Kyle Figueroa Mr. Paneralla March 19, 2023 Class 6 Honors English Perry Smith Is Innocent Due to Perry Smith's childhood in a harmful environment, where he was subjected to abuse and negative influences, it would be unjust to sentence him to death. Perry has a medical reason for his insanity, it is called schizophrenia. Perry has never had a true family, but he does get family-like people in his life like Dick. When he meets someone who treats him the way he wants to be treated he gets attached to them. Perry is innocent; he was influenced by Dick to do many horrifying things. Perry Smith was born on October 27, 1928, in Huntington, Nevada. “He looked as lonely and inappropriate as a seagull in a wheat field” (Capote 190).Perry appeared out …show more content…
Perry expresses himself and he regrets his lack of education and says that he wished he learned more in school. "no rule or discipline, or anyone to show me right from wrong" (Capote 273). Perry is reflecting on his troubled childhood and the lack of structure and guidance he had growing up. Perry's lack of guidance and discipline may have contributed to his later criminal behavior. In his confession, he described feeling like he didn't belong anywhere and that he had to take what he wanted because he had never been taught any other way to get ahead in life. "No, now, I'm not going to listen. Diamonds. Buried treasure. Wake up, little boy. There ain't no caskets of gold. No sunken ship. And even if there was -- hell, you can't even swim." (Page 142). This quote shows Dick influencing …show more content…
“As long as you live, there's always something waiting; and even if it's bad, and you know it's bad, what can you do? You can't stop living.” (Capote 88). This quote suggests that no matter what happens in life, there is always something else waiting, whether it be good or bad. Even if someone knows that what is waiting for them is bad, they cannot stop living and must face whatever comes next. “The walls of the cell fell away, the sky came down, I saw the big yellow bird.” (Capote 257). This quote refers to a moment of hallucination experienced by Perry Smith while he was in prison. The "big yellow bird" is a recurring image that appears throughout the book, and it is often interpreted as a symbol of hope or redemption for