In Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood," the author uses various rhetorical devices including pathos, imagery, and ethos to elicit sympathy for the character of Perry Smith. All of these strategies create a sense of empathy for Perry, even though he is a murderer. Capte’s devices manipulate the reader's mind in having sympathetic feelings for this character.
The first strategy Capote uses to create a sense of sympathy for Perry is pathos. Pathos is a technique that appeals to the reader's emotions and evokes feelings such as empathy, sorrow, and pity. The reader first notices this when the author acknowledges his broken home and child-like tendencies. Growing up, Perry's parents abused, neglected and abandoned him. Capote states, “Perry’s childhood experiences left him with deep emotional scars, he felt abandoned, rejected and worthless” (capote ). This evokes the reader's empathy for Smith's difficult upbringing, which may have contributed to his later actions.
…show more content…
Capote paints a vivid picture of Smith's life and emotions, making the reader more invested in his story and more likely to sympathize with him. One of the most prominent examples of imagery used to evoke empathy for Smith is the use of the "death house." The "death house" is a symbol of the grim reality of the death penalty and the dehumanizing nature of the criminal justice system. The imagery of the cold, sterile, and oppressive environment creates a powerful emotional impact on the reader, increasing their proclivity to sympathize with Smith as a victim of circumstance. Another example of imagery used to evoke empathy for Smith is the use of the "cold blood" of the title. The "cold blood" symbolizes the inhumanity of the crime, and the imagery of the phrase creates a sense of detachment, making the reader more likely to see Smith as a victim rather than a