Summary Of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, was a non-fictional novel published in 1965. Written in four parts, Capote meticulously details the brutal 1959 murders of the recognized farmer Herbert Clutter, Bonie Clutter, Nancy Clutter and Kenyon Clutter in the small, once peaceful, city of Holcomb, Kansas. Throughout the book, while Capote sympathetically depicts the murders of the Clutter family, we also realize that the author has a strong sympathy for one of the murders called Perry Edward Smith. Although the novel was intended to be written in a journalistic form, Capote seems to fictionalize much of the information used to write the novel in order to add suspense and certain reactions from the readers. Truman Capote’s new literary form of “the non-fictional novel” leaves the readers feeling conflicting emotions

The death penalty has been a controversial topic of debate for years, specifically whether the punishment is ethical and effective. Many have even argued that the criminal justice system has imposed flawed and misguided standards and practices which have caused choatic conditions to seep into American life. Truman Capote’s novel “In Cold Blood” examines the nature of this system by recounting the trail of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, who had been accused of murdering the Clutter family in rural Kansas. Through Capotes vehement opinions about numerous aspects of the process, the narrative includes a stong implicit answer to the central question of whether society actually achieves justice when it imposes the death penalty. Throughout “In Cold

Even though the story starts off pleasant and creates a collection of tones, the overall tone is serious, gloomy, and sympathetic. “Then, touching the brim of his cap, he headed for home and the day’s work, unaware that it would be his last.” (Page 54) Truman Capote foreshadows the tragedy that will take place. As a reader, including this insight at the beginning of the novel leaves a sympathetic and even an almost uneasy feeling about upcoming events of this beautiful family.

The Book In Cold Blood by Truman Capote is a captivating nonfiction novel retelling of the Clutter family murder. This book is split into four parts with parallel narratives which share an array of perspectives such as, Perry Smith and Dick Hickhock, the two murderers. The Author Truman Capote uses the characterization of Perry to force the audience to empathize with him to ultimately convey that the perception of evil is subjective. Perry is described as an arrogant man who was overly concerned with his looks, this is due to the fact of his motorcycle accident, his abuse through his childhood, and/or his time in prison.

Here, Capote uses personification to characterize Perry’s life, a quality that caused Dick to take interest in Perry. Dick wanted to exploit his partner - he did not care about Perry’s feelings at all. Crazily, he viewed Perry’s ability to kill as a “gift.” His diction, his description of such a horrid quality as a “gift” further adds on to

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

In Cold Blood Rhetorical Analysis Typically upon hearing about a murder, especially a brutal and unwarranted one, we find ourselves feeling a great sense of disgust for the murderer or murderers who committed these crimes; however, in Truman Capote’s novel In Cold Blood, the lives and experiences of the murderers, particularly Perry Smith, are displayed in a way the makes you feel pity for him as well as the victims. When comparing Capote’s Novel to a typical news article on a similar topic it is easy to see the that Capote's style varies from typical journalism. An article written by Frances Robles and Nikita Stewart titled “Dylan Roof’s Past Reveals Trouble at Home and School,” discusses the childhood and background of Dylann Roof, a twenty-one

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.

Truman Capote, the author of In Cold Blood, creates sympathy for almost every character the reader comes across. Through the use of manipulating the reader's emotions and connecting them to each character, Capote successfully pulls it off. There are four main groups that Capote chooses to create sympathy for the murder victims, the murderers, the law officials involved, and the ordinary citizens of Holcomb, Kansas. Truman Capote created the most sympathy for two characters, Perry Smith and Detective Dewey. From the beginning of the novel, Capote showcases Perry Smith a likable character.

How crazy would it be to interview criminals who murdered 4 people in cold blood? Well that’s exactly what Truman Capote did in this chilling book. In the novel In Cold Blood, Truman Capote used different rhetorical strategies to create sympathy and influence the idea that there are always two sides to every story. Some of the mainly used rhetorical strategies throughout the novel were imagery, diction, tone, and pathos. Furthermore, Capote also illustrated sympathetical emotion towards both types of characters, the protagonists and antagonists.

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

Truman Capote’s novel, In Cold Blood, depicts his extensive research and interviews conducted regarding the murder of a successful farmer and his family from Holcomb, Kansas. Capote’s rigorous research twisted into an obsession as he dedicated nearly six years to studying every miniscule aspects of the Capote-killer's mentality in hopes to provide a contrary point of view of the murders’ intimate lives . Through this, Capote sways the reader to sympathize with Perry because of his troubled past. Capote wants the reader to see and understand that Perry’s upbringing influenced his mental state during the time of the murder, and he stresses to the reader to comprehend the flaws in the judicial system and for society to see how people who suffer

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.

“‘I think there must be something wrong with us. To do what we did’” (Capote 108). This quote from Perry Smith (one of the infamous Clutter family murderers) was more accurate than one would think. In the novel In Cold Blood, Perry and his partner, Dick Hickock, murdered the family of Herbert William Clutter when they raided his house in search of a money safe in which Mr. Clutter did not own.