Although Truman Capote seems to be retelling Perry´s childhood, his primary desire is to use his misfortunes to justify his actions, therefore, unraveling the potential vulnerabilities that come with a atrocious childhood.
Perry´s father, to loosen the guards strings on Perry´s incarceration uses anecdote to explain Perry´s childhood and demeanor. Various sections in the letter display the troubled life of a young Perry Smith and how his tendencies and dependencies came about. His father denounces his troublesome marriage, ¨I wanted her to ask for a divorce, which she did after about a year or so. Her drinkin and stepin out, living with a young man. I contested the divorce and was granted full custody of the children. I took Perry to my home
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With use of antithesis Capote demonstrates the array of characters Perry has followed, undeterred by their personality or motives. Dick, a serpent slithering venomous thoughts into the brain of a naive Perry, and Willie-Jay, a spiritual leader provoking hope and confidence from a vulnerable man. While describing a dream in which a snake is preventing Perry from reaching an aspiration, Dick retorts, ¨So? The snake swallows you? Or what?¨ (Capote 92.) Moments later Perry recalls telling Willie-Jay the same dream: ¨Of course, Willie-Jay was different-- delicate-minded, ¨a saint.¨ He´d understood¨ (Capote 92). When presented with the same situation both leaders interpreted it very differently, but Perry is the same level of obedient to both. Perry desires to please no matter if it is towards good or evil. By providing examples of both sides with the use of antithesis it further exemplifies how effortlessly he can be manipulated. Perry follows people blindly, as a result of unstable childhood. Perry willing to do anything for his superiors is not putting into question his moral compass, but his capability to be successfully