Perry Smith and Dick Hickock have both committed some horrible crimes. With very little commitment or love in Perry's childhood, this could make a child grow up cold, brittle, and rough. It could make a man tough as steel, yet as malleable as putty. With Dick it is a little different, He had loving parents and was a great student, yet as he grew so did his problems with money, alcohol, and women. Back in the city of Holcomb, Kansas before the murders made nationwide news, no one really heard of the town. This was till 1959 when the story spread faster than a wildfire. Dick and Perry should get an insanity plea in their trial. If Dick and Perry get some proactive mental health help, they can and will be able to live happy, nonviolent lives. …show more content…
“The justice system offers punishment instead of healing for the survivors of violent crimes” (Tanya Coke, JD) So, just because Dick and Perry have done some bad things doesn't mean they're bad people (with the exception of Dick Hickcock he's Cray Cray and needs to serve life in prison, yet still doesn't deserve to die for the crimes of his past.) I believe Dick needs serious mental help because without it, he's still the same scared, abused, and neglected child he once was when he was in his father's house without any school education. He's still the same scared child that was 'wetting' the bed every night in that orphanage. I wish I had a reason as to why Dick Hickock has no emotional attachment to anything. I also wish Truman Capote had found a friendship with Dick the same way he did with Perry Smith. I also wish I had conclusive facts as to why we shouldn't be able to sentence these fine gentlemen to death. But there are only opinions. But there are statistical facts that even though we may have capital punishment in several states, this doesn't lower the crime or murder rates in any way, shape or form. For Perry Smith and Dick Hickock's future, I see that if they could have gotten help before they committed these crimes, they definitely would've been fine young men and non-violent hombres. Still, thinking that these two would've been an 'average Joe' is saddening because one way or another, these two will serve time. They will get their punishment before help, and I think this is where the government needs help. Now that you know you shouldn't take someone's life due to the neglect of others, what do you think about my two neglected amigos? Do you feel sorry for them? Because I do, and knowing that as soon as the poorly guided jury obtains a verdict, I will have to pray for the mercy of God. Now please help my prayers come true and give mercy to my friends, my buddies.. my
Although he is branded as the murder, Truman Capote sympathetically describes Perry throughout the novel as a pitiable character. Firstly, Capote begins by referring to Perry’s atrocious childhood as a way to emphasize on the trauma he suffered as a young boy. We learn that Smith’s parents were divorced and thus had to live with his mother, whom was a heavy alcoholic. He was ultimately sent to a Catholic orphanage where we learn Perry suffered due to the beatings he would get from the nuns: “always at him. Hitting him” (page one hundred and thirty two).
On November 15, 1959, Perry Smith and Richard Hickcock both, broke into the Clutter’s home hoping to find a safe. Unfortunately, there was no safe and Richard who was the mastermind behind this massacre felt best to murder the witnesses so they wouldn’t go to the police the next day. Richard Hickcock and his companion
Because Dick believes the wealth of the family stems from luck, he develops an aura of jealousy towards the innocent family. Although the Clutters never did any wrong towards Dick, his jealousy fuels anger and hatred. As anger and hatred imbue Dick, he shows his criminality by taking part in the murders of the innocent family. Though Perry participates in the murders, he has a better sense of right from wrong than Dick. Perry states, “I had to get down on my knees.
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).
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’”.
Truman Capote’s nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood, effectively explores the effects of the Clutter family’s unexpected murder on the small community of Holcomb, Kansas. This unexpected murder had lasting and detrimental effects on the people of the town. Having been in Kansas during the time the trials and court cases had been executed, Capote observed that the murder had destroyed the community’s sense of trust, shattered their image of the American Dream, and prompted them to reevaluate their stance on the death penalty. The sudden murder of the Clutter family played a huge role in shaking the foundation of trust that had been built up throughout the years in the small town of Holcomb.
Truman Capote, the author of In Cold Blood, creates sympathy for almost every character the reader comes across. Through the use of manipulating the reader's emotions and connecting them to each character, Capote successfully pulls it off. There are four main groups that Capote chooses to create sympathy for the murder victims, the murderers, the law officials involved, and the ordinary citizens of Holcomb, Kansas. Truman Capote created the most sympathy for two characters, Perry Smith and Detective Dewey. From the beginning of the novel, Capote showcases Perry Smith a likable character.
While nurture may be the primary factor in deciding why Perry did what he did, his childhood does not excuse him from being prosecuted the the full extent of the law. The controversial debate of nature versus nurture may never be fully solved, however it is clear in the case of Perry Smith that his surroundings were the primary cause of his motivation to kill the Clutter family. Between his abusive family and the inmates at the Kansas State Penitentiary, the emotions convening inside of Perry fell too much to bear. Perry was a victim of his environment and projected the rejection he felt onto
Although Dick and Perry were equally involved in the murders, Capote portrays opposing tones to provide different perspectives of the criminals; therefore, one’s opinion can become easily impressionable. At first, Dick sees Perry to be innocent and “little,” but this quickly changes as Dick gets to know him better. Dick explains his relationship with Perry to be that, “He had liked him but not considered him especially worth until, one day, Perry described a murder…” then, a few sentences later Perry described that, “he had killed a colored man in Las Vegas - beaten him to death with a bicycle chain”
A case can be changed due to the call of the insanity plea. Nevertheless, This may cause a possible difference to the charge of the defence. In a court case dealing with murder such as the issue with the Clutter family, the Insanity plea was brought into thought to test if Perry and Dick were mentally stable during that time. By definition, the insanity plea is an argument stating the defense was not responsible for their actions due to a psychiatric disease at the time of the act, consequently, making him/her unaware of the occurring actions moreover the later consequences. In the book, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, the main characters Perry and Dick killed the Clutter family committing the crime of the century.
In doing so Capote invents a new genre of literature by telling the story through a new perspective. Capote as a writer chooses to put most of the focus of the book on the criminals, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, particularly Smith. He follows Smith’s life story, and explains that Smith was abused as a child, and the reader is to infer that as a result he seeks approval from others. This approval is what leads him to kill, and invent stories about killing, as he wants Dick to think of him as macho. Capote provides a plethora of evidence to support this reasoning, “He was seven years old, a hated, hating half-breed child living in a California orphanage run by nuns- shrouded disciplinarians who whipped him for wetting his bed,” (93).
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. Dick, a violent, cold-hearted, manipulator, has molded Perry into the person he is today. As Perry is a follower, Dick has taken advantage of that by turning Perry into the cold-blooded killer he is today. Capote displays Dick’s manipulation of Perry through symbolism to make evident that while Perry did pull the trigger on four innocent people, although the fault does not entirely lay on him, as he was taken advantage of by Dick.
While Dick’s attempt to profit from Perry originates from a lie that Perry creates in order to gain Dick’s respect, the language that Capote uses to illustrate Dick’s exploitation does not leave room for excuses or sympathy. The tone indicates Dick has malicious intention in befriending Perry, which gives the readers a cynical impression of him. Furthermore, Dick is seen to be disregarding of the gravity of his crimes, especially as he replies to Perry’s comment, “I think there must be something wrong with us" (Capote 114) to commit the murder like they did, in which Dick replies, “Deal me out, baby, I'm a normal,” and continues to entertain the thought, “ But Perry—there
Dick from In Cold Blood maintained that he was less guilty and did not deserve the death penalty. In stating this, Dick was not correct that he was less guilty. There are justifiable proofs that diminish his chances of being less guilty. These proofs are found within the book and can be represented through his demeanors and actions prior to and after the night. Richard Eugene Hickock (Dick) in In Cold Blood is just as guilty as Perry in that he had clearly displayed his intent for killing the Clutter family.