Murder In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood
Murder is considered by society and by law as the worst crime one can commit. Taking away a human life, and ending the chance for a person to fulfill their goals and their purpose in their lifetime, is an unspeakable and dreadful thing. However, in the novel In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, Capote offers multiple perspectives on the complex crime that is murder. The plot follows the events surrounding the murder of a family of four in Holcomb, Kansas, and the two murderers, Dick Hitchcock and Perry Smith. It seems impossible to understand the way a murderer thinks, let alone show compassion towards them; however, this is the purpose of Capote’s novel, and he does so with a masterful hand. Through the use of figurative language, pathos, and characterization,
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Capote shows the reader the mind of the murderer in order to help the readers sympathize with Perry Smith.
Capote’s vivid figurative language provides a perfectly crafted mental picture for the readers to clearly see the events surrounding the plot, and in several cases, to pity Perry’s struggles. For example, on the day of Perry’s hanging, Capote creates an ominous mood surrounding the hanging, and then uses the perspective of the chief detective on the case, Dewey, to describe the feelings around Perry’s execution by saying, “Perry possessed a quality, the aura of an exiled animal, a creature walking wounded… [Dewey] remembered his first meeting with Perry… the dwarfish boy-man seated in the metal chair, his small booted feet not quite brushing the floor. And now when Dewey opened his eyes, that is what he saw: the same childish feet, tilted, tangling” (Capote 341). This very detailed description serves its purpose very effectively, in that it strikes a chord of compassion with the readers. Naturally, humans tend to pity the helpless, such as children or animals; Capote describes Perry as both in this quote. He describes Perry as an “exiled animal”, referring both to the quality of helplessness in his mannerisms and the solitude that Perry has endured throughout his life, with his terrible past. The reader remembers the suffering that Perry endured throughout his life, and the his desire for companionship, and can almost see Perry’s situation as unjust despite what he did. Humans are naturally inclined to wish to help small children, because they are incapable of helping themselves. Capote uses this instinct here, describing Perry’s feet as “childish”, and describing Perry physically as a “boy-man”. The reader imagines Perry as being helpless, meek, and fragile, despite the atrocities that Perry committed. Capote then juxtaposes this imagery of a vulnerable man by describing Perry’s position as he hangs- “tilted, tangling”. Capote uses the image of a childlike person, and corrupts this image with death and cruelty by hanging. Even if Perry deserved his sentence, and what happened to him was right by the law, the figurative language of several passages within the novel triggers impassioned response from the reader, allowing them to understand and show concern for Perry.
Through the use of pathos, Capote effectively conveys to the readers that there are multiple dimensions to a murderer, and that they should not be branded solely by their crimes. Although Perry was capable of ending the lives of four people, he still is extremely sensitive and emotional. When his execution was decided by the court, Mrs. Meier, the caretaker, overheard Perry’s reaction: “‘I heard [Perry] crying... Crying like a child… I went to him… He reached out his hand. He wanted me to hold his hand, and I did, I held his hand, and all he said was, ‘I’m embraced in shame’’” (308). As stated earlier, portraying Perry as being “like a child”, triggers an emotional response from the reader. The action of holding Mrs. Meier’s hand depicts him as defenseless and weak, and one pities this image because he is seemingly incapable of handling his emotions. One has to be reminded during the novel of the fact that this man, the man sobbing on the floor of his cell, is the same man who took the lives of four people. By saying that he is “embraced in shame”, he proves that he is not simply sad because of his sentence. He feels this melancholy and overwhelming desolation because he will be further isolated from civil society than he has always been; now, the entire town has tainted him as a murderer and nothing more. Despite his “great need of friendship and understanding”, he feels as though he will never be able to achieve a level of intimacy with multiple members of society because of the way people viewed him based on his actions (Page 297). This leads him to grip on to Mrs. Meier and have her hold his hand: in his mind, it is possible that it’s the only kind of physical intimacy with another human until his execution. Perry’s need for someone to confide in, and the sad, desolate picture that is painted, create an emotional response for the reader. This usage of pathos allows the readers to show compassion towards Perry and what he is going through.
Through a stark juxtaposition, Capote paints a picture of Dick as your average, brute, criminal, whereas Perry is depicted as more sensitive and soft, despite his actions.
Both of the murderers backgrounds are brought up and explained with great care. Capote makes sure to point out that Dick had a perfectly normal house life with good parents, while Perry lived with the burden of a horrible family life. He lived with knowing that his father abandoned his family, his mother was “an alcoholic [who] had strangled to death in her own vomit”, and that both his brother Jimmy and beloved sister Fern had committed suicide (110-111). Perry’s outlook on life has been corrupted because of the unwelcoming environment that he grew up in, with an alcoholic mother and a mostly indifferent father. He was not given a clear moral compass growing up, which is very important for the development of any person who wants to function properly in our society. This, combined with the trauma of losing his brother and sister, have helped add to Perry’s mental instability. With this knowledge, the reader is able to not scrutinize Perry so harshly. Dick, however, grew up with two hardworking and loving parents, and his school years were “quite the same as most other boys…” (277). One cannot sympathize with Dick in the way that he sympathizes with Perry because of Dick’s lack of suffering growing up. Perry’s emotional trauma lead him to behave the way he did, whereas Dick acted based on his brute personality and his enjoyment of the suffering of others. Having the accounts of both of their lives at one point in the novel side by side proves the juxtaposition that Capote is going for, and that Capote used this to portray Perry in a better
light.
Capote shows the reader the mind of the murderer in order to help the readers sympathize with Perry Smith.
Capote’s vivid figurative language provides a perfectly crafted mental picture for the readers to clearly see the events surrounding the plot, and in several cases, to pity Perry’s struggles. For example, on the day of Perry’s hanging, Capote creates an ominous mood surrounding the hanging, and then uses the perspective of the chief detective on the case, Dewey, to describe the feelings around Perry’s execution by saying, “Perry possessed a quality, the aura of an exiled animal, a creature walking wounded… [Dewey] remembered his first meeting with Perry… the dwarfish boy-man seated in the metal chair, his small booted feet not quite brushing the floor. And now when Dewey opened his eyes, that is what he saw: the same childish feet, tilted, tangling” (Capote 341). This very detailed description serves its purpose very effectively, in that it strikes a chord of compassion with the readers. Naturally, humans tend to pity the helpless, such as children or animals; Capote describes Perry as both in this quote. He describes Perry as an “exiled animal”, referring both to the quality of helplessness in his mannerisms and the solitude that Perry has endured throughout his life, with his terrible past. The reader remembers the suffering that Perry endured throughout his life, and the his desire for companionship, and can almost see Perry’s situation as unjust despite what he did. Humans are naturally inclined to wish to help small children, because they are incapable of helping themselves. Capote uses this instinct here, describing Perry’s feet as “childish”, and describing Perry physically as a “boy-man”. The reader imagines Perry as being helpless, meek, and fragile, despite the atrocities that Perry committed. Capote then juxtaposes this imagery of a vulnerable man by describing Perry’s position as he hangs- “tilted, tangling”. Capote uses the image of a childlike person, and corrupts this image with death and cruelty by hanging. Even if Perry deserved his sentence, and what happened to him was right by the law, the figurative language of several passages within the novel triggers impassioned response from the reader, allowing them to understand and show concern for Perry.
Through the use of pathos, Capote effectively conveys to the readers that there are multiple dimensions to a murderer, and that they should not be branded solely by their crimes. Although Perry was capable of ending the lives of four people, he still is extremely sensitive and emotional. When his execution was decided by the court, Mrs. Meier, the caretaker, overheard Perry’s reaction: “‘I heard [Perry] crying... Crying like a child… I went to him… He reached out his hand. He wanted me to hold his hand, and I did, I held his hand, and all he said was, ‘I’m embraced in shame’’” (308). As stated earlier, portraying Perry as being “like a child”, triggers an emotional response from the reader. The action of holding Mrs. Meier’s hand depicts him as defenseless and weak, and one pities this image because he is seemingly incapable of handling his emotions. One has to be reminded during the novel of the fact that this man, the man sobbing on the floor of his cell, is the same man who took the lives of four people. By saying that he is “embraced in shame”, he proves that he is not simply sad because of his sentence. He feels this melancholy and overwhelming desolation because he will be further isolated from civil society than he has always been; now, the entire town has tainted him as a murderer and nothing more. Despite his “great need of friendship and understanding”, he feels as though he will never be able to achieve a level of intimacy with multiple members of society because of the way people viewed him based on his actions (Page 297). This leads him to grip on to Mrs. Meier and have her hold his hand: in his mind, it is possible that it’s the only kind of physical intimacy with another human until his execution. Perry’s need for someone to confide in, and the sad, desolate picture that is painted, create an emotional response for the reader. This usage of pathos allows the readers to show compassion towards Perry and what he is going through.
Through a stark juxtaposition, Capote paints a picture of Dick as your average, brute, criminal, whereas Perry is depicted as more sensitive and soft, despite his actions.
Both of the murderers backgrounds are brought up and explained with great care. Capote makes sure to point out that Dick had a perfectly normal house life with good parents, while Perry lived with the burden of a horrible family life. He lived with knowing that his father abandoned his family, his mother was “an alcoholic [who] had strangled to death in her own vomit”, and that both his brother Jimmy and beloved sister Fern had committed suicide (110-111). Perry’s outlook on life has been corrupted because of the unwelcoming environment that he grew up in, with an alcoholic mother and a mostly indifferent father. He was not given a clear moral compass growing up, which is very important for the development of any person who wants to function properly in our society. This, combined with the trauma of losing his brother and sister, have helped add to Perry’s mental instability. With this knowledge, the reader is able to not scrutinize Perry so harshly. Dick, however, grew up with two hardworking and loving parents, and his school years were “quite the same as most other boys…” (277). One cannot sympathize with Dick in the way that he sympathizes with Perry because of Dick’s lack of suffering growing up. Perry’s emotional trauma lead him to behave the way he did, whereas Dick acted based on his brute personality and his enjoyment of the suffering of others. Having the accounts of both of their lives at one point in the novel side by side proves the juxtaposition that Capote is going for, and that Capote used this to portray Perry in a better
light.