Throughout the whole book, Capote introduces many characters relevant to the murders and the trial. He carefully depicts the personalities of these secondary characters. Capote uses elaborate details to add to the books. The secondary character I found most memorable was Lowell Lee Andrews. Andrews was introduced after Perry and Dick were sentenced to death for killing the Clutter family. Capote begins by describing Andrews as a young, smart, and gentle boy. Andrews had an article written about him entitled “The Nicest Boy in Wolcott” (312). He was enrolled at the University of Kansas, majoring in biology. Andrews was planning on poisoning his family. Andrews stood out when Capote revealed his plans to destroy his family and inherit his father’s estate and money. …show more content…
Dick says to Andrews, “The trouble with you, Andy, you’ve got no respect for human life. Including your own.” (318). The description of Lowell Lee Andrews insane and ruthless character, make him a memorable secondary character. The technique Truman Capote use to characterize the killers is using the opinions and encounters of their families and the people they have met. Capote uses back stories and childhood memories to show Dick and Perry’s character. During Perry’s evaluation with Dr. Jones, Perry says, “My mother was always drunk, never in a fit condition to properly provide and care for us. I run as free & wild as a coyote. There was no rule or discipline, or anyone showing me right from
In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, was a non-fictional novel published in 1965. Written in four parts, Capote meticulously details the brutal 1959 murders of the recognized farmer Herbert Clutter, Bonie Clutter, Nancy Clutter and Kenyon Clutter in the small, once peaceful, city of Holcomb, Kansas. Throughout the book, while Capote sympathetically depicts the murders of the Clutter family, we also realize that the author has a strong sympathy for one of the murders called Perry Edward Smith. Although the novel was intended to be written in a journalistic form, Capote seems to fictionalize much of the information used to write the novel in order to add suspense and certain reactions from the readers. Truman Capote’s new literary form of “the non-fictional novel” leaves the readers feeling conflicting emotions
Children at the same age as Perry, 13, will one day be in a home where they have to survive on their own, then the next they are in an orphanage. The mother of Perry Smith passed away soon after she left his father. The battle she fought was an enthusiastic battle with alcohol, the next day she lost and choked on her own vomit, this was probably the worst experience of Perry Smith’s life. When Perry Smith’s mother died, when she left the children, they moved into a Catholic orphanage where Perry got beaten for wetting the bed.
In these paragraphs, Capote describes the haunted by anxiety of Dewey in investigating the murder of the Clutter family, and also his wife, Marie, who still obsessed to the death of her friend, Bonnie Clutter. Capote’s writing skill makes the audiences feel like the entire of Holcomb village still could not get over the tragic of the Clutter family yet. What I found significant and interesting about the last two paragraphs are how Capote end the chapter with Perry and Dick returning to the United States after their trip to Mexico. They continue looking for a new target, to rob and kill with no afraid or worry at all. Dick’s sumptuous smile and Perry sang his favorite song somehow makes the audience wonder.
One of America’s twentieth century most well-known and controversial author and writer was Truman Capote. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana on September 30, 1924 as Truman Streckfus Persons, he was a son of a small-town girl, Lillie Mae and charming schemer, Archulus Persons. At age four, his parents got divorced, leaving him in the care of his mother’s relatives in Monroeville, Alabama. In Monroeville, he met and befriended Harper Lee, the author of the famous literature novel To Kill a Mockingbird. They were total opposites: Capote was sensitive and was teased by others while Lee was pretty much a tomboy, however that drew them closer.
Capote portrays only one of these two seemingly distinct characters (Perry) in a way that the reader feels the need to relate to and even sympathize with him. One can be taken aback by such an attachment to a murderer. This is not surprising as the author uses his compassionate diction to manipulate the reader’s emotions with a use of pathos, the appeal to emotions. At one point Capote goes as far as to write that “Smith’s life had been no bed of roses,” (Capote 245) attempting to have the readers relate to Perry. On the other hand, Capote has Dick say this about himself: “Deal me out, baby, I’m a normal” (Capote 116).
From a novel or play of literary merit, select an important character who is a villain. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze the nature of the character’s villainy and show how it enhances meaning in the work. Do not merely summarize the plot. Roy Cohn’s crooked beliefs reflect the beliefs of many people in America in the late 20th century.
In Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood,” Dick and Perry have murdered the Clutter family and are on their way to Mexico. In this passage, Dick makes an astounding statement. In the passage, Dick claims that he’s “a normal” but that is far from the truth. He is a conniving, manipulative son of a bitch who thinks he’s normal in comparison to Perry.
Capotes creates sympathy for Detective Dewey by allowing the reader to think about what it would be like to have family member who is extremely involved in work about the
Contrastingly, the opposite opinion is revealed through the character Alvin Dewey in the book. Capote writes about Dewey’s beliefs on the case: “[The Clutter family] had experienced prolonged terror, they had suffered. And Dewey
In doing so Capote invents a new genre of literature by telling the story through a new perspective. Capote as a writer chooses to put most of the focus of the book on the criminals, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, particularly Smith. He follows Smith’s life story, and explains that Smith was abused as a child, and the reader is to infer that as a result he seeks approval from others. This approval is what leads him to kill, and invent stories about killing, as he wants Dick to think of him as macho. Capote provides a plethora of evidence to support this reasoning, “He was seven years old, a hated, hating half-breed child living in a California orphanage run by nuns- shrouded disciplinarians who whipped him for wetting his bed,” (93).
Although Perry is responsible for the murder of four innocent people, Perry’s actions do not reflect on who he is as a person because he is easily influenced, therefore; showing how easily people can be pressured into doing something they would not typically do. Dick, a violent, cold-hearted, manipulator, has molded Perry into the person he is today. As Perry is a follower, Dick has taken advantage of that by turning Perry into the cold-blooded killer he is today. Capote displays Dick’s manipulation of Perry through symbolism to make evident that while Perry did pull the trigger on four innocent people, although the fault does not entirely lay on him, as he was taken advantage of by Dick.
While Dick’s attempt to profit from Perry originates from a lie that Perry creates in order to gain Dick’s respect, the language that Capote uses to illustrate Dick’s exploitation does not leave room for excuses or sympathy. The tone indicates Dick has malicious intention in befriending Perry, which gives the readers a cynical impression of him. Furthermore, Dick is seen to be disregarding of the gravity of his crimes, especially as he replies to Perry’s comment, “I think there must be something wrong with us" (Capote 114) to commit the murder like they did, in which Dick replies, “Deal me out, baby, I'm a normal,” and continues to entertain the thought, “ But Perry—there
Dick did not have any second thoughts about the murder. He had firmly wanted to walk-in and kill the Clutter family despite their innocence. Dick viewed the Clutters’ as an opportunity that was going to make him rich. There was not any
Truman Capote uses variety of language devices to vividly develop Perry Smith in his novel In Cold Blood. These language devices include, diction, similes and symbolism. Throughout the novel diction is used to develop Perry Smith’s character, and suggest reasons for the murder. When Smith explains what happened that night at the Clutter’s family home, he tells agent Alvin Dewey about his moment with Nancy Clutter.
The novel, In Cold Blood, is an anomaly in the literary paradigm. The author, Truman Capote, designed his novel in a way that made it unique when compared to others. His fundamental purpose was to present the problem of American violence and the fragility of the American Dream and how it can be so easily shattered. In order to portray his purpose, he used many rhetorical devices including syntax, diction, tone, ethos, logos and pathos. These devices allowed Capote’s novel to be different from the spectrum of other non-fiction novels and to support his purpose.