ipl-logo

Mr Clutter In Cold Blood Analysis

601 Words3 Pages

“I thought Mr.Clutter was a very nice gentleman. I thought so right up to the moment I cut his throat," these are the exact words quotes by Perry Smith when confiding in his friend Truman Capote. These are not the words of a remorseful man. Perry Smith and Dick Hickock invaded the Clutter family home looking for fortune they heard the family had. Only finding way less than half of the amount they thought, this enraged Perry. So he went into every single family members room and shot them with his shotgun. I believe that Perry and Dick premeditated a plan to invade the Clutter home to steal what rightfully belonged to the Clutters and when they did not find the fortune they were hoping to gain; Perry, instead of leaving, took their lives one …show more content…

These two men, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, showed this family no remorse whatsoever that resulted in killings of Herbert, Bonnie, Nancy, and Kenyon Clutter. They had it all planned out I'm sure... go in, tie them up, find the money, and then take off. Flee the city or hell even the state. The killers were under the impression that there was a safe in the house and when they realized that it was not, they could have left. Nobody had to die that day, especially in a brutal way like …show more content…

Dick was the mastermind and instigator of the entire plan. Having already heard about the money from former cellmate Floyd Wells while in prison, Dick was not just interested in the money, but also about the teenage girl in the house whom he intends to rape. Dick used Perry as his personal servant using his mental illness as an advantage. Making him do his dirty work so just in case they got caught he could say he did not have anything to do with it. After the murder happened, Mr. Hickock showed no interest or even felt like discussing the murders. He was interested in finding money and women. The typical guy right? Dick thought he had it all planned it out, but little did he know things were about to take an unexpected

Show More
Related
857 Words | 4 Pages

The author characterizes the two characters by using flashbacks although he sympathize Perry more than Dick, which can be seen through the long descriptions of Perry’s past compared to the few sentences given to Dick’s. There are several areas in the

Read More
971 Words | 4 Pages

Dick did not have any second thoughts about the murder. He had firmly wanted to walk-in and kill the Clutter family despite their innocence. Dick viewed the Clutters’ as an opportunity that was going to make him rich. There was not any

Read More
178 Words | 1 Pages

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’”.

Read More
451 Words | 2 Pages

(Capote 585). This quote shows the true backstory of Dick which plays into a part of why he is who he is. He was never like this before, as the story claims on the online page 582, “He just didn’t act like the same boy.” (Capote 582). The change in Hickock’s life was sparked by the car accident in 1950 and changed him as a person altogether.

Read More
758 Words | 4 Pages

Nature versus nurture is one of the most controversial debates in contemporary psychology. The debate concerning whether or not humans are born with the preset characteristics that will shape lives for years to come or whether actions are a result of the events and the environment that pave the way for our behavioral characteristics. Capote’s “In Cold Blood” gives the audience a detailed look into the upbringing of the character Perry Smith, creating a sympathetic outlook towards his past and attempting to bring a sense of understanding as to how a seemingly harmless young man could brutally murder four innocent people. In the case of Perry Smith, nurture was the cause of his actions in regards to the Clutter family murders.

Read More
235 Words | 1 Pages

Eric and Dick both had plans to kill. Eric never had much motive expect that he just hated the world. Dick had plan to kill the Clutters for the money he thought they had been hiding. Eric an Dick had both been found to have suffered from depression. An autopsy showed that Eric was taking Luvox which is a form of an anti-depressant.

Read More
679 Words | 3 Pages

Investigators tried their best to figure out why the family was

Read More
1021 Words | 5 Pages

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”.

Read More
925 Words | 4 Pages

Together, they killed a small town family for forty dollars in cash. Capote tells of their lives before the killing, on the run, and when they were on death row. It is clear to the reader that Perry was not born a criminal, but his horrible childhood coupled with mental illness allowed him to not feel the wrong he was doing. Dick, on the other hand, was born a criminal, and this is shown through his pedophiliac episodes and the fact he was able to be ashamed of what he was. Nurture is more important than nature because with good nurturing what nature has given somebody can be erased or made better.

Read More
515 Words | 3 Pages

In addition, he had a sister and two other brothers who committed suicide as he grew up. As we look back at his childhood, we can see that Perry represents everything it means to come from a broken family and that his bad childhood deprived from relating to people in a positive way. Maybe Perry was the murder of this malicious act, but as a reader, it was troublesome to not feel sympathy for a person who was deprived of living a happy

Read More
961 Words | 4 Pages

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).

Read More
1445 Words | 6 Pages

Throughout the book, Perry is genuinely the cold-blooded killer, and the reader 's view him that way. While in interrogation, Dick confessed that “ Perry Smith killed the Clutters... It was Perry” (Capote 230). At this point, the audience doesn’t know if they believe that Perry killed all four or if Perry killed two and Dick killed two. While talking in the interrogation room, Dewey mentioned to Perry that “Hickock [thought of Perry as] a natural born killer.

Read More
573 Words | 3 Pages

Although he ended up being one of the murderers of the Clutter family, the readers often felt sorry for him. In the beginning of the novel the reader finds out that Perry was actually very nervous about committing the crime, he and Dick were on the road to do. Capote made it seem like Perry

Read More
590 Words | 3 Pages

However, Perry honestly admired Willie Jay- he was the antithesis of Dick. Perry takes the both paths on the road of manipulation, but they do not meet at the end. Perry would have turned out much differently if he would not have begun following Dick because his actions heavily rely on who he is

Read More
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).

Read More

More about Mr Clutter In Cold Blood Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document