The parental influence the child receives as well as their childhood in general is a key factor on how and who they turn out to be when they grow up. In Cold Blood written by Truman Capote, one of the murderers, Perry Smith had gone through a very rough childhood. His mother, a drunk, his brother Jimmy has killed himself, he was put into an orphanage and abused by nuns. None of this is ideal for how a child should be treated. The poor parental impact and childhood Perry faced resulted in his outrageous behavior of killing the Clutter family. Nonetheless if Perry got the right childhood he needed and deserved he would not have become a murderer. When growing up, all children depend on their parents for everything. However Perry Smith faced …show more content…
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. My mother died. Been dead eight years” (Capote 138). The leaving of all these people affected the way of Perry’s living drastically. Even though these deaths to him were a lot he still faced many more. Perry was denied access to school by his father. In the book it says “You think I like myself? Oh, the man I could have been! But that bastard never gave me a chance. He wouldn't let me go to school. O.K. O.K. I was a bad kid. But the time came I begged to go to school” (Capote 132). School is a very important aspect in a childlife, school teaches children the things in life that they will need to have a successful life. Without attending school it affects Perry a lot. He did not learn basic skills or anything, he was raised basically by himself. Which does not help him when it comes down to who he has become. Perry has been mistreated throughout his life especially at the time when he was in an orphanage. The book says he was, “hating a half-breed child living in a California orphanage run by nuns—shrouded disciplinarians who whipped him for wetting his bed” (Capote 93). At the young age of seven he
Perry “It starts at home”(Alaina Thomas). Most murderers come from broken homes, some hardly have a place to call home. Perry Smith, a character from the book In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, was one of those people. Throughout the story it is evident that pieces of his childhood reflected on his behavior later on. It is possible if not factual that if Perry had been raised differently, the Clutter family would not have been murdered.
He used Perry Smith’s autobiographical statement, which summarized events from his past that revealed his dark childhood. Perry wrote that he was often beaten by his father, sent to detention homes where “every night was a nightmare”, and had an absent mother who was “always drunk, never in a fit condition to properly provide and care for us” (274-275). This inclusion of Perry’s personal anecdote extensively appeals to the audience's feeling of pity for his hardships by displaying a more hurt and emotional side to him rather than portraying him as an incompassionate killer. This display evokes wariness when Perry is sentenced to death because the audience has a greater understanding of the situation that developed his character and reflects on the injustice of executing a troubled man who could have improved his life through rehabilitation instead of punishment. Thus, Capote’s use of Perry's personal anecdotes encourage readers to consider whether capital punishment is ideal by appealing to pity and understanding of Perry as more than a "cold-blooded"
Perry is starting to feel guilty, and Dick is starting to fear him. In Cold Blood will leave the reader in pain and guilt by the way that Capote makes you feel Pathos for Perry’s bad childhood and anger for Dick’s cold, cold heart. The reader is drawn into Dick and Perry’s second day of Mexico as the two have
In the book, you learn that Dick is the mastermind behind everything that happens. Dick does not really have a purpose for doing what he does; however, Perry knows what he does is wrong. Some people think that the question of why they would do this to a family that has done nothing wrong goes to a totally different question. Is the reason that people like Dick and Perry or anyone kills a family or a person because they have a mental disability. The people that the book In Cold Blood is about were brought to this world to help people question where the lines of criminals and the mentally disabled cross and
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
Everyone is born with the capability to do evil, however, the events and environment in our lives shape our psyche to such an irrefutably extreme extent that they define our character and our conscience, redefining what we see as right and wrong. Perry is very sensitive by nature due to his family’s troubles and his father’s behavior. The pressure that Perry feels to impress Dick, who he makes into a faux father figure, combined with the weight of his past push him to the breaking point which happens to be the Clutter murders. Perry was bound by his experience, he could never fully escape the horrors of his childhood as they were the limits of his apprehension. Regardless of Perry’s traumatic childhood, justice must be equally upheld to everyone, despite the differences in the ways we were raised.
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”
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.
Perry’s erratic spontaneous outbursts is what caused him to go through with the murders and slit Mr. Clutter’s throat which put him on the killing frenzy that ended the rest of the Clutters lives. Capote highlights Perry’s sociopathic tendencies by comparing them to that of Dicks Psychopathic tendencies which exemplifies how when put together they are at each others fault for the
Merging journalistic and literary storytelling with its unparalleled insight into the nature of criminality in twentieth century American culture, In Cold Blood, Truman Capote’s nonfiction masterpiece epitomizes the loss of naiveté of a small Kansas town, while it undermines the principle ideals of the American Dream——safety, security, and opportunity for prosperity and individualism——through the victimization of the achievers of this mythical, yet idealized belief, such as the Clutter family. Through the portrayal of the tragic ends of three different families (the Clutters, the Hickocks, and the Smiths) regardless of their position on the path to the American Dream, Capote shatters the popular image of perfection that most Americans strove
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.
Although the author set himself the task of using the natural materials of this case to write a nonfiction novel, it is clear that the audience is given information about the murders, and murderers however, the author’s emotions are also present. Capote's tone in the novel strives to be objective, but he cannot help but let his compassion towards the criminals and the Clutter family emerge. His compassion shifts the novel in a way to pull on the heartstrings of the audience and to allow for a deeper understanding of his purpose. Many of the tones included in the book brings out the importance of the American Dream and life being a gift. The quote, “Then, touching the brim of his cap, he headed for home and the day’s work, unaware that it would be his last,” is an example of the author’s serious tone to support his purpose of how the gift of life can be taken so unexpectedly.
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
Capote used qualitative research methods to write one of the greatest American books called In Cold Blood. The movie shows how Capote obtained information from people who were connected to the murder of a family in a rural setting to write this award winning book. Post at least two salient points regarding the ethics (or lack or ethics) that you gleaned about obtaining the information for the book from the movie in your discussion post. I identified the salient points regarding a lack of ethics.
According to him, his troubling childhood is to blame for the path of destruction he took. Nonetheless, he is forsaken and has no one or place to turn to. Capote exposes the character’s familial backgrounds to provide context as to why they follow through with certain decisions or actions. Capote reveals the motif of self-identity through the interactions Holly, Joel, and Perry have with other characters in the book . Each character struggles with searching for who they are.