ipl-logo

Dick Hickock And Perry Smith

1037 Words5 Pages

Dick Hickock and Perry Smith have several psychological motivations behind murdering the Clutter family. Their psychological behaviors came from many different things, for example, childhood experiences, societal influences, and personal choices. These events would cause Dick to be a sociopath and Perry to suffer from schizophrenia and PTSD as well as many other mental health issues. These diagnoses would have a big part in murdering the clutter. Dick Hickock was born June 6, 1931, in Kansas City. He was a popular athlete student at Olathe High School until he was involved in a tragic automobile accident that left part of his face disfigured. Dick wanted to attend college to be an engineer, but his parents couldn’t afford it, so he went to mechanic school. A few years later, he …show more content…

Perry and his dad also traveled and moved a lot so he did not get a great education. He would also later on join the United States Army and fight in the Korean War. He received an honorable discharge and became a truck painter for the Army and stayed with close friends. After the army, he took the money he got from working for the army and went on to buy a motorcycle that he would get in an accident that would nearly kill him and cause him to shatter his legs and become addicted to aspirin. A lot of these traumas will cause Perry to suffer from schizophrenia and show signs of PTSD. Signs of schizophrenia, according to WebMD, are false beliefs that cannot be changed, delusions, hallucinations, and the belief that others are reading or controlling their minds. Signs of PTSD include being easily startled, feeling tense or on edge, difficulty concentrating, difficulty falling asleep, anger issues, and reckless behavior. According to the book In Cold Blood, Dr. Jones says “Perry Smith shows definite signs of severe mental

Show More
Related

Deadly Dick Hickock In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

910 Words | 4 Pages

He manipulated him in many ways, mainly during the execution of the crime, where he forced Perry to slaughter all four of the Clutters. Truman Capote makes it apparent that "It was Hickock who had forced Smith to take part in the murders, who had led him astray, who had destroyed him" (Capote 246). Perry was a victim of his influence, and was led down a destructive path that eventually led to both of their deaths. Moreover, Truman Capote contrasts their personalities; "Hickock, the mastermind of the crime, was the more vicious of the two...Smith, on the other hand, was a mixed-up kid who had been led down the wrong path by his older, more experienced partner" (Capote 93). Perry was very vulnerable and impressionable, so Dick took advantage of it.

Read More

John Smith And Olaudah Equiano

372 Words | 2 Pages

Collin Thornton 11/17/16 Pg. 113 Final Draft Two Personal Accounts of Exploration and Settlements The two selections that give the most complete picture of this historical period are The General History of Virginia and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. In the early 1600s, Captain John Smith found himself in a precarious situation, the failing Virginia colony. Likewise, Olaudah Equiano was put in a difficult situation as he faced many atrocities on the slave ship at the hands of the slave traders and owners.

Read More

Summary Of Herbert Clutter's In Cold Blood

1823 Words | 8 Pages

The murder of Herbert, Bonnie, Nancy, and Kenyon by two men, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, came as a shock to everyone and rocked the small town to its core. One of the special agents assigned to the Clutter case even said “Of all the people in the

Read More

Guilty In Richard Eugene Hickock's In Cold Blood

971 Words | 4 Pages

Perry wasn’t just included in the plan, he was hand-picked by Dick. Dick believed that Perry had the killer mentality that was necessary to kill the Clutters’. Dick was very opportunistic towards Perry and wanted to use him. By using Perry, Dick proves that he is a manipulator who is also the mastermind behind the plan. The situation of Dick and Perry is comparable to the situation that had occurred twenty years prior to the Clutter family murder.

Read More

Truman Capote's Manipulation Of Perry In Cold Blood

590 Words | 3 Pages

Willie Jay is the antithesis of Dick: Willie Jay encouraged Perry to strive to his fullest potential (although Willie Jay did not think that was much, based on his condescending attitude towards his lack of education). Dick attempted this, he “ had always encouraged him, listened attentively to his talk of maps, tales of treasure, but now-- and it had not occurred to him before-- he wondered if all along Dick had only been pretending” (Capote 100). Perry noticed that Dick did not actually respect him.

Read More

PTSD In Fallen Angels By Walter Dean Myers

495 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout the novel, it’s visible to see the post symptoms of the psychological disorder affecting Perry and the army. In the book, Perry describes one of his encounters with PTSD by saying, "The noise was terrible. Every time a mortar went off, I jumped. I couldn’t help myself.

Read More

Manipulation Of Language In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

1177 Words | 5 Pages

He is portrayed as a mastermind in the cold-blooded killing of the Clutters family, a man with little respect for the lives of others, which can be seen through Dick’s expression before the murder of the Clutters when he converses Perry, “We’re gonna go in there and splatter those walls with hair” (Capote 234). This sudden tone shift enables Capote to depict Dick as a cruel and immoral character. Dick’s lack of empathy and concern for other people beside himself allow him to commit crimes without remorse, which is in contrast to Perry’s moral contemplation after each bad actions they committed. Moreover, Dick is represented as the true criminal with evident motives in murdering the Clutters, while Perry is seen as a vulnerable victim who depends on Dick for validation and acceptance, something in which Dick happily provides in order to manipulate Perry, as Capote writes, “Dick became convinced that Perry was that rarity, ‘a natural born killer,’—absolutely sane but conscienceless, and capable of dealing with or without motive, the coldest-blooded deathblows. It was Dick's theory that such a gift could, under his supervision, be profitably exploited” (Capote 205).

Read More

In Cold Blood Normality Analysis

1021 Words | 5 Pages

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”.

Read More

Sympathy For In Cold Blood

515 Words | 3 Pages

In addition, he had a sister and two other brothers who committed suicide as he grew up. As we look back at his childhood, we can see that Perry represents everything it means to come from a broken family and that his bad childhood deprived from relating to people in a positive way. Maybe Perry was the murder of this malicious act, but as a reader, it was troublesome to not feel sympathy for a person who was deprived of living a happy

Read More

In Cold Blood Setting Analysis

1037 Words | 5 Pages

Dick believed it was for his “scams” he was doing on people in Nevada. Once they are in custody the officers start to question them about the night of the murder and the two “friends” turn on each other. Dick and Perry were both executed in 1965. “At the time not a soul was sleeping Holcomb heard them- four shotgun blasts that, all told, ended six human lives” (Capote 5). I now know that the other two lives that ended the night of the Clutter murder was Dick and

Read More

Death Penalty In Hitchcock's In Cold Blood

544 Words | 3 Pages

Dick and Perry had different but similar

Read More

The Theme Of Death In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

1445 Words | 6 Pages

Throughout the book, Perry is genuinely the cold-blooded killer, and the reader 's view him that way. While in interrogation, Dick confessed that “ Perry Smith killed the Clutters... It was Perry” (Capote 230). At this point, the audience doesn’t know if they believe that Perry killed all four or if Perry killed two and Dick killed two. While talking in the interrogation room, Dewey mentioned to Perry that “Hickock [thought of Perry as] a natural born killer.

Read More

Illnesses During The 1900s

1028 Words | 5 Pages

Symptoms of PTSD include: avoiding situations that remind the individual of the event, changes in their beliefs and feelings, and a feeling of being on edge (Is it PTSD?). Another mental illness, Schizophrenia, is a disorder where the victim experiences severe distortion in the way the victim thinks, acts, expresses emotions, and perception of reality (Schizophrenia: An Overview). Schizophrenia is a life-long disease that has no cure and could cause problems for the victim and others involved with them. Common symptoms of Schizophrenia include: hallucinations, delusions, confused thoughts and speech, withdrawing from others, and struggles with everyday life (What are the Symptoms of Schizophrenia?).

Read More

American Sniper Doris Kyle Character Analysis

183 Words | 1 Pages

Based on the specific abnormal behaviors provided in the sections the character has Post traumatic stress disorder. The symptoms of this diagnosis are excessive fear and anxiety, flashbacks and nightmares. The character meets the criteria for excessive fear and anxiety and flashbacks. A symptom that he does not display in the movie is nightmares. Once he realizes that he has this diagnosis he seeks to help so that he can be a part of his family and a part of society.

Read More

John Rambo's Depiction Of PTSD In First Blood

760 Words | 4 Pages

I believe that the movie implies that he has PTSD shortly after he is arrested. They tie his hands to the ceiling and bring out a straight razor to give him a shave. He begins seeing disturbing images of being tortured at the hands of the Viet Cong, who had him tied in the same way and repeatedly slashed him with a sword, and starts to panic. He has flashbacks of what they

Read More

More about Dick Hickock And Perry Smith

Open Document