Analysis of In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Truman Capote wrote In Cold Blood after the murder of the Clutter family, a tragic event which shook the Holcomb community. In his book, he uses syntax, imagery, tone, and more devices to convey his perspective on Holcomb and the Clutter Family.

This quote builds a mysterious, suspenseful tone that circulates throughout the entire book. It shows how the atmosphere of the town is about to change and that death is amongst them. This rhetorical device creates dramatic irony. Capote uses dramatic irony as he constantly shifts the scenes from the investigation to the lives’ of the killers within the book. The reader knows what will happen to the Clutter family while the characters are clueless. Mr. Johnson tells Mr. Clutter, "And from the looks of you, from what the medical reports tell us, we're likely to have you around a couple of weeks more," (47). Johnson tells Clutter this not long before he is killed. This quote used by Capote gives the reader chills as they know Mr. Clutter won’t be alive that long. Capote uses this statement to show how other characters in the book weren’t aware of what was bound to happen. Truman Capote uses flashbacks to characterize the killers and show their pasts. This rhetorical choice allows the reader to connect with the killers, understanding their motives and how their lives were leading up to the killing. Capote characterizes Dick when he states “Inez was a

Capote called In Cold Blood a non-fiction novel. What does this mean? The non-fiction is obvious. Do the techniques mentioned above suggest a reason for calling this particular non-fiction book a novel?

In his novel In Cold Blood, Truman Capote writes about the Clutter family murders, which took place in November 1959. Herbert Clutter, Bonnie Clutter, and two of their children (Nancy and Kenyon) are murdered in their Holcomb, Kansas home by Perry Smith and Richard “Dick” Hickock. Capote 's novel, though telling the tale of true events, took on fictional, literary elements, creating a genre of its own: the nonfiction novel. It is through these literary elements that Capote sought for his readers to relate with the two killers, or at least gain a greater understanding of how their minds worked. His characterization of both Perry and Dick is planned carefully throughout the book, and only towards the end does the reader truly get a grasp of their personalities. This withholding – perhaps even manipulation – of information and how Capote presents the information allows him to achieve his purpose for the novel.

All the actions before the murders are parallel to each other, which shows how he has established that they are all granted this humanity. Of course, he paints the family in a better, and more humane light than the killers. Even though he has sympathy for both of the killers, he favors Perry more than he does Dick. Right before the murders, Capote shows how Perry does not really want to do this or be a part of it. “Perry gripped the edge of the washbasin and hauled himself to a standing position.

In this chapter, Capote includes anecdotes and quotes that suggest the murders were plagued by inconsistencies and contradictions. As a result, the outcome of the crime was doomed, as were the lives of its perpetrators. First, the crime itself was conceptualized in prison, becoming a collaboration between individuals, who, by virtue of their previous actions, were untrustworthy. Based on recollections of a fellow inmate, Floyd Wells, Dick learned about the Clutter family and its affluence. Floyd described a safe in the house that contained cash. Robbing the Clutters, taking their cash and destroying witnesses became the essence of Dick and (later) Perry’s plan.

In the first chapter of “In Cold Blood”, Truman Capote switches between stories of the Clutter family, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. This transition allows Capote to focus on multiple accounts at once, and to connect the lives of the Clutter family to their killers. Dick and Perry are two essential characters in the first chapter as the beginning is told from Perry’s view. Dick Hickock is an uneducated somewhat charming man who didn't regret killing the Clutters. His “friendship” with Perry is mostly based on the lie that Perry killed someone with a bicycle chain. Perry could be described as relaxed and mild in temperament. Although he isn't well educated, he wants to gain knowledge. Dick

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

Although Capote constructs Holcomb as an idyllic, blissful place, there is a shift from the safe, untroubled town to a paranoid untrusting society; therefore, conveying the idea that events such as murders can disrupt even the most serene of places.

These emotions could go one of two ways- the first would be to feel pity for his parents, while seeing Dick in a slightly more pitiful light, rather than not even seeing him as human. Or it go go the second way, you feel pity for his parents, and begin to hate Dick even more for, not only what he did to the Clutter family, but also what he did to his parents. He not only ruined the Clutter family’s lives, he also ruined his life, his parents’ life, and even Perry’s life, even though he willingly participated in the murder. Capote’s use of pathos really humanizes the Clutter family murders, but also makes them more pitiful. They had a chance at a good life, Dick’s father even said that he used to be a good kid, but they threw it all away, robbing and killing an innocent family. Capote does a very good job of depicting Dick and Perry, creating a good balance between despicable and pitiful, while sharing their side of the story in a very accurate, yet interesting, way.

The best novels are the ones that connects with the reader and just toys with their emotions, as if they too were also in the story by using pathos, the most powerful appeal. This holds true with Truman Capote’s, In Cold Blood and his writing appealing to the reader’s emotions in the portrayal of Perry Edward Smith and Richard “Dick” Eugene Hickock, the two murders with an addition of Capote showing a great deal of favoritism to Perry over Dick. Throughout the novel, Capote uses tone and diction to allure the reader into the novel’s world and into every character’s life, just as if we knew their whole backstory.

The captivating story of In Cold Blood by Truman Capote is a beautifully written piece describing the unveiling of a family murder. This investigative, fast-paced and straightforward documentary provides a commentary of such violence and examines the details of the motiveless murders of four members of the Clutter family and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers. As this twisted novel unravels, Capote defines the themes of childhood influences relevant to the adulthood of the murderers, opposite personalities, and nature versus nurture.

Truman Capote wrote In Cold Blood with the intention of creating a new non-fiction genre, a creative spin on a newspaper article with the author, and his opinions and judgments completely absent from the text, leaving only the truth for the reader to interpret. The pages of In Cold Blood are filled with facts and first-hand accounts of the events surrounding the brutal murder of a wealthy unsuspecting family in Holcomb, Kansas. Author Truman Capote interviewed countless individuals to get an accurate depiction of every one affected by and every side of the murder. Although he declares himself an unbiased and opinion-free author, based on the extensive descriptions of one of the murderers, Perry Smith, there is much debate about this

For centuries, men and women have murdered each other for greed, lust, revenge, etc. However, in 1959, Truman Capote traveled to Holcomb, Kansas to discover the other side of murder. Truman Capote, author of In Cold Blood, offers a close examination of the horrid murder of the Clutter family. He explored how two men of different backgrounds, ethnicities, and personalities joined together to kill an innocent family for riches. Capote provides different points of view through each of his character’s eyes for his readers’ better understanding of the murderers. The use of juxtaposition compares and contrasts Dick to Perry, the murders. Capote succeeds with using juxtaposition to reveal the murderer's how he perceived them.

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.