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Psychological Disorders In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

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Is it a psychological disorder or the sheer human desire to rise above others in the eternal struggle for survival that influences the human consciousness to carry out manslaughter? Truman Capote's In Cold Blood explores the homicides of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas (1959) through the perspectives of the murder victims and the murderers, Richard Eugene Hickock (Dick) and Perry Edward Smith (Perry). One of Capote's purposes for writing the non-fiction novel is to examine how Dick and Perry's mental infirmities influence their decisions. Through the novel, Capote suggests that Dick suffers from sociopathic symptoms which are illustrated through his impatient, manipulative, and promiscuous conduct. For example, while threatening Mr. …show more content…

Perry's anxiety disorder is brought to light through his constant angst when affiliating with the events of his past because, "he hated it, as he hated the Texas plains, the Nevada desert, spaces horizontal and sparsely inhabited has always induced in him a depression accompanied by agoraphobic sensations," (49). His anxiety disorder handicaps his mental capacity from making sound and conscious decisions. For example, Perry is unaware that he is slitting Mr. Clutter's throat with a knife until "...I heard the sound. Like somebody drowning. Screaming under water," (244). Alongside his anxiety disorder, Perry's bipolar disorder is best reflected in his unrealistic ideas. His primary motivation for committing the murders of the Clutter family is so that he and Dick could have the appropriate finances to, "...buy a boat in Mexico. Something cheap, but sturdy. And we could go to Japan. Sail across the Pacific," (49). Perry's secondary motivation was to attain the "...parrot, which had first flown into his dreams when he was seven years old...," (92-93); the parrot is symbolic for the American Dream. These illogical ideas to seek a life of luxury and grandeur stems from manic depression, a branch of bipolar disorders. Capote's

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Paranoia is a major theme seen in Truman Capote’s novel, In Cold Blood. Irony is used to prove this point in multiple instances. For one, Capote makes sure to include the almost laughable fact that Mr. Clutter took out a life insurance policy mere hours before his ultimate demise, which you would expect someone to get, but in the end the only ones it could benefit were dead. The author’s use of details in this scene almost provides a type of resounding evidence for the reader, especially with the choice to include how the policy was worth “forty thousand dollars”, something that both shows how financially well off the Clutters were and how much his family meant to Mr. Clutter (48). For such a large sum of money that he deposited also goes

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In Cold Blood Rhetorical Analysis Typically upon hearing about a murder, especially a brutal and unwarranted one, we find ourselves feeling a great sense of disgust for the murderer or murderers who committed these crimes; however, in Truman Capote’s novel In Cold Blood, the lives and experiences of the murderers, particularly Perry Smith, are displayed in a way the makes you feel pity for him as well as the victims. When comparing Capote’s Novel to a typical news article on a similar topic it is easy to see the that Capote's style varies from typical journalism. An article written by Frances Robles and Nikita Stewart titled “Dylan Roof’s Past Reveals Trouble at Home and School,” discusses the childhood and background of Dylann Roof, a twenty-one

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Author Biography & Ethical Appeal Truman Capote was born on September 30, 1924 and died on August 25, 1984. During his lifetime, he was well known for his non-fiction novels, short stories, acting, and plays. Truman Capote received his education from Greenwich High School. He began working as a copyboy for the New Yorker magazine, which later on led to his success in his short stories such as the “Miriam”.

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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.

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Truman Capote’s novel, In Cold Blood epitomizes the shifting sentiments related to the murder of the Clutter family which range from terror, to sorrow, to pride, and all mixed emotions in between. Yet through Capote’s particular descriptions about each character, the connection between their feelings and their actions become further clarified. In effect, the readers experience feelings of sympathy for the victims, their friends and family, the investigators, and even the brutal murders of the innocent family. In order to craft this association, Capote employs a pathos appeal to amplify the audience’s ability to sympathize with each and every character.

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The book In Cold Blood highlights many societal and personal issues which in all honesty have never crossed my mind. Regardless, not one of these resonated with me more than the death penalty, which in my mind was without a doubt Capote’s intent. In specific the death penalty existing for individuals proven to be mentally insane or deemed mentally unfit, in other words they truly did not know any better. Capote indirectly argues the death penalty throughout the entire novel. An example of this is when Capote talks about the family members of the Clutters not wishing for the death penalty on the duo as even they believed it was too harsh a punishment.

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Everybody has desires that constantly weigh over their heads, pushing them to be diligent in all their endeavors, but what would you do if you knew that one day you would no longer have the opportunity to fulfill these desires? Everybody lives their lives so focused on the end goal that they are oblivious to the world around them, and the sad part is that in some cases the end goal is unattainable or never reached because the person dies. In In Cold Blood, Truman Capote utilizes symbolism and descriptive diction to tell his readers Perry’s wants and wishes. Throughout this subchapter the reader is able to learn more about how Perry feels in the moments after the Clutter family murder. The reader learns that Perry wishes he was loved by others

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Morgan Carr, Sophia Chiarello, Mina Gabehart, Becca Taylor March 30, 2023 The closer a person gets to someone else, the harder it is to let them go. In life, it is easy for someone to learn this lesson because it is a general fact of life: The more a person learns about someone, the closer they get and as a result, it becomes harder to let them leave that person’s life. In the book, In Cold Blood, the author, Truman Capote, utilizes this life lesson as a technique in order to create a special connection between the reader and the members of the Clutter family. Truman Capote’s use of precise details when developing these individuals results in feelings of sympathy and remorse from the reader for these characters, making it harder

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Denise Mann dictated that “Psychopaths have low autonomic arousal. They don’t react and don’t show a lot of affection or emotion” (Mann 7). The narrator showed the many signs of low autonomic arousal such as motive for murder, no emotions, and he was cold and callous. Subject A exclaimed crazily “How then, am I mad? Hearken!

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In this quote, Capote uses imagery and description explain Perry state of mind through the use of scattered thoughts and details of his reoccurring flashbacks of the murders. The effect of this is that Perry can now be seen as traumatized and a victim of his actions, since he is being haunted by them .

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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

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1483 Words | 6 Pages

Growing up a Sociopath; Born a Psychopath In Cold Blood by Truman Capote is a true story of a quadruple homicide in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas that greatly impacted the community in 1959. Capote begins his novel by introducing a prominent, well respected family in the community, the Clutters. The Clutters lived average everyday lives until they were abruptly ended at the mercy of a 12 gauge shotgun. The killers were two men unknown to the Clutters, who had two completely different backgrounds and personalities. By choosing to include details about each of the killers, Capote delineates the differences between psychopaths and sociopaths and suggests that the combination of the two personality disorders creates the environment for horrific

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How crazy would it be to interview criminals who murdered 4 people in cold blood? Well that’s exactly what Truman Capote did in this chilling book. In the novel In Cold Blood, Truman Capote used different rhetorical strategies to create sympathy and influence the idea that there are always two sides to every story. Some of the mainly used rhetorical strategies throughout the novel were imagery, diction, tone, and pathos. Furthermore, Capote also illustrated sympathetical emotion towards both types of characters, the protagonists and antagonists.

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1177 Words | 5 Pages

Facts and Fiction: A Manipulation of Language in Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood English is a fascinating and riveting language. Subtle nuances and adjustments can easily change the understanding of a literary work—a technique many authors employ in order to evoke a desired response from their readers. This method is used especially in In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, a literary work which details a true event about the murders of four members of the Clutter family in the small community of Holcomb, Kansas, in 1959. Although Capote’s 1966 book was a bestseller nonfiction and had successfully garnered acclaim for its author, there is still a great deal of confusion about the distinction between the factual and fictional aspects in the book.

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The non-fiction novel ‘In Cold Blood’ interestingly begins as a fiction novel would-with the author setting up the scene of the gruesome quadruple murder about to take place, unbeknownst to the victims. Capote describes the isolated flatlands of rural Kansas, and introduces the victims and their killers as if they were the main characters of a fictional murder mystery. What immediately struck me is how Capote uses literary techniques like the simultaneous narration of the lives of the killers and victims, and the fragmented retelling of the story not specifically in the order of events, which makes the story read more like a work of fiction than of pure journalism. As one gets engrossed in the book, it gets easier to forget that the story is based on truth and is not just a fictional story born in Capote’s head. Capote also demonstrates his mastery over the ‘thriller and suspense’ genre, detailing the Clutter family’s everyday lives, emotions and experiences but with progressively higher levels of anticipation as the pages go by, employing versions of the omnipresent phrase, ‘and that was their last’ for dramatic effect.

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