Diction And Imagery In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

The opening of In Cold Blood written by Truman Capote, describes a small, quaint town called Holcomb, Kansas that appears forgotten. Capote states that there is “not much to see” in Holcomb, and that it very dull and boring. He believes that Holcomb is dull and bland; nothing that makes it out of the ordinary. Throughout the opening, Capote utilizes many different stylistic elements to describe Holcomb, some of which are diction and imagery. These elements are key to the opening; they provoke the reader to read more and make the novel more interesting. Capote utilizes diction throughout the opening to take you back in time to the year 1959. For example, in the first paragraph, the sentence “The village of Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas, a lonesome area that other Kansans call ‘out there’”. The words ‘out there’ aren’t readily used today, and allude you to an earlier time period. The diction was intended to not only to present what time period we are in, but it also presents how “lonesome” and “melancholy” Holcomb actually is. In the second paragraph, this partial sentence “simply an aimless congregation of buildings…” demonstrates the idea that Holcomb looks out of place, the words are alluding you to think that Holcomb should not be there at all. Another example, would be also in the second

Diction and imagery play a key role, without the two the reader would not have a clear idea of Holcomb or the time period that the novel takes place in. These elements also make the opening more interesting and provoke the reader to continue reading. As well as making the novel more interesting, they also state how Capote views Holcomb. Without these elements, the opening would be dull, uninteresting, and possibly make the reader set the book down and never have the chance to imagine the small, quaint town of Holcomb,