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Insanity In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

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The aspects that create a personality are built up upon two main guidances: family influence at a young age and inner conflicts. Balancing on a thin thread of neuro-normality and insanity, a personality is subjected to treatment that affects the individual’s view of life and the people around them. In the case of In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, there were two main characters that displayed these aspects with much adversity: Perry Smith and Dick Hickock. Both beginning from contrasting backgrounds and family homes, they miraculously ended up in equal situations: being caught committing a heinous murder that has been declared as one of the worst serial killings in Kansas history during the early 1960s. Therefore, Perry and Dick’s similar situations must be due to their innate psychological …show more content…

For the case of Perry, that would have been the motorcycle incident and for Dick, the automobile accident. Rather than having been deferred by family or their own impulses, a physical scan of their cranial functions could serve as a reasoning behind their similar situations. Another unlikely yet probable theory is that with both their characteristics aiding to each other’s inner Id, they created their similar situation. With Dick’s planning and ability to talk and Perry’s ruthlessness, their forces allowed them to carry out the murder cleanly. It is also possible that their similar situations were very possible, Perry could have met Willie Jay instead and not work with Dick, one of them could have shot the other throughout their trip, or they could have never went back to Kansas and provoked the police to heighten their case. 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

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Throughout the book "In Cold Blood," the characters of Dick and Perry undergo significant changes. At the beginning of the book, they are portrayed as cold-blooded killers who show little remorse for their actions. However, as the story progresses, we see a more complex side to their personalities. One of the most significant changes in the characters of Dick and Perry is their relationship with each other.

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Perry Smith and Dick Hickock are wanted for murder, robbery, and fraud. These two murdered the Clutter family in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas at the families providence. They had thought it would be a adequate family to steal money from. When they were unable to find the money they were looking for the decided to kill them in anger and left most of the family dead. They were motivated to do so because they wanted revenge on everybody who had treated them poorly in their young and adult lives.

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In Cold Blood, the leader seemed to be Dick, while in the Hollandsburg Massacre it was Roger Drollinger. They seemed to provoke, lead, and do what they “thought” was best. In the end, it did not matter, because both parties of criminals got in put. The Hollansburg killers got put in sooner than the duo of Dick and Perry, but in the end both parties ended up

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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.

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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’”.

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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

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Both seemed to be in control of their plans for the crimes they committed. These two degrading men exuded confidence and cruelty. Eric and Dick were both manipulative; they brainwashed Perry and Dylan into agreeing to commit to the massacres. Perry

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Myles Hypse February 3rd, 2017 English 1B 3:30-4:40pm Two Psychopaths Both of these stories give the reader a good look into the eyes of two psychopaths, who both refuse to take no for an answer. One of them, Arnold Friend although at first appearing friendly, is nothing more than a malicious predator, similar in kind to The Misfit, who greets his victims in a much more sinister way. The two characters, when stood side by side, almost seemed as they become one, yet are polar opposites. When one compares the character Arnold Friend to that of The Misfit, more similarities come forward than differences.

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Dick led in the killings. Perry would ask what to do and how to do it. He felt no remorse about what he had done. When they were interrogated he laughed and thought it was funny. He was a smart elec about it.

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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”.

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In Capote’s In Cold Blood the readers see Perry fall to Dick’s murder tendencies even though he knows it's wrong. Perry follows the order of Dick to kill Mr. Clutter even though Perry didn't want to kill anyone. “I didn’t want to harm the man. I thought he was a very nice gentleman.

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Truman Capote, the author of In Cold Blood, creates sympathy for almost every character the reader comes across. Through the use of manipulating the reader's emotions and connecting them to each character, Capote successfully pulls it off. There are four main groups that Capote chooses to create sympathy for the murder victims, the murderers, the law officials involved, and the ordinary citizens of Holcomb, Kansas. Truman Capote created the most sympathy for two characters, Perry Smith and Detective Dewey. From the beginning of the novel, Capote showcases Perry Smith a likable character.

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It’s hard to understand how someone could take someone else life. Yet, if you were in a psychopaths shoes you’d probably get a kick out of it, which sickens me. Dick and Eric , two psychopaths , two normal people , with an evil

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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.

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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).

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