For my presentation I will discuss Capote’s position and bias against the death penalty that is demonstrated throughout his work. Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood is defined as creative nonfiction, however the meaning of this is abstract. Capote’s novel is more like an argument against capital punishment with one major example extending throughout his writing, the murder of the Clutter family by Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. Capote’s presentation of the events clearly shows his bias, tainting the accuracy of his accounting of the murder. In Cold Blood is largely written as a documentary. However, Capote’s larger purpose in telling the story seems to be an argument against capital punishment, and the documentary style of his storytelling is a slightly…
The novel takes place in Holcomb, Kansas, a small farming town with a tight knit community. The Clutters are a prominent and cherished family known throughout the town. Herb is a successful farmer, married for 25 years to Bonnie Fox and is the father of four children. At home, two of his children remain; 16 year old Nancy and 15 year old Kenyon. Discovered by two young girls the next morning, the community is struck by the horrific murders of the Clutters on the night of November 15th, 1959, an event too gruesome for anyone to believe. Meanwhile, nearly 400 miles away in Olathe, Kansas, the two killers; ex-convicts; Dick (28) and Perry (31), proceed with a normal evening as if nothing had occurred the night before.…
In the book In Cold Blood, Perry Smith is the most complex and interesting character. What makes him interesting is that Capotes is able to portray Perry in such a way that the reader feels for Perry, he may have been a murderer but he still gains a lot of sympathy throughout the book. Capote shows the reader how complex Perry is, Perry is a person who was able to commit murder but is unable to confine in people and trust them. Another part of Perry’s complex personality is that even while murdering and when he was bounding up the Clutters, Perry is trying his best to make them comfortable. However, we first see that Perry is not normally prone to violence when early on in the book he tells Dick they should just get black stockings, that way…
In Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” Dick and Perry are attempting to hitchhike to Nebraska but, less innocently, have made plans to murder the friendly soul who decides to help them out. Mr. Bell went out of his way to help these two strangers but even his sincere compassion didn’t deter Perry and his unusual readiness to strike.…
In writing his novel, In Cold Blood, Capote’s primary purpose is to convey his opposition towards the death penalty. Through the stylistic elements of rhetorical appeals, a selection of detail, and imagery Capote reveals the attitude he holds against this unreasonable form of justice.…
Truman Capote wrote the book in brief sections, setting the scene and then putting a break in the narrative, the way the book is structured with several plotlines happening at the same time it keeps the reader on edge, giving it a classic crime-genre technique to always keep the reader in suspense. On top of this he pays close attention to the setting around the dialogue, producing powerful imagery for the reader. The dialogue is factual, which reduces Capotes’ personal involvement, and with the descriptive, tense paragraphs, to heighten suspense. In the book we see two of the main characters, Dick and Perry, their interests and family background which we can see Capotes’ journalism through his reporting. In an interview for the New York Times in 1966, Capote said, "It seemed to me that journalism, reportage, could be forced to yield a serious new art form: the 'nonfiction novel,' as I thought of it ... Journalism is the most underestimated, the least explored of literary mediums,"…
Throughout Truman Capote’s nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock are shown in two distinct lights. While Perry appears to have compassion and a possible mental illness, Dick is portrayed as a ruthless, apathetic monster. Through the use of vivid descriptions and changing points of view, Capote makes the audience see Perry as a helpless accessory to murder, while Dick is the mastermind. By establishing Perry as a “good” antagonist, Capote shows that although he did commit the murders, Perry’s mental instability and Dick’s persuasion was the cause—not Perry’s own intention. The two passages represent just how far Capote goes to make the audience feel sympathy…
In Cold Blood, Capote uses imagery, foreshadowing and allusion to portray Perry as a lonely man who doesn’t have his family, especially his father, there by his side to support him which slowly causes him to begin to lose his sanity and question his faith. Capote also portrays Perry as an innocent victim.…
The diction used, in the novel, helps readers to comprehend how Perry Smith is not naturally evil. For example, when Perry was describing his encounter with Nancy that night, of the murder, he asserts that he, “roped her feet together and tied her hands behind her back. Then pulled up the covers, tucked her in till just her head showed. There was a little easy chair near the bed…She told me quite a lot about herself. About school, and how she was going to go to a university to study music and art” (Capote, 242). This characterization of Perry illustrates how gentle and attentive Perry is by the way he treated his hostage. When tying up Nancy Clutter, he learned about her plans for the future. With phrases like “pulled up the covers”, “tucked…
He quickly learns to lie to obtain information and does not seem to have any issue in exaggerating facts or even manipulating those that he is interviewing. An example of this behavior is when Smith confronts Capote about the title of his book and Capote lies stating that his editor named the book. He even stoops to unethical behavior when he bribes a prison warden at Leavenworth with money so that he has unlimited access to meet with Smith. It was callous knowing that Capote was on precipice of his utmost success in his career as Smith says goodbye to Capote as he heads to his hanging…
In Cold Blood is a reflection of psychological pain because it illustrates the psychological pain experienced by the Clutters in their final hours and the innocent people involved the aftermath of the Clutter murders. The Clutters suffer terrible psychological pain from the time Smith and Hickock break into their home to the individual times of their deaths. The people involved in the aftermath also suffer psychological pain because distrust and fear is spread among the people of Holcomb and a toll is taken on the investigators that were assigned the task to solve the mystery of the murder of the Clutters.…
In the novel, "In Cold Blood" written by Truman Capote he illustrates the events leading up to, during, and after the murder of the infamous Clutter family. Throughout these events, the author frequently compares and contrasts the two main characters, Richard Hickock and Perry Smith.…
Some cases can lead you to having no sympathy on the inmate at all, in a matter of fact it can leave the victims family members relieved knowing the murderer is going through the death penalty. Jacob Sullum talks about this point, while speaking out about a man by the name of Robert Alton Harris. Robert Harris was known for his technique of tricking the victims, he would tell them that he would not kill them but as soon as they looked relieved he would shoot them. Sullum believes that this man, like many, does not deserve to live and should go through the death penalty (Gottfried 37). A senate on the judiciary also commented on this matter, saying, “people who commit violent crimes have forfeited their own right to life,” (Gottfried 37). A…
Richard Eugene Hickock and Perry Smith were found guilty of murder in the first degree and their punishment is death. "Can there be a single doubt in your minds regarding the guilt in your defendants? No! Regardless of who pulled the trigger on Richard Eugene Hickock's shotgun, both men are equally guilty... penalty-death." (303)…
In his essay Death and Justice, Edward Koch argues in support of capital punishment, he believes it is just and it saves lives. He successfully delivers an argument laced with true and vivid examples of unforgettable murderous events. His intended audience consists of the opposing voters and readers of the New Republic, the political magazine that published his essay. Prior to reading Edward Koch’s essay I was sure that I would disagree but it became clear to me that he is right. There are seven commonly held views against the death penalty that Koch argues against in his essay. In what follows I discuss a few of his arguments and show that the death penalty is the most viable approach to deal with convicted murderers.…