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.
If the Durham rule had been used, Dr. Jones would have been able to explain this, and that would have almost certainly influenced the opinion of enough on the jury to avoid the death penalty. While Dick was most likely headed for Death Row regardless, had Dr. Jones been allowed to testify as to Perry’s mental abnormality, he might have
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.
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’”.
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
Though Perry mainly was concerned about the murder, he was also disgusted by and tried to stop Dick from molesting young girls. “Seducing pubescent girls, as he had done ‘eight or nine’ times in the last several years…” (Capote 201). Dick’s obsession with girls had nothing to do with how he was raised, he himself had never been sexually abused, and is something he continually did. It was in his nature to sexually harass children, just like it was in his nature to be compelled to murder.
It’s Sunday and it’s the Clutter’s funeral. School is cancelled so all of the kids may go to the funeral. Over a thousand people attend the Clutter funeral. As Susan Kidwell stood there and stared at her best friend, Nancy Clutter, she couldn’t help herself from crying.
Dick uses this fake alibi , while Perry couldn’t handle the stress of lying and told the truth about the murders. After this, both Alvin and Floyd went back to interrogating Dick to try and break his lying similar to Perry. After confessing, Dick switches the story up at the last minute saying that Perry was the one that killed the Clutters and he was only there to try and stop Perry. This lead to the official arresting of both Perry and Dick, but something about Perry gave Alvin sympathy for him, the more he looks into Perry’s life, the more he realizes none of this was his fault, but his bad family history setting him up for failure, but nonetheless, he will still have to be punished for murder. The news of the arrests are spread throughout Holcomb and to the town’s surprise, the murderers were not fellow citizens as they previously
Days before they committed the murder, Dick and Perry met up and Dick made the choice of going into the Clutters’ household, invading their safe to get money and killing the Clutters. Many months later, the two men are caught in Las Vegas, put in jail for interrogation, brought back to Kansas for their verdict and then to finally be executed. While being brought back to Kansas, Perry shared with officer Duntz and Dewey what happened on the night of November 15, saying that “ He [Dick] was holding...knife to Dick” (Capote 244). This quote goes in depth of who and how the killing of the Clutter family really happened. In other words, Perry did the killing while Dick’s main goal was to question the Clutters about where the safe was, get the money and watch Perry kill the Clutters.
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).
Yet regardless of how it could have been avoided and the physical damage caused, Perry and Dick overall committed the crime based upon the personality that they acquired through their
The first extended treatment of the metaphor was pitched by Aristotle, delineating that a metaphor was the "transference of a name from an object to which it has natural application". Perry 's chapter entitled "Metaphoric criticism" presents this concept, and cumulatively represents the idea that the interpretation of the metaphor is more than just an ornament or decoration, as it alters reality. The rhetorical and epistemological functions of the metaphor are denoted within the work via an appeal to Hitler 's rhetoric, which illustrates Hitler 's metaphorical characterizations of Jews as parasitic and infectious organisms. Generally speaking, the idea that the reality in which a metaphor exists in is altered by the way in which a metaphor
Kyle, I watched this video as well, although I did not use it in my forum. I ended up watching several videos; I found him really interesting character. Capote indeed did have a swagger about him. I think his unusual voice and his unique characteristics were part of a persona he development. I think he knew he was different from others and wanted everyone to know that.
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.
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).
