Truman Capote was first introduced to the story of the brutal killing of the Clutter family ??one morning in November of 1959, while flicking through The New York Times, I encountered on a deep inside page, this headline: Wealthy Farmer, 3 of Family Slain? (Capote, 3). He decided to write about the crime committed in Kansas, because ?murder was a theme not likely to darken and yellow with time? (Capote, 3). Capote promptly headed for Kansas, where he spent six years researching, solving, and writing about the unforgivable act. Truman Capote?s In Cold Blood, the final product of his years of research, is a masterfully written account of the cold-blooded murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas in 1959. In writing In Cold Blood, Capote presents the blood-curdling story of the brutal killing of the Clutter family in a journalistic style, and is able to exclude his point of view on all of the events; ?The most difficult thing in In Cold Blood is that I never appear in it, but I solved it?The whole thing was done from Al Dewey?s point of view? (Newsweek, 60). Because of Capote?s immeasurable talent for writing, he is able to present factual events, just as in a journalistic article, in a style that seems similar to a fiction novel. His focus in In Cold Blood is on the facts of the events which occur before, during, and after the murder of Mr. Clutter; Kenyon, his fifteen year old son; Nancy, his 16 year old daughter; and, Bonnie, his wife. Capote?s emphasis on the facts can be seen through his thorough account of what the murderers, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, took from the Clutter?s house, which was about thirty dollars from Mr. Clutter?s billfold, ??some change and a dollar or two? (239) from Mrs. Clutter, a silver dollar from Nancy, and a radio. Added up, Perry and Dick gained ?between forty and fifty dollars? (246) from their visit to the Clutter?s house. As well as being written in a journalistic style, In Cold Blood is written in a documentary style, which switches ??back and forth from the worlds of the Clutter family, and later of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, to the terrible half-world in which the two murderers live? (McCabe, 561). By writing in the documentary style, Capote is able to be specific about the thoughts, feelings, and actions of all of the characters separately, making each character?
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how truman capote's in cold blood is a masterfully written account of the cold-blooded murder in holcomb, kansas in 1959.
- Analyzes how capote's emphasis on facts can be seen through his thorough account of what the murderers, perry smith and dick hickock, took from the clutter?s house.
- Analyzes how capote's detective work and research on the clutter murders parallels al dewey?s work in the non-fiction novel. the combination of journalistic, documentary, and detective styles of writing makes in cold blood brilliant.
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- Passage Analysis In Cold Bloodanalytical essayThe main purpose of In Cold Blood by Truman Capote is to offer insight into the minds of the murderers of the Clutter family, Dick and Perry. However, asking an audience to be open-minded about men who have committed such heinous crimes is no easy task. Capote instead methodically and rather artfully combines imagery, parallel structure, and perspective in two separate passages found between pages 107-113 to contribute to his characterization of Perry and Dick where the former is deserving of sympathy and the latter, disgust.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how truman capote combines imagery, parallel structure, and perspective in two separate passages to contribute to his characterization of perry and dick where the former is deserving of sympathy and the latter, disgust.
- Analyzes how capote's repetition is a sign of the significance of his passages. he wants the reader to dig deeper and read between the lines to gain insight into the personalities and characters of perry and dick.
- Analyzes how capote excludes unpleasant diction describing the setting found in the first passage from dick's point-of-view, instead replacing them with perry’s personal anecdotes about his family life.
- Analyzes how capote uses unpleasant words to describe the setting where dick and perry have stopped to picnic at a "dusty road"
- Analyzes how capote's confession of only befriending perry because he had beaten a colored man to death discredits any notion of having good intentions behind any of his actions.
- Analyzes capote's consistent characterization of dick and perry. each detail included or excluded is done with a specific purpose to manipulate the reader into sharing the same opinions of each character.
804 wordsRead More - 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,
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how truman capote finds different ways to humanize the killers in his novel in cold blood. he begins by explaining the town of holcomb and the clutter family.
- Analyzes how perry smith, one of the clutter family murderers, grew up under extreme pressure and depression. his mother and father were professional rodeo performers who didn't turn much of a profit.
- Analyzes how capote humanized perry by giving him a past and present feeling towards the murder of the clutter family.
- Explains that dick hickock was the mastermind behind the murder of the clutter family, and perry, the shooter. dick grew up with loving parents who were no poorer than any other family.
- Analyzes dick's lack of remorse for his actions. he has no sense of right or wrong and cannot feel emotion for others.
- Analyzes how capote humanized the beasts in the story by explaining their pasts, which created their mental disorders, and giving them human attributes.
1485 wordsRead More - The Role Of The American Dream In In Cold Bloodanalytical essayIn 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.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how truman capote's "in cold blood" tells the story of the murderers and victims of a slaughter case in holcomb, kansas.
- Explains that the clutter family portrayed the american dream for all people in holcomb. they had a well liked father and mother, and successful children.
- Analyzes how perry's family was the opposite of the clutter family. he grew up in a broken family with no apparent dreams.
- Analyzes how dick's family differed from the portrayal of perry and the clutters because they were nice people, but the american dream for them was income.
- Analyzes how dicks and perry's families differ from the portrayal of the clutter family for the main reason that they never got to experience the american dream.
1177 wordsRead More - In Cold Blood by Truman Capoteanalytical essayTruman Capote establishes respect and trust in what he writes from with audience, ethos, through the use of an extensive variety of facts and statistics, logos. Capote uses so many dates, times, and other facts about the crime committed in the book and the subsequent investigation that the reader has to believe what the author is writing. The use of all these facts shows that Capote did his research and he interviewed, questioned, and obtained the opinions of every person that even slightly important to crime itself and the investigation/trial. The author is obviously very meticulous when it comes to dates and times; every important event in the book has a date and sometimes even a time of day to go with it. Some examples of dates included were the day of the murders (November 15th, 1959), dates of when Perry and Dick were here or there (December 31th, 1959- a small restaurant in Texas or noon on December 25th, 1959- beach in Miami Florida), date when the two criminals were apprehended (January 1st, 1960), dates when they were brought from this prison to that one and finally when they were brought to death’s row (April, 1960). Other small facts are also used by the author, like facts about the criminal’s early lives or experiences that they had, which could only have been obtained through extensive interviews with Perry and Dick. The use of all these logos by Capote establishes strong ethos, showing the reader that the author did more than enough research to show that he has the knowledge to write a whole book on the subject.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how truman capote establishes respect and trust in what he writes from with audience, ethos, through extensive facts and statistics, logos.
- Analyzes how capote uses pathos to make the reader sad or feel sympathy for a character in the book.
- Analyzes how capote uses similes and rhetorical questions to induce suspense for the reader. dramatic irony is used to describe the adventures of the murderers long before law enforcement agents know who committed the crime.
- Analyzes capote's use of parentheses to give information that is not vital to the book but the reader might just want to know.
- Opines that the book is a worthwhile read for anyone who likes crime and mystery. capote manages to tell two simultaneously occurring stories and not it choppy or hard to follow.
- Explains that an excerpt from the book where capote is describing perry and his hard life or sensitive side could be taken as an appeal to pathos.
- Analyzes how capote's use of imagery creates suspense and foreshadowing in the book.
1501 wordsRead More - Truman Capote's In Cold Blood: Orb Projectanalytical essayHISTORICAL CONTEXT: In Cold Blood, a 1966 book by author Truman Capote, tells the true story of the barbaric 1959 murders of a successful farmer from Holcomb, Kansas, Herbert Clutter, his wife, and two of their four children. When Capote was informed about the murder of these four innocent souls before the two selfish men were captured, he decided to travel to Kansas and write about the crime. Nelle Harper Lee, a childhood friend and fellow author, accompanied him and together they interviewed local residents and investigators assigned to the case. As a result, thousands of pages of notes were documented for Capote’s literary works. The murderers, Richard Hickock and Perry Smith, were arrested six weeks after the murders and after the criminals were found, tried, and convicted, Capote organized personal interviews with both Smith and Hickock. Capote portrayed Smith as the more sensitive and guilt-ridden of the two killers due to his fascination with Smith. Rumors of a relationship between Smith and Capote still linger to this day. The book was not completed until after Smith and Hickock were executed. Capote ended up spending six years dedicated to his book, which became the greatest crime seller at the time and is almost universally acknowledged as one of the best books of its type ever written.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how capote's 1966 book, cold blood, tells the true story of the barbaric 1959 murders of a successful farmer from holcomb, kansas, herbert clutter, his wife, and two of their four children.
- Analyzes how capote uses syntax, the arrangement of words and phrases, to create well-formed sentences in a language.
- Analyzes how capote uses emotional statements to draw readers in to his novel, "the answer". the juxtaposition of an ordinary day with the clutter's life and the "ordinary life" of dick and perry creates suspense.
- Analyzes the theme of loss of innocence in cold blood. the people of kansas have a positive outlook on life and their future, but after these tragedies their views on security and positivity can no longer be regained.
792 wordsRead More - Cold Bloodanalytical essayIn Truman Capote’s non-fiction novel In Cold Blood, the Clutter family’s murderers, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, are exposed like never before. The novel allows the reader to experience an intimate understanding of the murderer’s pasts, thoughts, and feelings. It goes into great detail of Smith and Hickock’s pasts which helps to explain the path of life they were walking leading up to the murder’s, as well as the thought’s that were running through their minds after the killings.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes truman capote's non-fiction novel in cold blood, which allows the reader to experience an intimate understanding of the murderers' pasts, thoughts, and feelings.
- Analyzes how perry smith's short fuse and dysfunctional background soured and tainted the final "picture."
- Describes richard "dick" hickock as a balanced, sane man, with decent grades and an abnormal athletic ability. he was married twice, divorced, and father of three boys.
- Explains that dick hickock and perry smith were inmate friends and maintained their friendship after their release from prison. the murders of four of the clutter family members were brutal and unexpected.
- Explains that perry smith and dick hickock were two very different men who came together in one of the most renowned and talked about murders in american history.
1000 wordsRead More - In Cold Blood Book Analysisanalytical essayIn 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.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how truman capote's in cold blood illuminates new insights into the minds of criminals, and how society tends to act as a whole.
- Analyzes the symbolism of the yellow parrot in perry smith's dreams. the clutter family represents american values, and achieving the american dream.
- Analyzes how capote uses recurring themes in in cold blood to emphasize the role of family and egotism in criminals.
- Analyzes how egotism is a motif within the novel. dick had an incessant desire to prove himself to others and felt vulnerable about his lack of wealth.
- Analyzes how capote uses the violent murder of the clutter family to expose a broader point about the hostile or uncaring relationship we have with the universe.
1053 wordsRead More - Truman Capote's In Cold Bloodanalytical essayTruman Capote’s non-fiction novel, In Cold Blood, was a breakthrough in literacy in that it was accredited as the first non-fiction novel. There was a lot of controversy when the book was first published because of the incredibility of the work. This could be expected in that time, because people where not familiar with the concept of non-fiction novels yet, but this is where the beauty of this style of writing lies, the recreation of the truth. It would have been impossible for Capote to have documented the occurrence fully, because he only read about the murder after it had happen, after all, this was not what he wanted to do. Capote got a lot of criticism for the book, because of him bending the truth, putting in scenes that never happened and his ways of gathering information, but people still saw the talent that went into creating the non-fiction novel. Truman Capote will forever be recognized for this novel and the contribution he made to literacy. In this essay we will be discussing the strengths and weaknesses of In Cold Blood when it delivers facts and the credibility of the work. We will also be discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the novel when Capote bends reality and ad some parts of fiction.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that truman capote's non-fiction novel, in cold blood, was a breakthrough in literacy.
- Explains that capote never intended for in cold blood to be a documentary of the murders that happened in the small town of holcomb.
- Analyzes how capote was not always truthful with dick and perry, and blatantly lied to them to get more information for his book, in cold blood. he changed perry's character to make people feel sorry for him.
- Analyzes how capote's in cold blood could not be seen as documented journalism. the novel is based on true accounts, but not with enough precision to be labeled as such.
- Analyzes how capote recreates what had happened before the murders. he splits the story in two to create more suspense.
- Analyzes how capote used a third-person, omniscient point of view in writing the non-fiction novel cold blood, which was formed by adding little bits of information created by .
- Opines that capote's in cold blood should not be seen as a documentary of true facts, but as what it is — he wanted to write non-fiction.
1238 wordsRead More - In Cold Blood: Nature vs Nurtureanalytical essayIn Truman Capote’s famous non-fiction novel, In Cold Blood, there is evidence that supports the injustices of the trial: death penalty. The final outcome of the trail was never to be any different than death. “Of all the people in all the world, the Clutters were the least likely to be murdered” (Capote 85). We know the two men who killed the Clutter family, Perry Smith and Bill Hickock, preplanned the crime with malice and forethought. Although the actions were crul and grusome, does Death Row fit what they did if their pasts, childhood environments and situation, are bad. Capote shows the effect of childhood on the killers and if the death penalty is fair. Capote gives the killers a voice to show their humanity by giving childhood accounts of their lives. He questions the justice of is the death penalty fair, and if inherent evil is a product of childhood or society. Is it nature or nurture? Capote gives a look into the minds of the killers and the nature vs. nurture theory. The detailed account the killers’ childhoods makes the reader sympathize with the Clutter family’s killers Smith and Hickock. Should they reserve the death penalty? Did Truman Capote take a stand on the death penalty? By giving the readers a detailed accounting of Perry Smith’s and Dick Hickock’s childhood, Capote sets up the reader for nurture vs. nature debate on the death penalty. The question then becomes, do the effects (if any) caused by environment in childhood make for a trained killer or a natural born one?
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how capote shows the effect of childhood on the killers and if the death penalty is fair.
- Analyzes how capote uses different voices to tell the story, creating an intimacy between the readers and the murders. this intimacy leads to sympathy, which can be disturbing.
- Explains that perry smith came from a dysfunctional family. his parents divorced after years of domestic violence, his mother became an alcoholic, and his cottage mistress severely beat and humiliated him for wetting the bed.
- Opines that dick hickock had an excellent family, but struggled with finances. he was an outstanding athlete and a good student.
- Analyzes how capote came down firmly on the side of nurture and environment in his book in cold blood. he portrayed smith as the gentler of the two killers.
- Analyzes how capote developed a close relationship with smith during his time on death row, making his unbiased writing biased. he used the double handing as the dramatic ending to in cold blood.
877 wordsRead More - Ethical Behavior in the Film Capoteanalytical essayThe film Capote, based on the how the writer of “In Cold Blood” did his research to write his book, a masterpiece of literature, has portrayed Capote’s behavior during his research vividly. Capote’s behavior during the years Perry waits on death row in order to get personal testimony of the night of killings is a controversial topic. Some argue that what Capote did was absolutely necessary for an ambitious writer to create such a master piece while other argue that human ethics is more important than the creation of an ideal “non-fiction noble” and the paths he took to get there are morally ambiguous. Even though he gave the world a milestone in literature, his behaviors seem unethical because he lied, pretended to be a friend of an accused murderer who was in a death row, and did not have any empathy to him.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how capote's behavior during the years perry waits on death row in order to get personal testimony of the night of killings is a controversial topic.
- Analyzes how capote lied to perry smith and the police for his benefits, and how he bribed a prison warren to attain access to the man involved in the clutter family murder case.
- Analyzes how capote pretended to be perry's friend in order to obtain information about the murders of the clutter family out of smith.
- Analyzes how capote had no empathy towards perry. he arranged for some lawyers to represent the convicted killers to eyewitness their hanging event.
- Opines that capote's behavior during his research to write the book is not ethical. he has crossed the line by lying others, pretending to be someone’s friend, and doing some inhuman behavior while perry waits on death row.
639 wordsRead More