The Use Of Suspense In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

In the book, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, the reader is able to gather a sense of suspense, intricately worked by the author. Capote uses these crafts such as diction, tone and imagery to add suspense to this murder mystery, which, in many cases, leaves the reader wondering, what’s next? From chapter to chapter, page to page, he integrates these literary devices into his work; “Blue-furred, orange-eyed, red-fanged, a tiger snarled upon his left bicep; a spitting snake, coiled around a dagger, slithered down his air; and elsewhere skulls gleamed, a tombstone loomed, a chrysanthemum flourished.” (Page 32). The imagery used in this passage allows the reader to view the tattoo as exactly how Capote wants the reader to view it. Suspense is an

At one end of the town stands a stark old stucco structure, the roof of which supports an electric sign – Dance – but the dancing has ceased and the advertisement has been dark for several years. Nearby is another building with an irrelevant sign; this one is flaking fold on a dirty window – Holcomb Bank. The bank closed in 1933 and its former counting rooms have been converted into apartments” (1-2). Capote strings together many ideas into a woven story, and by imagery to exemplify suspension, he is creating some sort of rhythmic flow in his writing. Through his imagery the reader is able to understand that Holcomb is a small town that has not yet caught up with the modern luxury (example is paved roads) like the other towns in that time had. The technique used by Capote here is magnificent because he lets the reader recognize the deeper meaning of the setting without blatantly saying it; because Capote puts this passage in the first couple pages of the novel, he gives the reader an idea that this is uncanny situation, but the ready still is left at ease wondering what the rest of the book has to