Summary Of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

• 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.”

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

While most would focus on the victims of the case, Capote focuses on the background of the killers and their reasoning behind committing crimes. Sympathy was demonstrated, specifically for Perry, when arrested. Capote, “found it possible to look at the man beside him without anger - with, rather, a measure of sympathy - for Perry Smith's life had been no bed of roses but pitiful, an ugly and lonely progress toward one mirage and then another'' (Capote 246). While many would feel Dick and Perry deserved to die, Capote has an unpopular perspective by showing sympathy for the killers based on their past. Capote creates a sympathetic tone towards Perry and creates disputable topics about the flawed justice system.

After most people hear what Perry has gone through you immediately give him a get out of jail free card right? You think that since he had a difficult upbringing he should be exempt from receiving the death penalty? Although you may think this, this is certainly not an excuse for such a violent act. Throughout In Cold Blood, Capote attempts to portray to the reader that Smith in a way should be exempt from the crime he commited and how one should not blame it on Smith himself, but his psychological background. Specifically when Al Dewey, the head of the Clutter murder investigation, states how the crime was not in fact Smiths fault.

Although Capote acknowledges the atrocities committed by Perry, his utmost goal is to direct the blame on Perry’s insanity; therefore, Capote asserts that people with mental illness should not be put to death. On the contrary, Capote always has an excuse for Perry’s actions. Capote utilizes juxtaposition to deviate the attention of the comparison of normalcy and insanity. Perry creates an escape plan for him and accomplices when, “Eventually, he wondered if perhaps he had invented them (a notion that he ‘might not be normal, maybe insane’ had troubled him…”

Because of the arguments hinted at by Truman Capote in In Cold Blood, there will always be debate on whether capital punishment should be used for certain crimes. One can never be sure if a punishment, whether as mild as jail time or as severe as the death penalty, is justified for the crime

Now, there is no direct quote from Capote discussing his view on this issue, but it can be reasonably inferred by the quote’s presence in the novel that he would argue each citizen to think about how and why the death sentence is actually used. Capote himself would most likely not agree with this stance, but it seems to be the way it is. The innocent men and women of the town were baffled and torn by the scene of the gruesome murder, and they needed a relief, which in this case, was the death of Perry and Dick. Clearly, the death penalty can be used as a way to comfort the people in a time of distress.

Subsequently, Capote continues to mention Perry’s awful childhood throughout the book, and

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.

Facts and Fiction: A Manipulation of Language in Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood English is a fascinating and riveting language. Subtle nuances and adjustments can easily change the understanding of a literary work—a technique many authors employ in order to evoke a desired response from their readers. This method is used especially in In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, a literary work which details a true event about the murders of four members of the Clutter family in the small community of Holcomb, Kansas, in 1959. Although Capote’s 1966 book was a bestseller nonfiction and had successfully garnered acclaim for its author, there is still a great deal of confusion about the distinction between the factual and fictional aspects in the book.

In the novel In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, Dick and Perry are dynamically changing companions each with their own motives and background that defines their actions. These key descriptions and details are revealed through the tones and overarching atmospheres when focusing on the characters. Capote uses tones and themes to characterize the killers Dick and Perry as resenting and bitter as well as having opposing views. The killers derive their bitterness from the dark and helpless tone Capote uses.

Consequently, that does not mean that everyone will react or repent the same way. People say punishment needs to fit the crime, while I say that it needs to fit the person for maximum effect on behavior to cause a change. Someone given the death sentence such as Perry already had family members who committed suicide, meaning he very well could have wanted to die to not have to live with the guilt. Then there are others who, if given a life instead of death sentence, would go right back to killing and breaking the law as soon as they were out of jail or even while still in jail. However, I still believe that justice was served as in the American justice system, we must not give different sentences for the same crime and same level of

Everybody has desires that constantly weigh over their heads, pushing them to be diligent in all their endeavors, but what would you do if you knew that one day you would no longer have the opportunity to fulfill these desires? Everybody lives their lives so focused on the end goal that they are oblivious to the world around them, and the sad part is that in some cases the end goal is unattainable or never reached because the person dies. In In Cold Blood, Truman Capote utilizes symbolism and descriptive diction to tell his readers Perry’s wants and wishes. Throughout this subchapter the reader is able to learn more about how Perry feels in the moments after the Clutter family murder. The reader learns that Perry wishes he was loved by others

This created some conflict in Holcomb over capital punishment and whether it was just or not based on their own interpretations of the Bible. Capote had his own belief when naming the book, “In Cold Blood” which was a reference to the punishment of the murderers and how they were killed. This allusion to the death of Dick and Perry highlights Capote’s belief on capital punishment. The use of allusions in In Cold Blood was to show how religion is used as justification for what a person believes is