The ending of In Cold Blood effectively shows the cruelness of death and how arbitrarily it chooses its victims. Nancy Clutter, a smart and intelligent young woman, had a full, eventful life ahead of her, and with the firing of a gun all that was gone. William Zinsser once said “good nonfiction writing should leave you one provocative thought,” and Capote’s in this novel is that life will go on,even after death. Even though Susan Kidwell Nancy’s friendship and future plans died the night she was murdered, Susan kept moving on and now attending the University of Kansas. Even though life brings you pain and suffering where it feels like the end for you, it too shall pass and life will slowly, yet surely, get better and that is the impression
Synopsis of In Cold Blood & Author’s Subject & Purpose
Encouragement, development, cultivation, foster, promote: all words that describe how a person is brought into a life of crime as portrayed in Truman Capote’s novel, In Cold Blood. For decades, people have been studying human motives for becoming villains. There have been two theories to explain a person’s behavior; people are either nurtured to become criminals or they are naturally born to behave the way they do. People who are nurtured into a life of crime are raised that way whether it is how the family raised them or the atmosphere that influenced them as they grew up. Those that have it in their nature to live a cruel life are born with the motive and behavior.
How would you feel if you were on death row awaiting the inevitable? Would you feel as though you are deserving of this punishment or deserve the chance to live? As of January 1st, 2018 over 2,700 inmates are on death row. This means that they will be put to death at some point in the future. Many inmates are often on death row for more than a year which gives them time to reflect on what they have done and the pain it caused.
In the book, “In Cold Blood,” Truman Capote takes us through the lives of the murderers and the murdered in the 1959 Clutter family homicide, which transpires in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas. The first chapter, “The Last to See Them Alive,” vividly illustrates the daily activities of the Clutter family—Herbert, Bonnie, Nancy, and Kenyon—and the scheming plot of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith up to point where the family is found tied up, and brutally murdered. In doing so, he depicts the picture-perfect town of Holcomb with “blue skies and desert clear air”(3) whose safety is threatened when “four shotgun blasts that, all told, ended six human lives”(5). Through the eyes of a picture perfect family and criminals with social aspirations, Capote describes the American Dream and introduces his audience to the idea that this ideal was no more than an illusion. Herbert Clutter: the character Capote describes as the epitome of the American Dream.
In Cold Blood Rhetorical Analysis Typically upon hearing about a murder, especially a brutal and unwarranted one, we find ourselves feeling a great sense of disgust for the murderer or murderers who committed these crimes; however, in Truman Capote’s novel In Cold Blood, the lives and experiences of the murderers, particularly Perry Smith, are displayed in a way the makes you feel pity for him as well as the victims. When comparing Capote’s Novel to a typical news article on a similar topic it is easy to see the that Capote's style varies from typical journalism. An article written by Frances Robles and Nikita Stewart titled “Dylan Roof’s Past Reveals Trouble at Home and School,” discusses the childhood and background of Dylann Roof, a twenty-one
Truman Capote, the author of In Cold Blood, creates sympathy for almost every character the reader comes across. Through the use of manipulating the reader's emotions and connecting them to each character, Capote successfully pulls it off. There are four main groups that Capote chooses to create sympathy for the murder victims, the murderers, the law officials involved, and the ordinary citizens of Holcomb, Kansas. Truman Capote created the most sympathy for two characters, Perry Smith and Detective Dewey. From the beginning of the novel, Capote showcases Perry Smith a likable character.
He succeeds in creating these complex personalities that many can relate to by using a myriad of tones to illustrate every aspect of those engaged, such as their childhood, their family, or their emotions. For instance, Bobby Rupp, Nancy’s boyfriend and Perry Smith, one of the slayers, represent two individuals who readers commiserate with due to their distinctive characterization. Capote presents Bobby Rupp as the “school basketball hero”, and “dependable” for his age; Capote not only highlights his maturity, but also his emotional condition after the homicides. The readers understand that Bobby loves Nancy dearly, and her loss shocks him as demonstrated through Capote’s text: “He was ill, that grief had made him so, that grief had drawn a circle around him he could not escape from and others could not enter”
Throughout In Cold Blood, Truman Capote hints at his own opinion of the death penalty, yet lets the readers decide for themselves what they believe Hickock and Smith's punishment should have been. When the murderers are being hanged, a conversation occurs between a reporter and an investigator about what it might feel like to be hanged: "'They don't feel nothing. Drop, snap, and that's it. They don't feel nothing.' ' Are you sure?
How crazy would it be to interview criminals who murdered 4 people in cold blood? Well that’s exactly what Truman Capote did in this chilling book. In the novel In Cold Blood, Truman Capote used different rhetorical strategies to create sympathy and influence the idea that there are always two sides to every story. Some of the mainly used rhetorical strategies throughout the novel were imagery, diction, tone, and pathos. Furthermore, Capote also illustrated sympathetical emotion towards both types of characters, the protagonists and antagonists.
“In Cold Blood” was ultimately finished after the executions because of Capote's need to feel fulfilled in his own way, knowing that he will have to see Perry and Dick die. Truman’s opinion of not approving of the death penalty is also highlighted in the novel. On page 245 it says, " The
In the story “In Cold Blood” Truman Capote uses a tone of “somber” by expressing how death causes the reflection of life. Capote uses the word "life", something that we all know is a grave matter that we wouldn't want to lose. The confrontation towards the man’s feelings of the passing of the Clutter family makes him feel melancholy. He says “it was a melancholy task” knowing that Kenyon was no longer there to help.
No matter how we try to change our situation or better ourselves in society, variables will obstruct the path we choose. One cannot take control of everything that surrounds us as fate decides what happens to us. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote explains the murder of the Clutter family in the quiet town of Holcomb, Kansas. The murderers, Richard (Dick) Hickock and Perry Smith, try to escape the consequences of their actions, believing that they can get away with what they did. The story tells what the murderers were thinking after and before they committed the crime and their various interactions.
Everybody has desires that constantly weigh over their heads, pushing them to be diligent in all their endeavors, but what would you do if you knew that one day you would no longer have the opportunity to fulfill these desires? Everybody lives their lives so focused on the end goal that they are oblivious to the world around them, and the sad part is that in some cases the end goal is unattainable or never reached because the person dies. In In Cold Blood, Truman Capote utilizes symbolism and descriptive diction to tell his readers Perry’s wants and wishes. Throughout this subchapter the reader is able to learn more about how Perry feels in the moments after the Clutter family murder. The reader learns that Perry wishes he was loved by others
In the novel, In Cold Blood author Truman Capote utilizes dark imagery and depressing diction to set the novel’s tone. Capote shows the reader a desolate town with scarce residents. Holcomb, Kansas features flat land, cattle, and grain, making a feeling of barren emptiness. Capote’s choice of words and descriptions loom over the main characters and create an uneasiness for the reader. Capote describes Holcomb as, “A lonesome area the other Kansans call ‘out there.’”
Throughout the novel “ In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote, the author explores the idea of cruelty. He portrays how inhuman and emotionally detached people can be even when acting without rage. The idea of cruelty is depicted both in the brutal murder of the Clutter family and the impetuous sentence of the criminals, which Capote describes as merciless act. The author explores the apparently unmotivated murder of a well-known, respected, and loved family of the City of Holcomb, Kansas. He describes the madness and cold-blooded crime in detail, evidencing the savage and brutal act.