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The Dark Side Within In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

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The Dark Side Within Should a person be inherently trustful or distrustful? Can someone be truly characterized as good or bad? These critical thinking questions arise when reading through the novel. After hearing about the prosperous and respected Clutters being murdered, people began losing faith within the community by abruptly locking doors, moving away, and accusing neighbors. Nobody knows anymore if they are safe and secure within their own homes, causing trust and security to become a big issue in the western Kansas town of Holcomb. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote documents this murder case and focuses more on the killer´s perspective and how they are caught instead of the murder itself. Capote demonstrates through his documentation that anyone is capable of great evil regardless of their background, shown by Dick’s life decisions, Perry’s outbursts of rage, and Lowell Lee Andrews conviction. One of the assailants that was involved in the murder was Richard Hickock. …show more content…

As presented by Capote in In Cold Blood, anyone is capable of great evil regardless of their background, exhibited by Dick’s life decisions, Perry’s outbursts of rage, and Lowell Lee Andrews conviction. Dick showed that with a background of having advantages in life and a decent childhood, he was still capable of great evil by being involved in the murdering of the Clutter family. With his reputation of being an average likable guy, Perry revealed that he was still capable of great evil demonstrated by his actions of slaughtering the Clutters. Lowell Lee Andrews displayed with his background of being trusted, he was still capable of great evil by slaying his family for greed. All these characters in the novel demonstrated ideas of deception, trust, and security through their actions. Overall, not anyone or anything is what it

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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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In Cold Blood, written by Truman Capote in 1966 tells the story of the murder of a prominent family in 60’s Kansas. Capote traveled to the small town of Holcomb, and befriended many of the townsfolk and the detectives involved in the trial to tell the story of a violent event that shaped this community for the decade until the eventual conviction and execution of the killers. Because of information being told, Capote makes the choice of writing his novel as if it were a news report. This journalistic structure and word choice helps to establish the serious and dark tone of the novel.

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Truman Capote is the author of the novel. It is portrayed that Perry and Dick are evil because of there actions. This is because they are both seen as someone who is not concerned with the principles of right and wrong and lack any type of empathy. However, Perry is not evil because of the way Capote conveys him with empathy and innocence throughout the novel.

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He is portrayed somewhat as a child with an inherent goodness to others. Perry’s dreams of going to Acapulo, and flying through the sky on a bird can be seen as proof of his underlying humanity and longing for another chance, suggesting that he isn't evil, but rather driven to escape his rough past. Perry’s complicated relationship with Dick can be seen as a flashback to Perry’s past: “He could not help but notice that Dick, busy gouging under his fingernails with a fork prong, was uninterested in his dream” (Capote

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No matter how we try to change our situation or better ourselves in society, variables will obstruct the path we choose. One cannot take control of everything that surrounds us as fate decides what happens to us. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote explains the murder of the Clutter family in the quiet town of Holcomb, Kansas. The murderers, Richard (Dick) Hickock and Perry Smith, try to escape the consequences of their actions, believing that they can get away with what they did. The story tells what the murderers were thinking after and before they committed the crime and their various interactions.

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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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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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Truman Capote's In Cold Blood is a harrowing account of the brutal murder of the Clutter family in 1959. The book delves into the lives of the two perpetrators, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, and their motives for committing such a heinous crime. While both men are equally responsible for the murder, it can be argued that Dick Hickock should take more blame due to his intention to rape Nancy Clutter, knowingly using Perry as a weapon, and his involvement in the planning of the murder. One of the most disturbing aspects of the crime was the fact that Dick Hickock had intended to rape Nancy Clutter before killing her.

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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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Axar Patel Mr. Cronk English 11H Dec 20, 2022 The Criticisms of In Cold Blood When one accomplishes or develops anything, it is bound to have criticisms. Criticisms don’t always have to be bad, they can also be good affairs.

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He ended up in a series of orphanages where he was severely beat and traumatized for wetting the bed. One nun at the orphanage would “ fill a tub with ice cold water, put me in it, and hold me under until I was blue.” Capote intends to provoke the audience's sympathy for Perry by including his terrible childhood experiences to explain his violent manner as well as provide reasoning to commit the crime he did. Perry has many examples of how his brutal life experiences cause his violent behavior. Perry has many sociopathic characteristics including, lack of moral responsibility or social conscience, erratic behavior, rage and anger, ability form a particular relationship to one person, crimes are usually spontaneous.

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His vampire brides assist to Dracula’s dark deeds. What they all have in common is that they prey upon humans. On the other hand, the characters that are considered “good” in the novel are Jonathan Harker, Dr. Van Helsing, John Seward, Quincey Morris and Arthur Holmwood. Throughout the novel, the good characters are constantly doing generous deeds to save others from Dracula.

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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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470 Words | 2 Pages

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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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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