In Cold Blood Perry Bedwetting

“‘I think there must be something wrong with us. To do what we did’” (Capote 108). This quote from Perry Smith (one of the infamous Clutter family murderers) was more accurate than one would think. In the novel In Cold Blood, Perry and his partner, Dick Hickock, murdered the family of Herbert William Clutter when they raided his house in search of a money safe in which Mr. Clutter did not own. Arguably, Perry was the most interesting and in-depth character in the novel. He had a very rough backstory that included an alcoholic mother, an absent father, two suicidal siblings, another sibling who hated and feared him, abusive nuns, no real home, and even jail time. Many believe that it Perry’s past was to blame for how he turned out in the end.

His excuse to why this happened were the copious amounts of condensed milk that he always consumed as a child. However, there may be more to this problem than Perry is letting on. Stated in the article Causes of Bedwetting in Adults:
“Certain psychological conditions such as stress, fear, or anxiety can also cause this problem. It has been observed that a person, who has not experienced bedwetting for several years may suddenly start experiencing it, soon after a major traumatic situation in his life. Emotional imbalance is a cause of childhood incontinence” (Causes of Bedwetting in Adults). Although it is possible that the condensed milk could have been the cause, the possibility that it could be a psychological issue is more likely, considering his past. In the novel, it was stated that Perry had serious mental issues. It is probable that his bedwetting was a side effect of one of these problems. Perry’s childhood was filled with many tragic events that could have possibly triggered the bedwetting. This included: his drunkard mother, his absent father, and the death of two siblings. The most traumatic could possibly be the suicides of his brother Jimmy or his sister Fern. In the novel he went on to say how surprising Fern’s death was to him. He often told himself that Fern ‘fell’ from the window rather than jumped. According to an article written by Ryan