Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

Although Dick were partners in the murder of the Clutter family, Capote primarily wants to reveal the emotional gap between Dick and Perry; therefore, Capote’s depicts Perry as more sentimental than Dick.

In Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood,” Dick and Perry have murdered the Clutter family and are on their way to Mexico. In this passage, Dick makes an astounding statement.

It all started on the night of November 14, 1959, when two young men came to Holcomb, Kansas. They first came to rob the Clutters, but when finding there was not ten thousand dollars in the house like they were told, they thoughtlessly killed all four of them, for only forty bucks and a little radio. The men were finally caught, but forced to stand on trial with people who already want the two men dead, which puts the town in favor of capital punishment, before the trial had even started. The two young men, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, were sentenced to the death penalty. The book In Cold Blood, I believe, is for the capital punishment. There were two men who were brutally honest, one saying, “ I believe in capital punishment, it’s like the bible says- and eye for an eye. And even so were two pairs short.” The other man was asked if he was for or against the capital punishment, he response was, “ Ordinarily i’m against it, but in this case no.”

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.

In the book “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote, Capote blantly describes the murderous acts of two men who killed an entire family they knew nothing about. The Clutters were good people who had no intention on hurting anyone. Dick and Perry, the murderers, had no reason to do this, meaning they had no motive for these actions and they can not be excused for their actions.

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. However, the Clutters have certain aspects which could be considered ‘abnormal’, especially in the case of Bonnie, a depressed and reclusive mother. Perry and Dick are juxtaposed with the Clutters, they are a seemingly abnormal duo, who are antisocial, have a hunger for murder and are even physically disfigured. Both Perry and Dick have attributes that are still somewhat ‘normal’ despite their surface abnormality. Perry is sensitive, creative and sings, Dick has had an upbringing that was completely typical of any American child, that is, he was brought up in a loving and caring environment, with enough money to live comfortably and attend secondary education. Dick also constantly defends himself saying: “I’m a normal”. Sexuality between Dick and Perry is explored as well as Perry and Dick’s individual sexualities.

Throughout the whole book, Capote introduces many characters relevant to the murders and the trial. He carefully depicts the personalities of these secondary characters. Capote uses elaborate details to add to the books. The secondary character I found most memorable was Lowell Lee Andrews. Andrews was introduced after Perry and Dick were sentenced to death for killing the Clutter family. Capote begins by describing Andrews as a young, smart, and gentle boy. Andrews had an article written about him entitled “The Nicest Boy in Wolcott” (312). He was enrolled at the University of Kansas, majoring in biology. Andrews was planning on poisoning his family. Andrews stood out when Capote revealed his plans to destroy his family and inherit his father’s estate and money.

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. Much

Upon its release in 2002, Minority Report was a defining moment for Steven Spielberg’s career. A return to the top of his form, the landmark piece of intelligent, adult science fiction leaves you to contemplate the inevitable technocratic takeover that is just around the bend. Based on the short story of the same name, Minority Report delves even deeper into the world Philip K. Dick constructed – but does it live up to its source material?

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.

Although in In Cold Blood, Truman Capote is illustrating the aftermath of the murders, his prime motive is to humanize and create sympathy for Perry; therefore he asserts that the Law is biased and cruel to those who commit crimes.

Truman Capote uses variety of language devices to vividly develop Perry Smith in his novel In Cold Blood. These language devices include, diction, similes and symbolism.

He presents all the events by way of an anonymous narrator who reveals all the events from a detached viewpoint. Through Part II the killers are presented more sympathetically. For instance, Capote tells the reader about the hard life Perry Smith has had throughout the book. Perry lived at different orphanages and Salvation Army homes. One nurse would even “fill a tub up of ice cold water, put [Perry] in it, and hold [him] under till [he] was blue.”(128). Capote quickly describes the murder in Part I yet a majority of the novel is constructed upon the lives of those murderers. Capote was basically a lead investigator in this murder, as he was doing research from the start. As the book progressed, so did the sympathy for Dick and Perry. That progression by Capote led to the skewing of facts, which was enough to change the book to a fiction

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

In the novel, In Cold Blood, Truman Capote chose his words in a subjective manner. Capote inaccurately described many characters in his novel. He based his writing on his feelings and emotions rather than facts and evidence. Capote characterized Richard Hickock, Perry Smith, and Bonnie Clutter falsely.