something that they want. This article was meant to show resemblance between serial killers and your average everyday murderers. He brings up serial killer Lou Ford as an example of someone who acts as if they are normal, yet deep inside are very dangerous minded. Instead of using his physical attributes to murder people, he satisfies his needs by psychologically tormenting people. He does this as long as he possibly can, but there is only so much they can take of

    Read More

  • H. Hh Holmes: The Anomie Theory

    1280 Words  | 3 Pages

    American serial killer H. H. Holmes once said “I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing. I was born with the evil one standing as my sponsor beside the bed where I was ushered into the world, and he has been with me since” (Lukacs, 2017, n.p.). H. H. Holmes is notorious for being a well known serial killer during the late 1800s. Interestingly, he is also considered by many individuals to be the first American serial killer. Today, researchers still struggle to find a cause as to why he committed the crimes he did. It is difficult to explain his reasoning and choices – therefore, because of this, many researchers and criminologists have dabbled in attempting to create an accurate explanation for his actions. In order to do this, it is essential to first consider Holmes’ childhood, upbringing, and crimes in

    Read More

  • Serial Killers: H. H. Holmes

    2489 Words  | 5 Pages

    Serial killers are everywhere! Well, perhaps not in our neighborhood, but on our television screens, at the movie theaters, and in rows and rows of books at our local Borders or Barnes and Nobles Booksellers” (Brown). When people think of serial killers, names such as Dahmer, Gacy, Bundy, and Gein are cited. During the time Jack the Ripper was executing his victims in London, Holmes began his gruesome career in Chicago (America’s Serial Killers). “Despite being America’s first serial killer, Holmes is hardly a familiar name and until now we haven’t had any popular visual record of his crimes: (Spikol). Why is it that people only think of the more popular killers with higher known profiles? They are all very similar to one another because they share characteristics. H.H. Holmes was a successful serial killer because he was well educated, cunning and charming. Those are just a few traits Holmes ...

    Read More

  • A Rose For Emily And Trifles Analysis

    1103 Words  | 3 Pages

    America, if not the world, has always been infatuated with murder stories, movies, and shows. There are countless shows that revolve around solving crimes and finding killers and it seems like more and more keep popping up. There’s something about learning about a killers motives and why they’ve committed the crime that draws people in rapidly. Most people would think of killers as psychopaths. There are two stories that we read throughout this semester that, to me, seemed to have a psychopathic or somehow psychologically disturbed killer in them. “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell show us two women who are seemingly harmless that end up being killers.

    Read More

  • Studies on The Childhood of Serial Killers

    1453 Words  | 3 Pages

    As years go on so will the research on serial killers and hopefully we as a society will fully understand them and one day be able to cure whatever inside that makes them have the urge to kill. Works Cited The Electronic Journal of Sociology, published by the University of Guelph, Ontario. http://www.scribd.com/doc/167086215/How-Serial-Killers-Work. According to the article “10 Most Common Traits of Potential Serial Killers By Hestie Barnard Gerber. According to Comrade Chikatilo: The Psychopathology of Russia's Notorious Serial Killer.

    Read More

  • The Cause of Serial Killers

    1915 Words  | 4 Pages

    Scott, Shirley L. "What Makes Serial Killers Tick?" Lustmord —. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Serial Killers and Criminal Justice

    929 Words  | 2 Pages

    Countless serial killers have had an abnormal childhood; many people believe this is where the catalyst of events starts. It is proven, that more often than not, serial killers have either lived in an inhabitable home, had lackadaisical parents, or could have a different frame of mind. This being said, when one hears about mass murderers or serial killers, the first question that pops into a person’s head is, “What were they thinking?” For all a person knows, this could be the killer’s normalcy.

    Read More

  • Serial Killers: Is Pure Evil Born or Made?

    1552 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many people with antisocial personality disorder are taught to have a lack of empathy in early childhood. There is a high number of serial killers with abusive pasts. Parents who abuse their children both mentally and physically at an early age are training their child to be cold and emotionless. Many killers suffered this fate at childhood and became heartless creatures with little to no remorse for their actions. In the article “What makes Serial Killers Tick?” it is said that Serial Killer Albert Desalvo was sold into slavery by his father and was sexually and physically abused for most of his you...

    Read More

  • Serial Killers Are Made Not Born

    1655 Words  | 4 Pages

    The question of whether or not man is predetermined at birth to lead a life of crime is a question that has been debated for decades. Serial killers are made not born; it has been demonstrated that a man 's initial years are the most vital years. A youngster 's initial couple of years is a period of experimentation, a period to make sense of things for themselves, a period to set up the bits of the riddle. Like a newborn child, the mental health is reliant on its environment. A youthful youngster 's mind resembles a wipe; it gathers data through perception. The surroundings of a serial killer as a little child can enormously impact the way he or she will go about his or her life and his or her style of murdering. Certain experience, for example, youngster misuse, divorce, liquor misuse, tyke disregard, as well as medication misuse, can be negative to the advancement of a little child. Numerous serial killers were illegitimate kids. Due to their childhood and early backgrounds, serial killers swing to crazy murdering frenzies.

    Read More

  • Serial Killers and Mass Murderers

    1992 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mass Murderers and Serial Killers are nothing new to today’s society. These vicious killers are all violent, brutal monsters and have an abnormal urge to kill. What gives people these urges to kill? What motivates them to keep killing? Do these killers get satisfaction from killing? Is there a difference between mass murderers and serial killers or are they the same. How do they choose their victims and what are some of their characteristics? These questions and many more are reasons why I was eager to write my paper on mass murderers and serial killers. However, the most interesting and sought after questions are the ones that have always been controversial. One example is; what goes on inside the mind of a killer? In this paper I will try to develop a better understanding of these driven killers and their motives.

    Read More

  • Serial Killers: The Brain Of A Serial Killer

    1380 Words  | 3 Pages

    The brain is the most complex organ in the human body. Since the beginning of time, scientists and neuropsychologists alike have studies its composition and how it influences human behavior. However, no human behavior has baffled researchers more than serial murder. Serial killers are dangerous animals that act upon bizarre influences that have fascinated the human race for thousands of years. Many wonder what could cause a person to take the life of another innocent soul. Do internal factors cause them to do it? Is it their environment? What causes a serial killer to kill?

    Read More

  • Motives For Serial Killers

    990 Words  | 2 Pages

    A lust murderer is someone who killed because sex is the primary motive. They usually use weapons, such as knives or hands, to get close contact with their victims. Edmund Kemper, the Co-ed Killer, might be one great example of a lust killer. He wasn’t a rapist, but a murderer and necrophilia. He explained in one of his interviews that he had decided to have both a situation of rape and murder with no witnesses, Beroldingen confirms. The primary motive of a thrill killer, on the other hand, is to induce pain or terror in their victims, and enjoy the pleasure of seeing others suffered. Hence, the name speaks for itself. Rush killers murdered by hunting and killing, and their victims are usually strangers, although the perpetrator may have followed them for an extended time. Thrill killers generally delayed from killing to refine methods of killing, and abstain from getting caught. In some cases, serial killers believe that they will never be caught. In contrast, the primary motives of comfort killers are material gain and a comfortable lifestyle. The victims are usually family members and close acquaintances. After a murder, a profit killer, similar to thrill killers, usually waits before killing to let things cool off between the families and authorities. Comfort killers often use poison to kill their victims. Female serial killers tend to be comfort killers, more compare to male, although not

    Read More

  • Serial Killers

    2361 Words  | 5 Pages

    So what makes a serial killer? Levin points out that contrary to popular belief, serial killers don't just 'snap'; or 'go crazy'; (Douglas, p. 137). Many of the serial killers have been the victims of childhood abuse. Jack Levin stated 'Research shows many serial killers suffered abuse, incest or neglect as children and develop poor self images'; (Douglas, p. 137). Serial killers often have a childhood marked by the absence of any nurturing relationship. 'They often come from families where the parents were absent or ineffective, where authority was not defined, and where they could engage in destructive behavior undeterred-violent play, cruelty to animals, and incidents of arson being some of the childhood behavior patterns noted among many serial killers'; (Clark, p. 206).

    Read More

  • Serial Killers Essay

    3219 Words  | 7 Pages

    These killers do not “go off the deep-end” one day and start murdering a whole bunch of people. They do not kill because of some crime of passion or greed. They murder non-reactively and the murders span over the course of days, weeks, months and even years. There is a special name for these types of murders. They are called serial killers and they walk among the general population going unnoticed sometimes for years at a time. They are elusive and the majority are very intelligent. They kill often times for the sake of killing and seem completely uncaring as to the consequences of their actions. They taunt police and the families of their victims. Their ability to kill without being caught is part of the thrill they seek. They are mothers, fathers, friends and neighbors; preachers, teachers and co-workers. Unfortunately they are not discovered until long after their killings have begun..

    Read More

More about The Murder Castle Holmes Empathy

Open Document