How Is Truman Capote Sympathetic

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.

An author can write in two different perspectives, objectively showing no opinion or emotion, and subjectively showing opinion and emotion. In the novel In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, Capote narrates with a subjective perspective. When talking about the murderers, especially Perry, sympathy shows towards them. For instance, When describing the Clutters, he did not know the family, he explained them strictly on the words of their neighbors, friends, and family. Capote writes “She was “nervous,” she suffered “little spells”--such were the sheltering expressions used by those close to her....

Growing up a Sociopath; Born a Psychopath In Cold Blood by Truman Capote is a true story of a quadruple homicide in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas that greatly impacted the community in 1959. Capote begins his novel by introducing a prominent, well respected family in the community, the Clutters. The Clutters lived average everyday lives until they were abruptly ended at the mercy of a 12 gauge shotgun. The killers were two men unknown to the Clutters, who had two completely different backgrounds and personalities. By choosing to include details about each of the killers, Capote delineates the differences between psychopaths and sociopaths and suggests that the combination of the two personality disorders creates the environment for horrific

Imagery is prevalent throughout In Cold Blood, a novel written by Truman Capote about a rather wealthy family, The Clutters, that were suddenly murdered in Holcomb, Kansas in 1959. Capote used imagery in In Cold Blood to describe the surroundings that every scene is taking place in and how people can be shaped by them. In the beginning of the novel, Capote uses imagery to describe the Kansas town of Holcomb and uses that description to contrast with the brutal murders of the Clutter family. He says that “the land is flat” and that Holcomb is a “lonesome area” to emphasize the isolation and relative quietness of Holcomb.

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.

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

Passage 2: Page 28-30 Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood challenges the conventional boundaries of the true crime genre and plumbs the psychological and emotional depths of the Clutter family murders. Capote’s masterpiece incorporates diction to create a sympathetic tone and juxtapose the brutality of the murders in which he foreshadows. The included descriptions of Bonnie Clutter evokes sadness or pity from the reader.

In the fourth section of In Cold Blood, Capote argues that Perry is a cold blooded killer and Dick is just as guilty. Capote describes Perry as “very high” on the night of the murder. By the time he was in jail, Capote referred to him as “unusually troubled” and “lost”. When Perry admitted to the murder of the four Clutter’s, his reasoning was to spare Mrs. Hickock’s feelings, not to tell the truth. Perry’s background makes him seem damaged and “changed”, as he experienced various problems in adolescence; his “psychotic” ways are even thought to be true by a psychiatrist in court.

Title: In Cold Blood Author: Truman Capote Genre (include original copyright date): True crime (1965) Setting (remember setting is not just time and place): 1959 Holcomb, Kansas- small, rural town where the people feel safe; the conservative, church-going members of the community all know each other and trust one another “Good neighbors, people who care about each other” (33) “Theretofore sufficiently unfearful of each other to seldom trouble to lock their doors” (5) The Corner- Kansas State Penitentiary; Dick and Perry are on death row; no escaping Characters and Brief Description: Perry Smith- Responsible for the murder of the Clutter family; injured in a motorcycle accident and his “chunky, dwarfish legs….

Sympathy for all Truman Capote was a well known author for Breakfast at Tiffany's, House of Flowers and his most famous In Cold Blood. The one he is most famous for, In Cold Blood, is about the spontaneous murder of the Clutter family; it sparked a new genre of writing - the nonfiction novel. The book describes how the detectives are solving the murders and also includes the perspective of the ones who committed the crime. Capote additionally encompasses the towns people’s outlook on the situation. He was able to create sympathy for all characters in this book, including the murderers and also show that there are always two sides to every story by using the rhetorical devices of pathos, foreshadowing and conceit to create the effect of giving

Truman Capote enlightened the world with an insight to the brutal murders committed by Perry Smith and Dick Hickock of the six innocent lives of the Clutter Family. It was entirely clear that the victims’ lives were taken out of spite. Capote exposes the murderers’ mentality and its relation to family by expertly exploiting the characters, accentuating the setting, and constantly foreshadowing the outcome.. Due to the fact that the crime was committed by two people, Dick and Perry, it is essential to fully comprehend these characters and who they were.