The Autobiography of an Idea · Theme

Power and Ambition

How The Autobiography of an Idea develops Power and Ambition.

The theme of human power—to aspire, to work, to inquire, and to create—is central, embodied in the protagonist's relentless ambition and his admiration for heroic figures who dare to think and do.

Where it surfaces

XI: Chicago
Chicago's drive for bigness and Louis's own ambition to study at the École des Beaux Arts and become a great architect.
XIII: The Garden City
Louis's ambition grows as he witnesses human power in engineering feats and carefully plans his career, waiting for the right opportunity to advance.
Retrospect
The 'passion to sell' drives American life; Burnham's executive ambition and the 'hustle' mentality shape the Fair, while Sullivan's own vision of a 'Garden City' is dismissed.