Why Did Perry Smith Become A Criminal?

Nurture caused Perry Smith to become a criminal. Critics might say that it is nature that made Perry become a criminal because he has impulsive behavior but he is who he is because of the events he experienced throughout his childhood and teen years. Perry was brought up in a home where his mother was a “disgraceful drunkard” (Capote 126). She was never around for her kids and husband and was primarily absent in Perry's childhood. Perry grew up in a negative environment with his mom never being present in his life and not having a mother figure most of his life. Eventually, his parents got a divorce and he had to go with his mom, which he did not want to do because she wasn't present in his life until then. Once Perry was back with his father, where he wanted to be, he started “fighting in school” (Capote 127). The fighting in

Perry did get into fights at school where he stood up for himself and others. His mother put him in a “catholic orphanage” (Capote 131). He was treated like a dog there he could never catch a break. They would hit him for wetting in the bed. After being in the orphanage for a couple of months he was thrown out and his mom then put him in a children’s shelter which was even worse than being with the nuns. While he was there he still wet the bed and they punished him for that. There was a nurse at the children’s home who would fill up a bath with ice water and hold Perry under till he turned blue. He nearly drowned, ended up catching pneumonia, and was in the hospital for two months. This led to Perry being able to go back with his father. Perry never had a place to call home. He was always moving houses and living with his mom and dad separately. Throughout his childhood, Perry was abused and never really loved until he was with his dad. All these bad things that happened to him throughout his childhood left a mark on