Encouragement, development, cultivation, foster, promote: all words that describe how a person is brought into a life of crime as portrayed in Truman Capote’s novel, In Cold Blood. For decades, people have been studying human motives for becoming villains. There have been two theories to explain a person’s behavior; people are either nurtured to become criminals or they are naturally born to behave the way they do. People who are nurtured into a life of crime are raised that way whether it is how the family raised them or the atmosphere that influenced them as they grew up. Those that have it in their nature to live a cruel life are born with the motive and behavior. In Capote’s book, he focuses and highlights Perry the most out of any other …show more content…
The town of Holcomb consisted of just 270 people where “drama, in the shape of exceptional things, had never stopped there” (Capote 15). Holcomb was a community where everyone knew each other and the people were accepting and friendly to new-comers. The people were nurtured into this way of life, thinking that everything is peachy, along with everything in the outside world. The problem is that no one would’ve been prepared for the crime that abruptly occurred in the city. An outside source trespassed into the community of Holcomb, disrupting the peace of the city and the people’s daily lives. The nature of the corrupt society spread into the secluded, nurtured community of Holcomb. Capote uses different settings to portray how the nurtured people of Holcomb were in shock due to the nature of the corrupt world around them. Not only does setting have an effect on nature versus nurture, but the character’s in the story validate Capote’s viewpoints as …show more content…
Whether someone is nurtured or it is in their nature to live as a criminal is a hot topic and many studies are being conducted to conclude that theory. In Truman Capote’s novel, In Cold Blood, he illustrates his point that people are nurtured to become delinquents. Perry is the main character that the author uses to confirm his opinion. This can be seen throughout Perry’s unfortunate childhood, where he was beaten, neglected, and injured. Some characters, such as Dick, also had an impact on the decisions he made. Not only did the rhetor highlight Perry to prove his point, but he also utilized the delightful citizens of Holcomb to prove that nurtured people are blind to the corruptness of the outside world. Capote uses plot, setting, and characters to show the complexity of criminals, and show the reader how they are nurtured into the life they
In these paragraphs, Capote describes the haunted by anxiety of Dewey in investigating the murder of the Clutter family, and also his wife, Marie, who still obsessed to the death of her friend, Bonnie Clutter. Capote’s writing skill makes the audiences feel like the entire of Holcomb village still could not get over the tragic of the Clutter family yet. What I found significant and interesting about the last two paragraphs are how Capote end the chapter with Perry and Dick returning to the United States after their trip to Mexico. They continue looking for a new target, to rob and kill with no afraid or worry at all. Dick’s sumptuous smile and Perry sang his favorite song somehow makes the audience wonder.
The reason for the murders o How the community was affected • Thesis Statement: o We can express Capote’s intended audience, his person outlook of the suspects, and the many ways the actual event effected the community from the story of the Clutter Family murders. • Body: o Main point: Why did Capote put other information into the book to make the tragedy seem harsher than it was? o
In Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” the reader is presented with a central theme throughout the course of the book. The theme is nature vs. nurture, in comparison to Dick and Perry. Dick and Perry are the two men who commit murder on the Clutter family. Both were raised in similar environments, but they each have different genetic traits that contribute to their persona. Dick is characterized as more of a “natural born killer”, while Perry on the other hand is more of a “raised” killer.
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.
In the book, “In Cold Blood,” Truman Capote takes us through the lives of the murderers and the murdered in the 1959 Clutter family homicide, which transpires in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas. The first chapter, “The Last to See Them Alive,” vividly illustrates the daily activities of the Clutter family—Herbert, Bonnie, Nancy, and Kenyon—and the scheming plot of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith up to point where the family is found tied up, and brutally murdered. In doing so, he depicts the picture-perfect town of Holcomb with “blue skies and desert clear air”(3) whose safety is threatened when “four shotgun blasts that, all told, ended six human lives”(5). Through the eyes of a picture perfect family and criminals with social aspirations, Capote describes the American Dream and introduces his audience to the idea that this ideal was no more than an illusion. Herbert Clutter: the character Capote describes as the epitome of the American Dream.
Capotes creates sympathy for Detective Dewey by allowing the reader to think about what it would be like to have family member who is extremely involved in work about the
Nature versus nurture is one of the most controversial debates in contemporary psychology. The debate concerning whether or not humans are born with the preset characteristics that will shape lives for years to come or whether actions are a result of the events and the environment that pave the way for our behavioral characteristics. Capote’s “In Cold Blood” gives the audience a detailed look into the upbringing of the character Perry Smith, creating a sympathetic outlook towards his past and attempting to bring a sense of understanding as to how a seemingly harmless young man could brutally murder four innocent people. In the case of Perry Smith, nurture was the cause of his actions in regards to the Clutter family murders.
Truman Capote’s novel, In Cold Blood epitomizes the shifting sentiments related to the murder of the Clutter family which range from terror, to sorrow, to pride, and all mixed emotions in between. Yet through Capote’s particular descriptions about each character, the connection between their feelings and their actions become further clarified. In effect, the readers experience feelings of sympathy for the victims, their friends and family, the investigators, and even the brutal murders of the innocent family. In order to craft this association, Capote employs a pathos appeal to amplify the audience’s ability to sympathize with each and every character.
Additionally, Capote expressed the idea of there being two sides to every story for both the protagonist and antagonist. By doing so, he used a unique writing style to help develop the story. In Cold
Perry’s erratic spontaneous outbursts is what caused him to go through with the murders and slit Mr. Clutter’s throat which put him on the killing frenzy that ended the rest of the Clutters lives. Capote highlights Perry’s sociopathic tendencies by comparing them to that of Dicks Psychopathic tendencies which exemplifies how when put together they are at each others fault for the
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 Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, there is no hero. The protagonist is not a hero, nor the law enforcement. Heroism becomes irrelevant when searching for justice following a tragedy such as the one seen on November 15th, 1959 in Holcomb, Kansas. Complexity, next to justice, is primary to put into account during the aftershocks . Perry Smith is the protagonist in the novel, not only due to author’s bias but also due to his sheer dynamic, a man disconnected from word to action.
Truman Capote uses variety of language devices such as diction, similes and symbolism to vividly develop Perry Smith in his novel In Cold Blood and reveal aspects of the murder. Perry Smith is a sensitive, somewhat frightening and psychologically unstable character, but then again
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
One of the most debated topics throughout the world is nature versus nurture. When psychologists debate this topic, they are studying what influences a person’s personal development. Some say that a person’s nature influences personal development while others say a person’s nurture influences personal development. A lot of people spend time contemplating which one actually does the influencing but what some do not realize is that, perhaps, both nature and nurture help shape a person’s personal development. One topic that comes up quite often is whether or not a person is born a criminal.