“And so it happened that in the daylight hours of that Wednesday morning, Alvin Dewey, breakfasting at the coffee shop of a Topeka hotel, read, on the first page of the Kansas City Star, a headline he had long awaited: ‘Die on Rope for Bloody Crime.’ The story, written by an associated press reporter, began: ‘Richard Eugene Hickock and Perry Edward Smith, parteners in crime, died on that gallows at the state penetentary early today for one of the bloodiest murders in Kansas criminal annals. Hickock, 33 years old, died first,at 12:41 A.M.; Smith died at 1:19...’” (Capote 337). Though this quote is fairly long, I chose it because it shows justice being served to the brutal murderers, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith.
In “In Cold Blood”, the contemplation and suspenseful reflect the things Dewey is thinking of and what he thinks and knows happened. Dewey is trying to solve what happened that night and five years ago. He was questioning murderers moved furniture and bed covers only to find the reason behind this was to make the victims comfortable during the moment of their death. The author's diction reveals how Dewey thinks about the murders and how he feels about solving the Clitter’s case. When Dewey was investigating the murders he told his team to “keep looking” until they found the “connection” with what happened “sunday morning” and what happened “maybe five years ago”.
Dick doused the headlights, slowed down, and stopped until his eyes were adjusted to the moon-illuminated night. Presently, the car crept forward. This passage was chosen because it was what Dick and Perry were saying right before they went to the Clutter house and killed the family. I feel that this quote is an important one. To me I feel that it suggest's that the accused were out to commit a robbery, and had no original intent to kill the Clutters.
Throughout the book "In Cold Blood," the characters of Dick and Perry undergo significant changes. At the beginning of the book, they are portrayed as cold-blooded killers who show little remorse for their actions. However, as the story progresses, we see a more complex side to their personalities. One of the most significant changes in the characters of Dick and Perry is their relationship with each other.
This Quote represents Insanity (Sociopathy) because it shows both Perry’s killer natural way of thinking and it also shows Dick’s colossal use of them to get what he desires. Dick suffers brain damage he received from a concussion and Perry has paranoid schizophrenia . This could possibly contribute to their questionable mental state of mind. Some symptoms of insanity include : frequent lying, stealing , fighting , no guilt or remorse for anything whatsoever , breaking the law repeatedly , the ability to act charming and witty, disregarding of the safety of others, manipulating other people 's emotions, and inability to tolerate frustration . Both Dick and Perry poses some of these traits / symptoms which may lead us to believe they could
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).
“He did not smoke, and of course he did not drink; indeed, he had never tasted spirits, and was inclined to avoid people who had—a circumstance that did not shrink his social circle as much as might be supposed, for the center of that circle was supplied by the members of Garden City's First Methodist Church,a congregation totaling seventeen hundred ,most of whom were as abstemious as Mr. Clutter could desire.’’ (10) ( Culture and Community ) Capote used this quote to illustrate the culture of the village of Holcomb, where Mr.Clutter lived and how the social life of a religious family is rooted in their church. This quote represents culture, because is trying to tell us that people in Holcomb should live a life according to their religion ,because their actions affect their social circle and their community.
While Perry is mortified that he and Dick could commit such a gruesome crime, Dick couldn’t care less. All Dick is worried about is how odd Perry is. Because of how quick Perry’s mood could change, Dick thought he was “spooky as hell.” Now, Perry wasn’t your average run of the mill man. He still wets the bed, cries in his sleep, and “could slide into a fury ‘quicker than ten drunk Indians’”.
Normality in Capote’s Text ‘In Cold Blood’ Truman Capote, in his non-fiction journalistic narrative, gives readers the opportunity to reconsider the dichotomy of ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’. Capote also suggests true normality differs from society’s concept of normality. The concept of normality is challenged throughout the entirety of ‘In Cold Blood’, first in the Clutter family, then in Dick and Perry and in sexuality throughout the text. The Clutters, a seemingly ‘normal’ family who have obtained a wealthy and successful life, are polite and hardworking, community-driven and respected.
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?
In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, is a non-fiction true crime. In Cold Blood is about two murderers, Dick and Perry, who heard a rumor about a household possessing $5,000 and they wanted the money. Little did they know there was not any money and they got caught for murder to get nothing in the end. They ended up serving jail time and sentenced to hang till death.
As Capote gives insight to Dick’s viscous personality, he symbolizes Perry to further display how Dick manipulates him. After Dick steps on the gas to complete his mission of murdering a dog in the road, he saw, “ahead of him, on the dusty road… a dog trotting along in the
He is portrayed as a mastermind in the cold-blooded killing of the Clutters family, a man with little respect for the lives of others, which can be seen through Dick’s expression before the murder of the Clutters when he converses Perry, “We’re gonna go in there and splatter those walls with hair” (Capote 234). This sudden tone shift enables Capote to depict Dick as a cruel and immoral character. Dick’s lack of empathy and concern for other people beside himself allow him to commit crimes without remorse, which is in contrast to Perry’s moral contemplation after each bad actions they committed. Moreover, Dick is represented as the true criminal with evident motives in murdering the Clutters, while Perry is seen as a vulnerable victim who depends on Dick for validation and acceptance, something in which Dick happily provides in order to manipulate Perry, as Capote writes, “Dick became convinced that Perry was that rarity, ‘a natural born killer,’—absolutely sane but conscienceless, and capable of dealing with or without motive, the coldest-blooded deathblows. It was Dick's theory that such a gift could, under his supervision, be profitably exploited” (Capote 205).
There has been a longstanding debate between nature and nurture in psychology for decades. An examination of whether an individual's traits and behaviors are influenced by their genetics or their surrounding environment. There is a particular relevance to this debate for Dick and Perry in Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood", where their backgrounds and life experiences significantly affect their personalities and actions. In the case of Dick and Perry, their upbringing and environment had a profound impact on their actions and ultimately led to their descent into criminality. At the same time, certain aspects of their personalities and character traits are inherent, which may have also contributed to their behavior.
In Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, there is no hero. The protagonist is not a hero, nor the law enforcement. Heroism becomes irrelevant when searching for justice following a tragedy such as the one seen on November 15th, 1959 in Holcomb, Kansas. Complexity, next to justice, is primary to put into account during the aftershocks . Perry Smith is the protagonist in the novel, not only due to author’s bias but also due to his sheer dynamic, a man disconnected from word to action.
