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Keyonnie And Serial Killers By Floyd Wells

588 Words3 Pages

The book is about the tragic murder of the Clutter family. The parents Herb and Bonnie and teens Keyon and Nancy who all lived on their farm in Holcomb, Kansas. The narrator describes the Clutters life through the events of their last day alive. Perry Smith and Dick Hickock murder the family late that night. They flee after the murder and make it to Mexico. The manhunt is led by Alvin Dewey and his four special agents to find the unknown murderers. Eventually, they are led to Smith and Hickock by Floyd Wells. Wells was Dick’s cellmate who was serving time for theft. He used to work for Herb Clutter and told Dick all about working for the wealthy farmer. After they carry out their plans, the pair return to Kansas from a short flight to Mexico and other places, to cash some bad checks for travel money. Being the smart criminal he is, Dick used his own name to sign the checks. They are caught and arrested by police in Las Vegas. A confession gives the reader a gory description of the vicious murder of the Clutter family. They were tried and convicted of murder after 40 minutes of jury discussion and were sent to Death Row. The story includes lots of flashbacks from Perry Smith’s sad and depressing childhood including alcoholism, sibling suicide, parental abuse and not being allowed to go to school. …show more content…

Some can have a great childhood while others like Perry can have a miserable and harsh childhood. The author successfully proves this by showing the contrast in the childhood of Perry Smith and Dick Hickock. The author also presents that Perry had a conscience at some points of his life. He said he hated people who can’t control themselves when Dick wanted to rape Nancy. But him being so haunted by his demons caused him to kill not only an unknown person in Las Vegas but kill a family of 4 who just “happened to be there”. The book showed me that anybody can be a killer with the right

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In Kansas State Penitentiary, a man named Floyd Wells is laying on his bed listening to the radio. He hears the story of the Clutter murders, and how the crime was committed. Wells was shocked by this information, as it was identical to a crime Dick Hickock had told him. Floyd was Dick’s first cellmate in prison, and was even a former employee of River Valley Farm. It was Floyd who had informed Dick of the Clutter’s, how to house was laid out, who would be there, but Floyd was unaware of Dick’s intentions.

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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.

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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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#5- Barbara refutes the nurture debate. In the letter to Perry, she explains how their brother, Jimmy, had the right mindset to succeed: “I remember how he worked & went to school when there was no one to tell him & it was his own WILL to make something of himself” (Capote 140). Even in a bad environment, Jimmy, still strived to do the right thing. His mindset was set to succeed, unaffected to a bad environment.

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Hickock’s backstory of denied opportunity and of his seemingly debilitating “car smash-up”, should also evoke compassion, however Capote swiftly extinguishes any compassion that may be extended towards Dick. Following the murders, Hickock takes every opportunity to run down dogs in Mexico, exclaiming “Oh Boy!” each time he hits a dog; Perry recalls Hickock excitedly saying “we sure spluttered him” after they hit the dog. This action cements the the sociopathic, homicidal image that the reader holds of Hickock and deepens it with an element of sadism as Dick takes pleasure in killing the dog. Unlike Perry, Dick appears to take pleasure in killing an which extinguishes any of compassion that may be extended towards him.

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The novel, In Cold Blood, is an anomaly in the literary paradigm. The author, Truman Capote, designed his novel in a way that made it unique when compared to others. His fundamental purpose was to present the problem of American violence and the fragility of the American Dream and how it can be so easily shattered. In order to portray his purpose, he used many rhetorical devices including syntax, diction, tone, ethos, logos and pathos. These devices allowed Capote’s novel to be different from the spectrum of other non-fiction novels and to support his purpose.

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While nurture may be the primary factor in deciding why Perry did what he did, his childhood does not excuse him from being prosecuted the the full extent of the law. The controversial debate of nature versus nurture may never be fully solved, however it is clear in the case of Perry Smith that his surroundings were the primary cause of his motivation to kill the Clutter family. Between his abusive family and the inmates at the Kansas State Penitentiary, the emotions convening inside of Perry fell too much to bear. Perry was a victim of his environment and projected the rejection he felt onto

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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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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).

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In doing so Capote invents a new genre of literature by telling the story through a new perspective. Capote as a writer chooses to put most of the focus of the book on the criminals, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, particularly Smith. He follows Smith’s life story, and explains that Smith was abused as a child, and the reader is to infer that as a result he seeks approval from others. This approval is what leads him to kill, and invent stories about killing, as he wants Dick to think of him as macho. Capote provides a plethora of evidence to support this reasoning, “He was seven years old, a hated, hating half-breed child living in a California orphanage run by nuns- shrouded disciplinarians who whipped him for wetting his bed,” (93).

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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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In the book, “In Cold Blood,” Truman Capote takes us through the lives of the murderers and the murdered in the 1959 Clutter family homicide, which transpires in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas. The first chapter, “The Last to See Them Alive,” vividly illustrates the daily activities of the Clutter family—Herbert, Bonnie, Nancy, and Kenyon—and the scheming plot of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith up to point where the family is found tied up, and brutally murdered. In doing so, he depicts the picture-perfect town of Holcomb with “blue skies and desert clear air”(3) whose safety is threatened when “four shotgun blasts that, all told, ended six human lives”(5). Through the eyes of a picture perfect family and criminals with social aspirations, Capote describes the American Dream and introduces his audience to the idea that this ideal was no more than an illusion. Herbert Clutter: the character Capote describes as the epitome of the American Dream.

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While Dick’s attempt to profit from Perry originates from a lie that Perry creates in order to gain Dick’s respect, the language that Capote uses to illustrate Dick’s exploitation does not leave room for excuses or sympathy. The tone indicates Dick has malicious intention in befriending Perry, which gives the readers a cynical impression of him. Furthermore, Dick is seen to be disregarding of the gravity of his crimes, especially as he replies to Perry’s comment, “I think there must be something wrong with us" (Capote 114) to commit the murder like they did, in which Dick replies, “Deal me out, baby, I'm a normal,” and continues to entertain the thought, “ But Perry—there

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