Loss of Innocence in Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

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"All things truly wicked start from an innocence,” states Ernest Hemingway on his view of innocence. Innocence, what every youth possesses, is more accurately described as a state of unknowing but not ignorance- which connotation suggests a blissfully positive view of the world. Most youth are protected from the harsh realities of the adult world. Therefore they are able to maintain their state of innocence. While innocence normally wanes over time, sometimes innocence can be abruptly taken away. Some of the characters in Truman Capotes In Cold Blood lost their innocence due to the traumatic events they experienced in childhood and adulthood while some had none to begin with.

Innocence can be stolen but the desire to return to the innocent state cannot. A traumatic event changes the nature of a small town, yet leaves some residents with a fervent desire to return to normalcy. An isolated city such as Holcomb is thought to be safe from the corruption and crime of city life. In 1959, the town of Holcomb was devastated by the brutal killings of a beloved family, the Clutters. This event completely changed the attitudes of most of the town’s population, which one resident, Mryt Clare, stated had turned them into “snakes”. While the once blamelessness that had been evident in most of the towns folk had disappeared, Clare had hoped the town would stop “scaring each other to death”. Clare wanted the usual kindness and innocence that drew her to the town to be restored. The deaths of the Clutter family had taken away the towns trust in one another, but the deaths of the killers and re established some of the innocence they had lost. While no one can completely recover from a traumatic event, the town of Holcomb desired to return to a st...

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... become the victims. In the case there was never any innocence present in an individual, the choices they make will shape how corrupt they become. The town of Holcomb was traumatized by the unexpected murder of a respected family, which turned the community into distrusting gossipers. This event can take place in childhood, as it did for Perry Smith, who grew up with no protection from corruption by his parents and killed an entire family. Dick Hickock, impulsive and shallow, formulated a plan to rob and kill any witnesses present at the Clutter household. He was corrupt enough to go ahead with the plan and persuade Perry to kill the witnesses. Innocence must be protected to ensure that others may be kept innocent. The virtuous quality that most people have is connected to their innocence, but if their innocence is lost, their future may be condemned to sinfulness.

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