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Truman Capote's Secondary Characters

430 Words2 Pages

Throughout the whole book, Capote introduces many characters relevant to the murders and the trial. He carefully depicts the personalities of these secondary characters. Capote uses elaborate details to add to the books. The secondary character I found most memorable was Lowell Lee Andrews. Andrews was introduced after Perry and Dick were sentenced to death for killing the Clutter family. Capote begins by describing Andrews as a young, smart, and gentle boy. Andrews had an article written about him entitled “The Nicest Boy in Wolcott” (312). He was enrolled at the University of Kansas, majoring in biology. Andrews was planning on poisoning his family. Andrews stood out when Capote revealed his plans to destroy his family and inherit his father’s estate and money. …show more content…

Dick says to Andrews, “The trouble with you, Andy, you’ve got no respect for human life. Including your own.” (318). The description of Lowell Lee Andrews insane and ruthless character, make him a memorable secondary character. The technique Truman Capote use to characterize the killers is using the opinions and encounters of their families and the people they have met. Capote uses back stories and childhood memories to show Dick and Perry’s character. During Perry’s evaluation with Dr. Jones, Perry says, “My mother was always drunk, never in a fit condition to properly provide and care for us. I run as free & wild as a coyote. There was no rule or discipline, or anyone showing me right from

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Dick from In Cold Blood maintained that he was less guilty and did not deserve the death penalty. In stating this, Dick was not correct that he was less guilty. There are justifiable proofs that diminish his chances of being less guilty. These proofs are found within the book and can be represented through his demeanors and actions prior to and after the night. Richard Eugene Hickock (Dick) in In Cold Blood is just as guilty as Perry in that he had clearly displayed his intent for killing the Clutter family.

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In Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood,” Dick and Perry have murdered the Clutter family and are on their way to Mexico. In this passage, Dick makes an astounding statement. In the passage, Dick claims that he’s “a normal” but that is far from the truth. He is a conniving, manipulative son of a bitch who thinks he’s normal in comparison to Perry.

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In these paragraphs, Capote describes the haunted by anxiety of Dewey in investigating the murder of the Clutter family, and also his wife, Marie, who still obsessed to the death of her friend, Bonnie Clutter. Capote’s writing skill makes the audiences feel like the entire of Holcomb village still could not get over the tragic of the Clutter family yet. What I found significant and interesting about the last two paragraphs are how Capote end the chapter with Perry and Dick returning to the United States after their trip to Mexico. They continue looking for a new target, to rob and kill with no afraid or worry at all. Dick’s sumptuous smile and Perry sang his favorite song somehow makes the audience wonder.

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• Tone – Throughout this novel, Capote’s tone towards the case stayed objective yet compassionate. It seemed as if he wanted to capture every single moment of each character’s points of view. “Know what I think?” said Perry. “I think there must be something wrong with us. To do what we did.”

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Dick and Perry come from completely different backgrounds and Capote leaves the reader wondering if their childhood experiences had an effect on their decisions as adults. Dick and Perry had no intentions of killing in the beginning however, they are left running from the police with no plan

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The purpose of this paper is to explain the similarities and challenges of Truman Capote, and Harper Lee. HARPER LEE’S CHILDHOOD Harper Lee who was born on April 28th, 1926 in a small town in Alabama called Monroeville, Lee was also the youngest of four children. Harper Lee was always known for being a tomboy. Lee’s father

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Throughout the second part of the novel ‘Persons Unknown’, you learn more about Perry Smith’s horrific childhood and begin to form an idea that Smith was in fact nurtured into his murderous self. Capote expresses how as a child he experienced instability in every form, from family life to self-assurance, education (or lack thereof) to literally where he lived. He was exposed to abuse in detrimental situations due to his mother being an alcoholic and his father performing acts on her to gain power. Their partnership fell apart and the children were separated from their parents, they were sent to a Catholic orphanage where he then experienced abuse first hand. “[...] his dreams when he was seven years old, a hated, hating half-breed child living

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One of America’s twentieth century most well-known and controversial author and writer was Truman Capote. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana on September 30, 1924 as Truman Streckfus Persons, he was a son of a small-town girl, Lillie Mae and charming schemer, Archulus Persons. At age four, his parents got divorced, leaving him in the care of his mother’s relatives in Monroeville, Alabama. In Monroeville, he met and befriended Harper Lee, the author of the famous literature novel To Kill a Mockingbird. They were total opposites: Capote was sensitive and was teased by others while Lee was pretty much a tomboy, however that drew them closer.

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Truman Capote was an author of the Southern Gothic Movement. This movement is characterized by having characters that can be seen as damaged and live in confusing world. These characters usually live a world that is falling apart that is filled with betrayal and hypocrisy. This literary period is an extension of the Gothic Movement which was supported by authors that had the goal of exposing the problems they see in society. The “Southern” part of the name is included because the movement was developed is the south of the United States, adding cultural cues of “Southern Charm-to bring life to their slice of history.”

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Capotes creates sympathy for Detective Dewey by allowing the reader to think about what it would be like to have family member who is extremely involved in work about the

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Contrastingly, the opposite opinion is revealed through the character Alvin Dewey in the book. Capote writes about Dewey’s beliefs on the case: “[The Clutter family] had experienced prolonged terror, they had suffered. And Dewey

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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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Truman Capote uses variety of language devices to vividly develop Perry Smith in his novel In Cold Blood. These language devices include, diction, similes and symbolism. Throughout the novel diction is used to develop Perry Smith’s character, and suggest reasons for the murder. When Smith explains what happened that night at the Clutter’s family home, he tells agent Alvin Dewey about his moment with Nancy Clutter.

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While Dick’s attempt to profit from Perry originates from a lie that Perry creates in order to gain Dick’s respect, the language that Capote uses to illustrate Dick’s exploitation does not leave room for excuses or sympathy. The tone indicates Dick has malicious intention in befriending Perry, which gives the readers a cynical impression of him. Furthermore, Dick is seen to be disregarding of the gravity of his crimes, especially as he replies to Perry’s comment, “I think there must be something wrong with us" (Capote 114) to commit the murder like they did, in which Dick replies, “Deal me out, baby, I'm a normal,” and continues to entertain the thought, “ But Perry—there

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