Holcomb, Kansas in Capote’s eyes is described as uninteresting and dull. He uses diction and imagery to make Holcomb out to be just the same as any other small town, plain and boring. And with using imagery to describe the area with miniscule detail, Capote makes the town seem almost barren. Alongside that, all of Capote’s details include mostly scenery or events to give better imagery of the town as a whole. The details that go into the writing to describe Holcomb are so small and abrupt to the point that you could easily glance over them. “The land is flat, and the views are awesomely extensive; horses, herds of cattle, a white cluster of grain elevators rising as gracefully as Greek temples are visible long before a traveler reaches them.” …show more content…
“Down by the depot, the postmistress, a gaunt woman who wears a rawhide jacket and denims and cowboy boots, presides over a falling-apart post office.” (Capote pg. 19) When describing people, he normally tells what they wear and what expressions they have. When describing places, he will usually use the scenery to his advantage. “At one end of the town stands a stark old stucco structure, the roof of which supports an electric sign -DANCE- but the dancing has ceased and the advertisement has been dark for several years.” (Capote pg. 19) Capote mostly makes the town seem rundown and vacant. “No passenger trains do-only the occasional freight.” (Capote pg.19) Everything he describes is barren wasteland except for the school. “And that, really, is all. Unless you include, as one must, the Holcomb School, a good-looking establishment, which reveals a circumstance that the appearance of the community otherwise camouflages.” (Capote pg. 19) The new school is really what looks to be the only good thing about Holcomb …show more content…
“Holcomb, too, can be seen from great distances. Not that there is much to see.” (Capote pg. 18) Capote claims that there is not much to see in Holcomb, therefore giving a direct opinion. “After rain, or when snowfalls thaw, the streets, unnamed, unshaded, unpaved, turn from the thickest dust into the direst mud.” (Capote pg. 18) He includes that the even the streets are unnamed. That alone tells a lot about the economy of Holcomb. They didn’t even put the effort in to name or pave the streets. “Up on the highway, there are two filling stations, one of which doubles as a meagerly supplied grocery store.” (Capote pg. 19) This quote shows that they do not have enough funds to have more than one grocery store or even have the one they own stocked with items. I fully believe in Capote’s
Throughout the first part of In Cold Blood, “The Last to See Them Alive,” the reader can find extensive descriptions of the characters and setting. Much of the first forty pages is Capote giving elaborate descriptions of the Clutters and of the Holcomb area. For example, Capote gives us insight on Nancy’s personality when one of the
Capote in his book In Cold Blood set out to create an image of the murders and their motives with the use of rhetorical devices. He uses certain devices, such as diction and syntax to give each character their own distinct personality and also develops their characteristic and tendencies as a person as well. Capote also brings the characters to life with the switching of tone between them and with the things they say about themselves and events going on in the story. Another way Capote develops the reader's perception of the murderers was by the use of imagery to draw the reader a picture in their minds to what the character would look like face to face. With all of these combined he gave each murderer their own personality and views, ultimately
The story takes place in Annadel, a rural town seated in Justice County of southwestern West Virginia, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The author does a fantastic job bringing the reader to the setting through the story being depicted by four different characters’ self narrated stories, which effectively puts the reader in the character’s shoes. In addition, a unique trait is added, with the dialogue being written in a presumably region and period specific style southern dialect. This feature not only makes the reader feel as though they are there at that time and place, but also provides for a more interesting read. While the unique style added to the dia...
Capote begins the novel with a complete description of not only the town as a whole, but also the people and landmark buildings, which allows Capote to characterize the town completely. In the first line of the passage Capote uses the rhetoric of diction and imagery, to not only expose the surroundings to the audiences, but also to begin the higher and implicit meanings of his words. “Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas, a lonesome area”, this quote from the passage provides the implicit understanding that the land surrounding this town is unkempt, and lacks human interference. The “high wheat plains” act as a barrier to the outside world that those who live in the village, want to stay isolated from. The ending of the same line uses diction to explicitly show that this one little area is divorced from other communities. “Area that other Kansans call “out there””, shows that even to people who live in Kansas, which Americans consider “out there” can call this town “out there” providing exemplary evidence to Capote’s purpose of proving the seclusion of the village. “The countryside, with its hard blue skies and desert- clear air”, shows the use of diction and implicit meaning. ...
The contrast between the dark introductory scene with that of the quiet farmhouse scene helps to build the difference between the outsider (Capote) and his new friends at the party. His rather charismatic and friendly rapport endears him to the crow encircling him to hear his juicy tales about Jimmy Baldwin; who seemingly has a new novel in its final stage. This chatter seems to be his initial entry strategy into this rather quiet Holcombe town, Kansas. He therefore meticulously uses his friendly stature coupled by odd mannerisms, and the welcoming nature of the locals to go about his investigative business.
Capote transitions next into a reflective and somewhat didactic tone in the second chapter. The author begins to give the reader a more in-depth understanding of every character's situation and opinion. This chapter has a sequence of interviews with the townspeople which better illustrates the public ...
Jill McCorkle's Ferris Beach, a contemporary novel, shares numerous characteristics with Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel written in the 1960's. Like To Kill a Mockingbird, McCorkle's novel documents the life of a young girl in a small southern town. The two narrators, Kate Burns and Scout Finch, endure difficult encounters. A study of these main characters reveals the parallels and differences of the two novels. Jill McCorkle duplicates character similarities and rape from Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird to show the reader how young girls think and develop.
Truman Capote finds different ways to humanize the killers throughout his novel In Cold Blood. He begins this novel by explaining the town of Holcomb and the Clutter family. He makes them an honest, loving, wholesome family that play a central role in the town. They play a prominent role in everyone’s lives to create better well-being and opportunity. Capote ends his beginning explanation of the plot by saying, “The suffering. The horror. They were dead. A whole family. Gentle, kindly people, people I knew --- murdered. You had to believe it, because it was really true” (Capote 66). Despite their kindness to the town, someone had the mental drive to murder them. Only a monster could do such a thing --- a mindless beast. However,
Although Perry lives a complicated life and it’s hard to explain the way he thinks, Truman Capote utilizes rhetorical devices such as imagery and metaphors to make clear his past life, thus relaying what drives him to make the choices he makes.
In Holcomb, a village located in the southern west of Kansas, transformed into a well-known community after the gruesome murders of the Clutters. “Until one morning in mid-November of 1959, few Americans, in fact, few Kansans-had ever heard of Holcomb”(5). The dash makes a sudden pause emphasizing the effect the murders of the Clutters had on the village by describing the setting. In that quote, Capote uses the dash to break the thought since, at the beginning, Capote clarifies that few people knew where Holcomb was located and then interrupts his own thought by using the dash to clarify that few Kansans ever heard of Holcomb. Therefore, by using the dashes, the setting is implied and described as an isolated lonely place, in which everyone knew each other, until “mid-November of 1959” when the murders occurred. “Since the announcement of Hickock’s confession on Sunday evening, newsmen of every style had assembled in Garden City: representatives of the major wire services, photographers, newsreel and television cameramen, reporters...
Until Part 3 of the book, "Answer," Capote's method emphasizes the mysterious, evasive nature of the crimes and their effects on the townsfolk of Holcomb, Kansas. Because he does not allow the author to speak in his own, first-person voice, Dewey's role is critical in that he acts as the central intelligence guiding our integration of plot elements. His motives and desires allow readers to identify with the eventual capture and punishment of the suspects. The confession scene promises to release pent-up curiosity about the crimes, which up to this point have been presented as motiveless and inexplicable. Our anticipation takes its cue from Dewey's solemn vow when first encountering the murder scene: "However long it takes, it may be the rest of my life, I'm going to know what happened in that house: the why and the who.'' (Truman Capote, 80) Here, we as readers are compelled to sympathize with Dewey in his quest to discover what monster(s) would commit such a crime.
The Clutter family portrayed the American dream for all people in Holcomb, as they are described to be almost the perfect family, or dream family. The Clutters are a strong family of 6 with a well liked father and mother, and successful children. Their family is well known throughout the village of Holcomb and are the most idolized. Mr.Clutter represents what every man should be, as he was “the community’s most widely known citizen” and
In this novel; To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates the perspectives of mid-1900’s and the controversies which existed. Lee shows how two young children learn through the eyes of their father, Atticus Finch. Harper Lee also illustrates how the children of Maycomb gain a new perspective of surroundings enhancing their knowledge. Harper Lee emphasizes the significance of the phrase ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ throughout the novel by showing how its a sin to kill a Mockingbird; which represents peace and innocence. Lee depicts the event of a black man is accused of a crime he didn't commit, and how a white lawyer defends his case. Harper lee leaves a deep-rooted message in this novel; to respect all humanity. Harper Lee illuminates the effect
Upon reading the first paragraph, Shirley Jackson describes the town in general. The town is first mentioned in the opening paragraph where she sets the location in the town square. She puts in perspective the location of the square "between the post office and the bank" (196). This visualizes for the reader what a small town this is, since everything seems to be centralized at or near the town square. This is also key in that the town square is the location for the remaining part of the story. The town square is an important location for the setting since the ending of the story will be set in this location. Also, Shirley Jackson creates a comfortable atmosphere while describing the residents of the town. First, she describes the children gathering together and breaking into "boisterous play"(196). Also, the children are described as gathering rocks, which is an action of many normal children. She described the men as gathering together and talking about "planting and rain, tractors and taxes"(196). Finally, she describes the women of this community as "exchanging bits of gossip"(196) which is a common stereotype of women. She creates a mood for the reader of the town and residents of this town on a normal summer morning.
The setting of the town is described by the author as that of any normal rural