Growing Up A Sociopath In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

Should a person be inherently trustful or distrustful? Can someone be truly characterized as good or bad? These critical thinking questions arise when reading through the novel. After hearing about the prosperous and respected Clutters being murdered, people began losing faith within the community by abruptly locking doors, moving away, and accusing neighbors. Nobody knows anymore if they are safe and secure within their own homes, causing trust and security to become a big issue in the western Kansas town of Holcomb. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote documents this murder case and focuses more on the killer´s perspective and how they are caught instead of the murder itself. Capote demonstrates through his documentation that anyone is capable of great evil regardless of their background, shown by Dick’s life decisions, Perry’s outbursts of rage, and Lowell Lee Andrews conviction.

From the beginning of the novel, Capote showcases Perry Smith a likable character. Although he ended up being one of the murderers of the Clutter family, the readers often felt sorry for him. In the beginning of the novel the reader finds out that Perry was actually very nervous about committing the crime, he and Dick were on the road to do. Capote made it seem like Perry

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. Additionally, Capote expressed the idea of there being two sides to every story for both the protagonist and antagonist. By doing so, he used a unique writing style to help develop the story. In Cold

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

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? I was standing right close. I could hear him gasping for breath.' 'Uh-huh, but he don't feel nothing. Wouldn't be humane if he did'" (340). Furthermore, Capote includes the amount of time before Lowell Lee Andrews and Dick Hickock died. From the time of hanging to the time their hearts ceased beating, it took nineteen and twenty minutes, respectively. Also, in preparation for the trial of the Clutter family murderers, doctors did psychiatric evaluations of the pair. Capote includes what the doctors would have said had they been allowed to elucidate during the trial. The evaluations suggest that Hickock and Smith might have been better off in a mental institution. By including the conversation at the hangings, the elapsed time before death, and the doctors' unspoken evaluation, Capote suggests that neither the death penalty nor hanging is always the best course of action for a person's crime. 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

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.

The debate nature versus nurture is a prevalent topic in today’s society because the violence going on. People would like to know whether a criminal is born or a criminal is made. A great example of nature versus nurture is the nonfiction novel In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. This book follows around two characters Perry Smith and Richard (Dick) Hickock. Together, they killed a small town family for forty dollars in cash. Capote tells of their lives before the killing, on the run, and when they were on death row. It is clear to the reader that Perry was not born a criminal, but his horrible childhood coupled with mental illness allowed him to not feel the wrong he was doing. Dick, on the other hand, was born a criminal, and this is shown through his pedophiliac episodes and the fact he was able to be ashamed of what he was. Nurture is more important than nature because with good nurturing what nature has given somebody can be erased or made better.

Perry smith is a main character and murderer who struggles against his own personality characteristics. He fails to achieve this goal because of certain characteristics. But what really mad perry tick? Who really knows; could it be because the way he was raised, was it only for attention or was he looking for someone to show him differently; what's right and what’s wrong. In the book “ In Cold Blood” By Truman Capote's he shows a different side of Perry.

Look around this school and think about exactly how many students are here daily. How

Destiny and fate correlates with the theme that dreams will fail and die. Characters do not decide their destiny. However, they do decide their dreams. A character's fate and destiny affects their dreams. Whether their dreams come true or not, has many contributing factors. One being, their purpose in the world. One’s fate does not change, and it follows them throughout their entire life, affecting what they dream of and how they can accomplish all that they may dream of.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote was a crime novel that shock many people in the world because of how a small town family is kill out of nowhere by deformed murders and also how a community would be affected by this conflict. Also, Capote is successful of bringing the murders Dick and Perry back to live. Capote makes them too sympathetic because of how he expresses their mental health, their harsh backstories and the trial that take place in part 4. These three reasons make Capote successful of bringing the murders back to life.

In Cold Blood is based on a true story. It tells of the murders of the clutter family. The family of 6 consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Clutter, their two teenage children, Kenyon and Nancy, and their two older daughters that were grown and out of the house. The family lived in Holcolm, Kansas and in November 1959, they were brutally killed in their own home by Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, with no apparent motive. When the family was discovered, only small things were missing from their home,”...Dewey could not accept the theory that the family had been slaughtered for paltry profit -’a few dollars and a radio’”(Capote103). Dick and Perry initially get away with murder, but their clues that were left behind eventually catch up to them.

Murder can be defined as “the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another”. How then, are others able to make us sympathize with not only murderers, but people who have committed horrendous crimes? For example, the media is constantly attempting to humanize rapists and even terrorists with phrases like “lone wolf” or “alienated and adrift.” Such phrases make some of us want to pity the criminal. This can be seen when we compare Perry Smith and Dick Hickock from Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. 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). By using phrases such as these, Capote creates an unfavorable impression of Dick and and a biased tone. The same cannot be said for Perry as Capote produces an almost benevolent tone toward him with the help of pathos, “the most powerful appeal” (Noel, 2011).

Perry's anxiety disorder is brought to light through his constant angst when affiliating with the events of his past because, "he hated it, as he hated the Texas plains, the Nevada desert, spaces horizontal and sparsely inhabited has always induced in him a depression accompanied by agoraphobic sensations," (49). His anxiety disorder handicaps his mental capacity from making sound and conscious decisions. For example, Perry is unaware that he is slitting Mr. Clutter's throat with a knife until "...I heard the sound. Like somebody drowning. Screaming under water," (244). Alongside his anxiety disorder, Perry's bipolar disorder is best reflected in his unrealistic ideas. His primary motivation for committing the murders of the Clutter family is so that he and Dick could have the appropriate finances to, "...buy a boat in Mexico. Something cheap, but sturdy. And we could go to Japan. Sail across the Pacific," (49). Perry's secondary motivation was to attain the "...parrot, which had first flown into his dreams when he was seven years old...," (92-93); the parrot is symbolic for the American Dream. These illogical ideas to seek a life of luxury and grandeur stems from manic depression, a branch of bipolar disorders. Capote's

Family ties are a considerable part of our daily lives; they determine our future and moral upbringing. If these ties are depraved, our mind may grow to be nefarious and malicious, leading to despicable actions. One example of these actions occurred in a small town in Kansas in which four members of the Clutter family were murdered. Truman Capote used this shocking event that clearly depicts how Capote’s family ties connect with the characters’ to write In Cold Blood. Capote strategically uses characterization, conflict, and tragedy to successfully build the theme of family ties while he reconstructs the murder scene.