In Cold Blood: A Nonfiction Novel

Every story needs to have original characters and an original storyboard. That’s not what Truman Capote and John Steinbeck thought. Capote and Steinbeck both portrayed two characters that have more similarities to each other than differences. They describe a tall and masculine fellow who follows the orders of their smaller and more bright individual. The perception is that Capote created these characters but his novel, “In Cold Blood,” the character's Perry Edwards Smith and Richard (Dick) Eugene Hickock are real people. That is why Capote’s book is considered a nonfiction novel. On the other hand, John Steinbeck writes the book, “Of Mice and Men,” which is about what it means to be human. The main characters George Milton and Lennie Small
buy a ranch near the Salinas River in attempt to follow their ambition to own a ranch. However the obstacles that get in the way of their ambition is the reality of their dreams, loneliness, and sacrifice. But in both stories the main characters create a similar kind of ambience that shows that these characters who are different in so many ways can have the same impact in such similar aspects of their respective novels. Although the books are in completely different categories, they share the same traits.
As in that the both have dynamic duo’s and stick together till the end. That lasts till George shoots Lennie to spare him from having someone else kill him instead. “Lennie begged, 'Le's do it now. Let's get that place now.' 'Sure, right now. I gotta. We gotta’"(Quoted. in pg.103). The very last thing he says, besides the talk of their dream place, is that he wants Lennie to know that he's never been mad, and he isn't mad now, even as he raises the gun. Which in “ICB”, Perry did not want to kill the Clutters but get some money and leave. The element that made him want to kill the rest of the Clutter family was the sound of Mr. Clutter when they slit his throat. Neither George or Perry wanted to kill, but only was by instinct. The dynamic duo trait goes through many novels like Batman & Robin, Tom & Jerry, and Han Solo & Chewbacca. In these particular novels, these dynamic duo’s impact how the story runs. In “ICB”, if Dick and Perry were not together throughout the book, the reader would not get the background on each of them because they were constantly together and could understand what each of their personalities was, not being known as killers. Capote made it seem in the story that Perry was a nice guy who is very lonely inside and reflects on the past too often. The reader couldn't have been given that information if they were not together as a
duo. Both of these novels’ main characters preferably chose one person over the other part of the duo and the two chose the smaller, more intellectual characters, George and Perry. George Milton is physically small with sharp features. George always tells Dick what to do and when to do it. Lennie can make George feel like they have a bright future together which they both see in different ways. Lennie sees their future while they pet bunnies and other fluffy animals while George sees it in more of a practical way of Lennie doing something stupid and then losing the house. Although George can be a companion, he can also show a lot of anger and frustration to Lennie. George in a way feels obligated to watch Lennie all day and night just to make sure he doesn’t do something that could harm anyone. “Lennie looked sadly up at him. "They was so little," he said apologetically. "I’d pet ‘em, and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead—because they was so little. I wish’t we’d get the rabbits pretty soon, George. They ain’t so little"(Steinbeck 79). Perry on the other hand, is a superstitious and sentimental man, an inveterate dreamer that finds his way into the hearts of the people who try to trust him. He is a small man with a big torso and small legs. Both Perry and George have hard lives. George has no one else but Lennie and have nowhere else to go. Perry has himself to try to make things better, because he was abandoned as a child and was in and out of foster homes. Just when Perry acts like he needs love and acceptance, he can turn around and be ruthless even if that means murder. Both Perry and George in a way control their sidekick, they both tell Lennie and Dick what to do and when to do it.