Although Dick were partners in the murder of the Clutter family, Capote primarily wants to reveal the emotional gap between Dick and Perry; therefore, Capote’s depicts Perry as more sentimental than Dick. When Perry and Dick were stopped at the picnic area in the mountains Capote uses euphemism when Dick and Perry are in a discussion about the murder. “I think there must be something wrong with us. To do what we did” (Capote 108). As the time passes the two characters are drifting apart emotionally which is evident in this passage because as Perry is being bothered by this action, Dick is looking through his binoculars scanning the mountains. The euphemism in the sentence is the when Perry had said “ I think there might be something wrong with us”. To have just murdered a family in their own home and say that there might be something wrong with you is sugarcoating it. Perry is so sensitive to this whole thing that he is trying to make those events as small as possible. …show more content…
This colloquial diction used by Capote exemplifies the blatant lack of respect for human life that Dick has. The nonchalant attitude that Dick has about the murders is the exact difference between the two accomplices. Perry is questioning what they had done where Dick is so loose that he even makes a little joke about the events. As Perry is sugar coating the murders to help him deal with it, Dick is the exact opposite. He is cracking jokes about the murders, he is so comfortable with the fact that he had just been an accomplice in the murdering of 4 people that he is making jokes about it. Capote is showing the growing gap between the two men emotionally by describing each of their reactions while they are stopped at a picnic area in the
Dick never wanted to discuss the murders. He always wanted to change the subject. Floyd Wells, his former cellmate, mentioned to Dick that he was a former employee of the Clutters, and they had a safe on the property, unaware that they never had any cash on them. When he did not find the safe or any money, Dick resorted to killing the whole Clutter family. Dick became a little too confident and thought he could get away with murder.
Although Dick’s was fully aware of his actions, he even came up with the plan to go and try to steal from the Clutters, another important evidence that separates Perry and Dick is also overlooked by the court. Alvin Dewey states Perry, before signing the confession paper, “admit that Hickock had been telling the truth, and that it was he, Perry Smith, who had shot and killed the whole family” (255). It is revealed that Perry is the one who killed the members of the Clutter family and Dick did not. The court gives Dick the same death sentence that they gave Perry, the guy who actually did the killing. Although Dick is too some extent responsible for what happened to the Clutter and he was aware of his actions and what was happening, his punishment
Perry was the one who actually killed the Clutters, and Dick was just a bystander. Initially, Dick is the one comes up with the plan to kill the Clutters and when it’s time to kill the Clutters, he backs out. As the Clutters are going on with their everyday lives, the two men are driving to the town of Holcomb, where the family lives. A friend of Nancy’s from school, Nancy Ewalt, was dropped off at the Clutter’s to go to church. Upon entering the home, Nancy and Mrs. Kidwell, who works at the teacherage, realize the Clutters have not done anything they normally did on Sunday mornings.
Although Dick had a loving family who saw him as a child who could do no wrong, Capote deduces from “[o]ne [neighboring] farmer’s wife [who] said ‘Dick Hickock! Don’t talk to me about Dick Hickock! If ever I met the devil! Steal? Steal the weights off a dead man’s eyes!...
Capote, with the intention of breaking the stereotype that murderers have no moral compass, describes the two murderers, Perry and Dick, differently. Capote includes that Wendle, one of the first people at the Clutter house after the murder, said that Perry and Dick would “cut out your heart and never bat an eye” (254). Capote illustrates that Wendle’s claim is not credible since Wendle drew his conclusion against Perry and Dick solely based on one source of evidence--the crime scene. Moreover, Capote utilizes Wendle’s opinion as a vehicle to establish that many, because Perry and Dick committed murder, immediately assumed that Perry and Dick do not value life, a typical stereotype of murderers. In defense of his virtue, Perry recalls “as we’re
Dick is put into a county Jail whole Perry is put into a cell for women in effort to keep the pair apart. The chapter also details the auctioning off of the Cutters items and the despaire the town feels about the murders. The trial arrives, and Perry and Dick's sanity are questioned, but they are ultimately deemed sane at the time of the murders and sane enough to stand trial. They are ultimately sentenced to death, where the book also details their experience on death row.
Capote draws the audience's attention to the discussion they had at the restaurant while reading the newspaper: “Perry wonders, ‘I think there must be something wrong with us” (Capote 89). Talking about the murder. Later that day Dick says, “Deal me out, baby, I’m a normal” (Capote 91). Dick isn’t showing a shred of respect for human life. The structure helps readers understand that Dick not showing any sympathy or guilt for the criminal actions and the fact that Perry is questioning and showing concern represents how easy Dick can manipulate Perry with bad intentions.
If needed, they decide that they will kill any witnesses, and Perry begins to have second thoughts. This leads to Dick following through the plans to prove his masculinity. Throughout the novel, I have noticed a competitive relationship they share as they both try to prove themselves to each other. The significance of this quote tells the readers the reason why the Clutters were murdered. During their attempt of finding the safe, they were encountered by many different problems which led to frustration and tension between the pair.
Perry is disproving both of these statements by telling Dick off. Another example of the audience feeling more empathy for Perry because of Dick’s contrasting behavior is, “The letter was from Dick, and he said he was on to a cinch. The perfect score (44)”. Capote is using diction in this quote to cast a more relatable light on Perry. This shifts the blame of the murder to Dick, who construes this as an easy and consequence less opportunity.
This of course led to the killings of the Clutter family. So when referring to Perry,Capote uses light imagery and a sympathetic tone like “prophesied” but as the story goes on, it turns into a more aggressive tone towards Perry like when he begins to state more of Perry’s issues like his “already dangerous anti-social instincts.” Capote uses imagery the way he does to convey an important message that people can react to certain situations and act according to their surroundings. He wants the reader how people from a small, isolated town react to a murder and how a man who has been abused his whole life transforms into a criminal and eventually a murderer.
Although Perry is responsible for the murder of four innocent people, Perry’s actions do not reflect on who he is as a person because he is easily influenced, therefore; showing how easily people can be pressured into doing something they would not typically do. Dick, a violent, cold-hearted, manipulator, has molded Perry into the person he is today. As Perry is a follower, Dick has taken advantage of that by turning Perry into the cold-blooded killer he is today. Capote displays Dick’s manipulation of Perry through symbolism to make evident that while Perry did pull the trigger on four innocent people, although the fault does not entirely lay on him, as he was taken advantage of by Dick.
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
(Page 108) In this quote, Dick uses Perry to hinder his own self- image. However, he often censures him for more irregular, and childish traits in comparison with which Dick considers himself to be normal. However, each man looks to one another for an oath of his own maturity. Capote uses a relating unrefined to when Dick and Perry talks in the book.
Dick uses this fake alibi , while Perry couldn’t handle the stress of lying and told the truth about the murders. After this, both Alvin and Floyd went back to interrogating Dick to try and break his lying similar to Perry. After confessing, Dick switches the story up at the last minute saying that Perry was the one that killed the Clutters and he was only there to try and stop Perry. This lead to the official arresting of both Perry and Dick, but something about Perry gave Alvin sympathy for him, the more he looks into Perry’s life, the more he realizes none of this was his fault, but his bad family history setting him up for failure, but nonetheless, he will still have to be punished for murder. The news of the arrests are spread throughout Holcomb and to the town’s surprise, the murderers were not fellow citizens as they previously
Beginning with Rosemary, Dick seemed to have a firm grasp on the situation. He showed maturity and elegance in how he went about his affair. However, that maturity and elegance flew out the window as soon as Rosemary's train escapade with Bill Hillis surfaced, and soon after, the pursuee became the pursuer. The significance in this is that all it took for Dick