“...but Dick became convinced that Perry was that rarity, “a natural killer”-- absolutely sane, but conscienceless and capable of dealing, with or without motive, the coldest-blooded deathblows.” Page 55
Plain and simple, this quote identifies Perry as a sociopath. It’s fair to say that each man silently belittles the other just to prove their own masculinity to themselves. But when Dick thought this, the reader can sense the tinge of jealousy and amazement he has. He thought Perry was the rational one of the two, always sure to think things through. Yet, he made it look so easy when he slaughtered that family.
“There they unloaded the truck and made a pyramid of Nancy’s pillows, the bedclothes, the mattresses, the playroom couch; Stoecklein
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I mean, however it happened, I’ll bet right up to the last minute he didn’t believe it would. Because it couldn’t. Not to him.’”
Page 117
The author makes Mr. Clutter look like the bedrock of the family at the beginning of the novel. He’s the family’s anchor. Just like every other young child, you grow up believing that your dad is invincible (nobody can hurt us if Dad is here/I’m safe because Dad is here). His very presence precipitates calm. It would make sense that he would’ve never thought he’d be murdered, especially since his kids idolize him as a superhero.
“‘I was terribly sure trees and flowers were the same as birds or people. That they thought things and talked among themselves. And we could hear them if we really tried. It was just a matter of emptying your head of all other sounds. Being very quiet and listening very hard. Sometimes I still believe that. But one can never get quiet enough…’”
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It mentions trees and flowers having heartbeats and personalities. Everything has its purpose and works together. If one is able to really get in tune with nature and their surroundings, they can have peace of mind. Theres a certain calmness and serenity when you start to view things in a basic way. Talking trees and flowers is such a detached fantasy, but to some minds that allows people to view themselves wholisticly and part of a bigger plan.
“It is no shame to have a dirty face-- the shame comes when you keep it dirty”
Page 140
This quotation highlights the importance of realizing that hardships should be used as motivation to better oneself. Ups and downs are just characteristics of life. This quote preaches the power in channeling disappointment and anger into a more productive direction. Making mistakes is only human nature. The biggest takeaway from this is that the greatest shame in life simply comes from not being able to rise above hitting rock-bottom.
“But if you live your life without feeling and compassion for your fellowman--you are as an animal-- ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’ & happiness & peace of mind is not attained by living thus”
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The dynamic between Dick and Perry was always fragile and dominated by a need to determine who was more masculine, who was in charge. This is made easier by simply blaming the other one for any negative consequences. Dick and Perry weren't particularly fond of one another; they had differing hopes, long-term goals, and motives. A dynamic as fragile as this was easily shattered after their arrests, leading to quick confessions and a solution to the puzzling quadruple
“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” I try to live by this quote by Charles R. Swindoll every day. I feel that this is a strong quote with a lot of meaning behind it and, it can be interpreted in many ways. In my opinion, we should see things in a positive way all the time. We also should do what we love every day because you never know how close you are to the end.
Crucible Essay The title of this play is The Crucible written by Arthur Miller. The play is based on the witch trials that took place in Salem Massachusetts. Throughout the play most of the relationships consist of either or deceit and present the theme that these are not healthy and will only last for so long.
Although Perry can sometimes seem as a person who does not care about others opinions, his need for approval can be seen through how he got his relationship with Dick and the impression he leaves him with. While discussing the story of Perry beating up a colored man to death for no apparent reason, the author states, “It was a significant question, for his original interest in Perry, his assessment of Perry’s character and potentialities, was founded on the story Perry had once told him of how he had beaten a colored man to death”(109). By “his original interest in Perry”, the author is discussing Dick’s reason for getting close to Perry. Dick‘s sole reason for becoming Perry’s friend was because of the story he was told by Perry, which is
In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, Arthur intrigues audience time and time again with the historical context, social implications, and the Salem, Massachusetts Witchcraft Trials of 1962. Most members in Salem feel the need to prove their authority in ways such as accusing those who have done nothing or hanging them without proving their innocence first. The thing is authority is not made up by an authority figure, but by society. Miller’s The Crucible, demonstrates how people misuse their authority for cruel purposes through a fascinating plot, well-crafted characters, and well-set theme. During the hysteria of witchcraft trials in Salem, there were multiple figures of authority or per say the community who abused their power, Reverend Hale, Abigail Williams, Reverend Parris and Judge Danforth.
“The arrogant are wise in their own eyes, but the wise will recognize their lies” (Anonymous). This quote accurately describes how the events in the Salem Witch Trials unfolded. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, places the reader into the city of Salem, Massachusetts. Arthur Miller tells a fictional story based on real events of how people who were wise in their own eyes used others to better themselves in a community based on honesty. Three characters from the story stand apart in their arrogance. Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Reverend Parris were conceited and cared only about their personal gains. These characters used their power to blame, but not to be blamed or accused of alleged witchcraft which resulted in the deaths of several townspeople. Arthur Miller used these characters to illustrate how simple lies and rumors can spread and become an unstoppable force. With these simple but powerful accusations, well respected citizens soon became the targets of these characters manipulation.
To go along with Perry being secretive, he hid the story about killing King from everyone including Dick. He explains how he killed King but tells that he does not know why he killed him and that he had no incentive to. He has the same idea when in the process of killing the Clutter family. He actually liked the family and really enjoyed spending time with Nancy, but because of Dick, he helped him murder them. For example he explains “ Particularly if whatever was wrong was not your own fault but maybe “a thing you were born with” Look at this family! Look at what happened there!” This shows that Perry does have feelings and cared at one point or another.
Although “good and evil” have varying meanings to different people, the words are defined by both morality and actions. Good and evil aren't black and white concepts since there are different sects on the two topics. Evil is both inherent and not; some people are influenced to do bad things that shape them into “evil” beings. The dictionary definition of “good” is defined as being morally righteous. One of the separate sects is the idea that “good” people themselves can turn “bad” and vice versa. In addition, Influence is a very powerful thing that can end up controlling and changing the way someone acts and thinks. In the book, “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, the concept of judgement and influence convey senses of “evil” in Salem.
Hardships have the power to make a break a person, as Roman poet, Horace, once said, “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant”. Everyone has or will have to face adversity at some point in their lives, it is a universal truth. Although misfortunes usually have a negative connotation, depending on the struggle and how one deals with it, it is likely the person will come out of misfortune better prepared for the world. Contrastly, if a person never experienced any hardships, they would lack a sophisticated understanding of the world and lack the ability to handle difficult situations. Adversity gives people strength they can not obtain with success.
Early on, Capote makes Smith seem a more sympathetic character, “Yes, and he had told Dick was true… Sierra Madre?” (Capote, 17). Capote makes Perry seem almost childlike as he describes Perry’s naive plan to search for gold in the Sierra Madre, which causes the reader to wrongly assume Smith is innocent, or at least more so than Hickock. While describing the murder of the Clutter family, Perry states, “And I thought… So I went back upstairs,” (277). Truman Capote deliberately includes Perry’s feeling that “It was like [he] wasn’t a part of it. More as though [he] was reading a story,” to show the level of dissociation Perry experiences. Even after Smith is found guilty of murder, the reader still feels some sympathy for Perry as Capote hints that Perry cannot be held accountable for his own actions. Just before he is hanged, Smith remarks, “It would be meaningless to apologize for what I did. Even inappropriate. But I do. I apologize,” (392-393). Capote includes Perry’s last words, which carry significant emotional weight, to evoke a final sympathetic reaction in the reader. Through Perry Smith, Capote creates pathos to demonstrate the harsh nature of capital punishment and cause the reader to wonder if it is the right
“He peered at his reflection and disliked it. He bent down, took up a double handful of lukewarm water, and rubbed he mess from his face.” Pg 63
Although Dick and Perry may both be killers, Capote uses language to portray Perry as a victim of Dick;therefore, Perry is seen through the eyes of the reader as an innocent man who was simply taken advantage of and molded into a killer by Dick.
Reverend Samuel Parris is guilty for all innocent lives lost during the Salem Witch Trials. With Parris’s wrong accusations and selfishness, that helped lead those innocent people to their wrongful death. While falsely accusing others on purpose just to get what Parris wanted. Not to include his suspicions about Abby but had not really payed attention to it because of his hatred toward John Proctor. Now Reverend Parris guilty because of selfishness which made him blame others and even though he knew they were not guilty.
People can feel shame towards themselves because of poor decisions they have made and knowing that others are looking down on them.
In life, we all go through challenges and it’s either we face them or walk away from it. Growing up, people will always have different ways of handling things that happens in their life. We can’t know what could happen and how we handle it because life is unexpected. As I see it is that if you tend to keep making the same mistakes, you’ll never get passed your past and if you learn from all of your mistakes, you can move forward with your life. Everyone has faced their challenges in their own way and not everything in life will be easy because I can tell you right now that no one’s life is perfect. Everyone has their flaws, but they're perfect in their own way possible.