In the nonfiction novel, “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote, the author tells a story of the murderers and victims of a slaughter case in Holcomb, Kansas. Instead of writing a book on the murder case as a crime report, the author decides to write about the people. The people we learn about are the killers, Dick and Perry, and the murdered family, the Clutters. The author describes how each family was and makes the portrayals of Dick and Perry’s family different from the Clutters.The portrayal of the Clutters and of Dick and Perry’s families, was used to describe what the American Dream was for each character. In the beginning we learn about what type of family the Clutters were and how they represented the American Dream for the people of Holcomb. …show more content…
We also learn how the American Dream has changed for Perry, Dick and for everyone living in Kansas, throughout the book. The American Dream is very important, as we learn how it differed for each character depending on their portrayal of their families. The importance of the author using the portrayals of the characters families was to emphasize the American Dream for different types of people. 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 …show more content…
He grew up in a different environment with a broken family with no apparent dreams. As a young boy his parents separated and he was forced to go with his mother. He later ran away to be with his father who turned him down and ended up being abandoned by his family completely. He then came to stay at a catholic orphanage, where he was abused by nuns and caregivers. His father finally decided to take him into his care and together they got away and traveled, ending his education before passing the third grade which bothered him as he became older. Perry joined the marines and army, then came back to relocate his father. Him and his father had a breakthrough over starvation, leaving Perry with no one else to turn to and therefore getting involved in committing crimes. Once he got caught and jailed, his mother had died and his brother and sister had both committed suicide. By all his experiences we can say Perry definitely lived a different life and his family portrayal was very different from the Clutters. After so much abandonment and abuse, we can understand why he almost feels nothing and how growing up has affected him. The American Dream for Perry might not have been a “perfect family” but may have been to find something with order, and control. The dream Perry’s family would be focused on is reaching a decent life as their past has been
In Cold Blood is a true account of a multiple murder case that took place in Holcomb, Kansas in 1959, written by Truman Capote. Capote’s attention to detail causes the reader to gain an extreme interest in the Clutter family even though they were an ordinary family. The suspense that is a result of minimal facts and descriptive settings was an elaborate stylistic technique that gave effective results throughout the book. His ability to make this account of a horrid crime more than just a newspaper description was a great success as a base of his many literary devices, not just is great focus to small details.
The theme of the book as it relates to the American Dream is those who take advantage by becoming covetous and acquisitive. The Clutters in this book are described as the ideal American Dream family. Herb Clutter is the head man of the house who makes sure that his family and financial situations are in order. Herb started off with a struggle but eventually worked hard to become the man he became. Even though they were viewed as a rich family toward the community they did have underlying issues that weren’t visible to the outside world. Dick and Perry on the other hand are those who were unable to achieve the American Dream so they were willing to do anything to become successful the easy way even if that means stealing from others. They
The disruption of an all-American society plays a key factor in In Cold Blood because of the effect it has on the story. In Holcomb, Kansas, the community’s order is disrupted through the murdering of the Clutter family. “Nevertheless, when the community lost the ...
During his childhood, Perry experienced and was marked by brutality and lack of concern on the part of both parents (Capote 296). Dr. Jones gives a very detailed description of Perry's behavior. He says that Perry, who grew up without love, direction, or m...
In Cold Blood, a novel written by Truman Capote and published in 1966, is, though written like fiction, a true account of the murder of the Clutter family of Holcomb, Kansas in 1959. This evocative story illuminates new insights into the minds of criminals, and how society tends to act as a whole, and achieves its purpose by utilizing many of the techniques presented in Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor. In In Cold Blood, Capote uses symbols of escape and American values, and recurring themes of egotism and family to provide a new perspective on crime and illustrate an in-depth look at why people do the things they do.
This novel takes place in Holcomb, Kansas. The Clutters live in the area, on River Valley Farm. It is very clear from the introduction of the book that they are going to be murdered. The story threads between this family and Perry Smith and Dick Hickock. The Clutters go on about their daily activities, having no idea what is to come. Dick and Perry slowly make their way towards the Clutter farm, with an evil plan to carry out. As they make their way to the farm, the duo make stops for supplies. Perry is shown to have came for parole, but not finding an old friend, he agrees to work with Dick. Capote goes back and forth between characters, with no correlation, only to who is the most important at any given time during the case. Dick and Perry eventually arrive at the Clutter home.
The Clutters, themselves, were the embodiment of the American dream and they seemed to be content with what they had already. However, for Dick and Perry, this was not the case. Perry suffered throughout his childhood and still has trauma from it, but his American dream was very ordinary, which was to be famous. It is seen in one of his theatrical fantasies that Perry was a star who advertised himself as “The OneMan Symphony” named Perry O'Parsons. He also wanted a higher education than the one he had, which would have been pass third grade since he stopped at third grade due to his father. One of the main reasons why Perry resented his sister and father was due to the education that he didn’t receive. Dick also yearned to obtain a higher education, but due to his financial situation he wasn’t able to study to become an engineer. Dick proclaimed, “I wanted to study engineering, but even with a scholarship, deals like that cost plenty. I don't know, it seemed safer to get a job” (Capote 137). Even Dick’s parents noticed as his father felt that Dick resented not being able to go to college. Also, Dick desired wealth, which explained the motive for targeting the Clutters, the writing of the bad checks, and it also may explain why he stole so frequently. Between Dick, Perry, and the Clutters, the American Dream were mostly contrasting against each
Capote's structure in In Cold Blood is a subject that deserves discussion. The book is told from two alternating perspectives, that of the Clutter family who are the victims, and that of the two murderers, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. The different perspectives allow the reader to relive both sides of the story; Capote presents them without bias. Capote masterfully utilizes the third person omniscient point of view to express the two perspectives. The non-chronological sequencing of some events emphasizes key scenes.
In the novel, Mr. Clutter was described as a wealthy white man, “Always certain of what he wanted from the world, Mr. Clutter had in large measure obtained it” (Capote 7). According to Thomas Fahy, who wrote Understanding Truman Capote, “Capote’s writing captures the isolation, marginalization, and persecut of those who deviated from or failed to achieve white middle-class ideals and highlights the artificiality of mainstream idealizations about American culture” (Fahy). Both quotes show how Capote was able to create the idea of the Dream in which a white male was able to be wealthy and have a family but ultimately gets killed. Capote also wrote about how after the killers were ultimately executed families were still afraid to live the ideals of what was once thought as the American Dream in Kansas, “The dream of settling on his farm had not come true, for his wife’s fear of living in that sort of isolation had never lessened” (Capote 341). This can also be shown by a snippet in an article of the book, “The quiet rural community was shocked by the senseless killings of one of its most well-liked families,” (O’Reilly). Even after the conviction of the killers the fear was never lifted. People began to look at each other differently, changing what was once thought to be an ideal lifestyle of trusting one each other enough to leave doors unlocked. As a result, Capote’s writing reflects a “critical engagement” with the American culture that tests one to reevaluate the understanding of the 1940’s and 1950’s (Fahy). One main concept of the Dream, was when that when achieved, nothing else wrong would be able to happen. That once it was reached, life would be complete, but that was proved to be untrue. Causing people to reexamine what was believed for many years and contemplate how one moves about the future of
The American Dream provides a uniformed idea of a goal that is seldomly achieved. It includes having a successful job, a healthy family, and happiness achieved through hard work and determination. Those born and raised well with strict parents often attain the American Dream, but those raised with abusive parents that live separately often find the American Dream extremely difficult to achieve. However, this idealistic stereotype can be false. Surprisingly, in the book In Cold Blood by Truman Capote the American Dream poses as a difficulty to maintain and achieve by the Clutter family, Perry Smith, Dick Hickock, and Floyd Wells.
...many realities that exist within America's society and that most do not fit the typical American dream. Even those people that achieve some measure of success, as Ralph did, are often plagued by personal problems that outweigh any measure of wealth or reputation. The lie of the American dream is that it promises to fix humanity's problems with material gain – it promises happiness from things that are not capable of giving it. And so, followers are all left unfulfilled by the great American dream, left with a reality that is much different than what was so easily guaranteed. The reality that everyone experiences, whether it is the suburban soccer mom or the tired immigrant, is that the dream is mostly unachievable. The reality we think exists is only a myth – a true mythological reality.
Each character had the idea of their own American Dream, whether it was based on money, status, happiness, and so on. Yet unfortunately, only the reader realizes that they will never be fulfilled. George and Lennie’s dream of their own ranch conveyed to me as their own image of Heaven. The opening descriptions of Section One, such as the water was “twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight” quoted in chapter 1, convey to me on how Lennie and George travel on their journey to hopefully recreate these experiences as their ranch, for the sands were “a few miles south of Soledad” also stated in chapter 1, a land represented of loneliness and depression, which ...
He even goes so far as to say the Clutters are the most widely known people in town which may be due to the modesty and honorability of the family. Mr. Clutter “was known for his equanimity, his charitableness, and the fact that he paid good wages and distributed frequent bonuses…” (Capote, page 10). The fact that Herb Clutter is extremely giving despite not being extremely wealthy shows his humility. This reflects positively on the entire middle class in America as it shows them as generous
While often viewed as a commentary on human behavior, In Cold Blood criticizes the American Dream through providing a perspective on equal opportunity vs equal outcome, and how it fits in the whole picture of America. The book does it by providing two extremely contrasting examples of how the American Dream played out. On one hand there is the Clutters which have what is viewed as the traditional American dream. A full loving family, a nice house, stable jobs, and are well known within their small community. Dick and Perry are viewed as their antithesis. Both of them have rougher backgrounds and even rougher outcomes. They are viewed as despicable thugs. While the reader might initially agree with this sentiment, as the book progresses and more information is
In 1966, Truman Capote published the novel In Cold Blood that pierced the boundaries of literary genres, as he narrated the events of the 1959 Clutter family massacre in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas and the quest that took place afterwards through the perspectives both the murderers and those looking for them. As Capote bends these genre normalities, he ventures with the killers and the detectives and describes the murderers’ lives in-depth to further characterize Dick Hickock and Perry Smith--their psychological states and the possible contributing factors to their undeniable personality disorders. The two killers are ultimately diagnosed by a mental health professional with mental illnesses rather than chronic personality disorders,