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Creative Writing: Mr. Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

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My entire life has changed due to my kindness. Therefore, should I no longer be kind? Why offer my assistance to others if the outcome is penalization? These questions torment my mind; do I acknowledge what's happening around me, or should I just drive by? All I wanted to do was help people, and now, all I do is suffer. The morning was bleak and tinted with gray—not that I cared. I no longer had a place where I was needed, anyway. The day I lost my job was the day nothing mattered; it was as if the world had reached an impasse, and time would only flow where I wasn’t. How can someone be fired just for aiding those who need it? My thoughts have been embittered. My dreams for my family and I have been shattered. My life has become dulled. The day Mr.Truman Capote came to interview me about the murder overwhelms me with the numbing feeling of February wind. I was likely shuffling to my house trying to avoid frost from biting my skin …show more content…

I shrugged. “When you gotta go, you gotta go!” My hearty bark filled the car as Dick proudly chuckled. At that moment, I spotted a young soldier among the field and began to slow as the two boys exchanged some words. ‘Say, that’s pretty cute. When you gotta go, you gotta go...” My eyes widened in disbelief as I snapped back from the memory. I had almost forgotten that Mr.Capote was with me until I noticed him arranging his effects. “I appreciate your cooperation, Mr.Bell. I’m writing a book on the murder of the Clutter family and had been following the tracks of the killers, Perry and Dick, from even before they arrived in that innocent town,” he explained politely and he neared the door. “Oh, and don’t worry. I won’t use your real name. Good life, Mr.Bell.” The freezing wind chilled my skin briefly as the door shut behind him. I was once again alone and asking myself, should I no longer be

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Nature versus nurture is one of the most controversial debates in contemporary psychology. The debate concerning whether or not humans are born with the preset characteristics that will shape lives for years to come or whether actions are a result of the events and the environment that pave the way for our behavioral characteristics. Capote’s “In Cold Blood” gives the audience a detailed look into the upbringing of the character Perry Smith, creating a sympathetic outlook towards his past and attempting to bring a sense of understanding as to how a seemingly harmless young man could brutally murder four innocent people. In the case of Perry Smith, nurture was the cause of his actions in regards to the Clutter family murders.

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Truman Capote’s novel, In Cold Blood epitomizes the shifting sentiments related to the murder of the Clutter family which range from terror, to sorrow, to pride, and all mixed emotions in between. Yet through Capote’s particular descriptions about each character, the connection between their feelings and their actions become further clarified. In effect, the readers experience feelings of sympathy for the victims, their friends and family, the investigators, and even the brutal murders of the innocent family. In order to craft this association, Capote employs a pathos appeal to amplify the audience’s ability to sympathize with each and every character.

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The Lasting Effects of In Cold Blood Truman Capote’s American novel In Cold Blood is based on the murders of the all- American Clutter family in the remote community of Holcomb, Kansas during the 1960s. With protests about human rights and war circulating America during the 1960s, it is no surprise that the publishing of the book led to a lasting impact on American society. Truman’s book introduced a new writing style for non-fiction stories by capturing the essences of a crime report while making the book read like a novel. Not only did Truman’s book influence the literary community, it is a wakeup call about the fantasy of the “American dream” and importance of the physiology of murderers.

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Perry had faced many people leaving and dying. His brother Jimmy had killed himself and even his mother died. The book In Cold Blood says, “By now, over the years, that was all I had left me. Jimmy a suicide. Fern out the window.

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"Ceremonies never did mean diddly to me." He took another long pull on his magnum. "I got a lot to regret about my life," he said. "But I'm goddamn proud of you, Mountain Goat, the way you turned out. Whenever I think of you, I figure I must have done something right."

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His voice quavered slightly. ‘I had to. They were drowning you, Pony. ' They [The Socs] might have killed you. And they had a blade… they were gonna beat me up…’”

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"I promise you, honey, we'll blast hair all over them walls." (22). This statement made by Dick Hickock, once the meaning is grasped, makes any reader repulsed and sick to the stomach. Even more repulsive however, is when Dick and his accomplice Perry Smith go to the house of an innocent four-person family, and fulfill Dick's promise. The murderous duo that the novel In Cold Blood is centered around are guilty of horrible thoughts and deeds, and the author Truman Capote establishes early on that the two men are evil.

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Capital punishment, death penalty or execution is punishment by death. The sentence is referred to as a death sentence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. In the book In Cold Blood, Truman Capote shows his stance on the capital punishment. Truman shows that he is for the death penalty as he tells the story of Dick and Perry.

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“32 states, that's how many use the death penalty in the US” as a way of punishing those who deserve nothing less than death (32 States With). The ideas behind the verdict shows the controversy within the topic. The novel In Cold Blood written by Truman Capote and passage “Speech in Favor of Capital Punishment” by John Stuart Mill demonstrate the contradicting stances on capital punishment.

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The Clutter family’s relationship with the American Dream seems more manifest than the families of the two killers. Through their murder, Capote hints at the destruction of the ultimate American Dream, an idea unfathomable to most. As so aptly put by a schoolteacher “…That family represented everything people hereabouts really value and respect, and that such a thing could happen to them- well, it’s like being told there is no God” (Capote 55). Through their violent end, Capote demonstrates the impossibility and naiveté of the American Dream; becoming society’s interpretation of the perfect family remains merely an illusion, rather than a protection from all the evil things that can occur in life. Capote exemplifies the Clutters as the concept of the American Dream, conveying social and personal virtues along with financial stability.

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"Well there is no duty tomorrow so I guess it's okay." "Now I gotta get going, just gotta pack my stuff." *looks around " [If someone sees me talking to myself that would be problematic.]" .

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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.

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I will tell you all when I come out,” I say as I lean into the dining room to address them all. “Hurry up we don't have all night, we need to get back on the road so we can back to our home and recover from all of this madness,” Anse said. “I won't be more than a minute,” I say in response. As I walk to the washroom to buy time to think about what I am going to say, I look to Him for advice.

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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.

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Facts and Fiction: A Manipulation of Language in Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood English is a fascinating and riveting language. Subtle nuances and adjustments can easily change the understanding of a literary work—a technique many authors employ in order to evoke a desired response from their readers. This method is used especially in In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, a literary work which details a true event about the murders of four members of the Clutter family in the small community of Holcomb, Kansas, in 1959. Although Capote’s 1966 book was a bestseller nonfiction and had successfully garnered acclaim for its author, there is still a great deal of confusion about the distinction between the factual and fictional aspects in the book.

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