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Summary Of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

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Summary Of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood
Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood documents the quadruple homicide of Herbert Clutter and his family in Holcomb, Kansas. It is not a true memoir, as Capote was not a part of the events that took place; he traveled to Kansas immediately following the murders to write about the ensuing investigation and fill in the blanks about the actual goings-on in Holcomb, 1959. His writing is a true account of the murder from the beginning; not only was he in Holcomb during the investigation, he spoke directly with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Finney County citizens, lawyers involved in the case, and people directly involved in the crime. His narrative is vivid, emotional, and most of all, profound. His contention with crime and violence is apparent through his powerful account of the murder and the investigation. Capote describes the story as if he …show more content…
It is clear that he knows a considerable amount about pain. Capote must have been emotionally struck by the events in Kansas, for family was something that he always wanted, and yet he witnessed the scene of a massacre of the so-called “perfect family.” Capote once said that the four years that he spent in Western Kansas doing research for In Cold Blood were very lonely and painful for him. He spent an endless amount of time writing by himself and thinking about what horrible things had occurred in Holcomb. His memory of the murder scene and the people who were close to the family both shocked him and deeply affected him. Though he did not witness the murder first-hand, he personally felt as if he were there; as if he were a part of the Clutter family. He copes with this traumatic experience through writing; he uses language to express his anger, sickness, and sorrow. It makes sense, then, that his language is so emotional and profound; it is his outlet for personal expression and his go-to method for the release of his strongest

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