In Cold Blood Literary Analysis - 1577 Words

Literary Analysis of In Cold Blood In Cold Blood, written by Truman Capote, is a book that encloses the true story of a family, the Clutters, whose lives were brutally ended by the barrel of a 12-gauge shotgun. The killers were 2 men, each with 2 different backgrounds and personalities, each with his own reasons to take part in such a harrowing deed. Capote illustrates the events leading up to the murder in sharp detail and describes its aftermath with such a perspective that one feels that he is right there with the culprits, whose names are Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. They had very critical roles in the murder and how they themselves were caught, and in many ways they were foils for one another. Through Capotes extensive descriptions†¦show more content†¦After high school, Dick took several small-time jobs, including working at a Khan 3 motor company, when I [Dick] had an automobile wreck with a company car. I was in the hospital several days with extensive head injuries (Capote 278). The car accident caused his face to be slightly maligned, and, as concluded by Dr. Jones, caused residual brain damage and instability in his personality (Capote 286). Dicks father also confirmed that Dick had changed after the crash, expressing that He just wasnt the same boy (Capote 255). After experiencing the crash, many parts of Dicks life began to go downhill. His marital life twisted woefully, and when all was said and done, he had gone through 2 marriages. He did not have a steady job anymore, and he began to commit petty crimes, such as writing bad checks and stealing. The latter resulted in him being in jail, where he had met Perry, who was behind bars for burglary as well, among other charges. Dick and Perry had both agreed to kill the Clutters, however when the time came, Dick showed signs of doubt and lingered, whil e Perry had almost no hesitation. This seems to point back to each mans past, where Perry, who had a rougher childhood, did not seem to think twice about killing the family. His scarred adolescence points to a more cold-hearted, bitter, and lonely person, while Dicks more favorable youth showed signs of mercy and conscience. Perry and Dicks relations with other people shapedShow MoreRelatedIn Cold Blood Literary Analysis765 Words   |  4 PagesIn the nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood, written by Truman Capote a family The Clutter Family’ is brutally murdered by, Perry Edward Smith and Richard Eugene Hickock, two killers in the small farming community of Holcomb, Kansas. Writer Truman Capote was born on September 30, 1924, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Capotes nonfiction novels are seen as literary masterpieces. In Cold Blood is a non-fiction novel it was first published in 1966 and it details the deaths of the Clutter family, in the smallRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of In Cold Bl ood By Truman Capote1080 Words   |  5 Pages Literary Analysis of In Cold Blood The nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote takes place in the small and quiet town of Holcomb, Kansas. Capote takes the reader through the sequence of events that transpired before, during, and after the Clutter family was murdered on November 15, 1959. He describes in detail the background of each of the main characters. This helps to clarify the motives of Richard Hickock and Perry Smith as they murder the Clutters. He illustrates how a positive orRead MoreTruman Capote and Postmodernism1398 Words   |  6 Pagesas with penning great words, was a writer who became as well-known for his late-night talk show appearances as for his prose† (Patterson 1). Capote was a literary pop star at the height of his fame in 1966, after he had written such classic books as, Other Rooms, Other Voices, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and In Cold Blood. Postmodernism was a literary period that began after the Second World War and was a rejection of traditional writing techniques. It u sed fragmented sentences and questionable narratorsRead MoreTruman Capote s The Cold Blood Essay1472 Words   |  6 PagesTruman Capote’s novel â€Å"In cold blood† was identified as a new form of non-fiction genre in which an objective approach was taken by the author, as his opinions and judgements were absent from the text, leaving only the truth for the reader to interpret. Capote’s narrative method allows the murders to be explained and rationalised within a framework of middle-class ideology and psychological analysis (Hollowell, 1997). Kazin (reference) conveys that the novel â€Å"In cold blood† creates a strong connectionRead MoreTruman Capotes In Cold Blood1591 Words   |  7 Pagesand in Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, the idealistic dream is critically evaluated. In this paper, I will explain the context of the work, and then I will compare and contrast Dick any Perry (the murderers) with the Clutter family (the murdered) in relation t o the theme of the fragility of the American Dream. Capote wrote what he considered to be the first nonfiction novel. Simply defined a nonfiction novel is one in which an event is reported using traditional literary and rhetorical conventionsRead More Truman Capotes In Cold Blood: Novel vs Movie Essay1611 Words   |  7 Pages â€Å"In Cold Blood†, is a nonfiction story by Truman Capote. This book presents one of the worst murders in history. It was a best seller worldwide, and turned into a successful movie. As usual the movie does not stand up to the book. If you want more knowledge of the townspeople, victims and more insight into the trial, more background details of the murders, you should read the book. If you are interested in history and a good murder mystery all in the confines of a book cover, read In Cold BloodRead MoreMix of Journalism and Fiction in Truman Capotes In Cold Blood785 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Hollowells, critical analysis of Truman Capotes novel In Cold Blood focuses on the way Capote used journali sm and fiction to try and create a new form of writing (82-84). First, Capote involves his reader. This immediacy, this spellbinding you-are-there effect, comes less from the sensational facts (which are underplayed) than from the fictive techniques Capote employs (Hollowell 82). Capote takes historical facts and brings in scenes, dialogue, and point of view to help draw theRead MoreThe Murder Of The Clutter Family1135 Words   |  5 Pagesto research the killings. In the course of six years bringing this narrative together, Capote began taking drugs and drinking heavily due to the dark nature of the book. Truman Capote tells the true story of a family murdered in In Cold Blood, through character analysis and symbolism to prove nature is a stronger force than nature in shaping a person’s character. Capote expresses his idea of nature vs. nurture in Dick Hickock and Perry Smith and whether killers are born or made. With this in mindRead MoreCritical Analysis of Wilfred Owens poem Arms and the Boy1660 Words   |  7 PagesEng 432 Outline Critical Analysis of Wilfred Owens poem Arms and the Boy I. Introduction: 1. Introducing what is going to be discussed in the paper (analysis of Arms and the Boy , its relation to one of Owens poem). 2. Thesis Statement : Wilfred Owens poem Arms and the Boy can be discussed to represent the horror of war. II. Body: 1. Owen was a soldier and a modern poet who was known as anti-war poet. A. A summary of Owens poetry in general . B. His representation of the horror of war in hisRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Cold Mountain 1298 Words   |  6 PagesLiterary Analysis Charles Frazier’s first novel, Cold Mountain, has earned him a great amount of notoriety. From having a film adaptation of his novel in 2003, to receiving a National Book Award in fiction in 1997. Cold Mountain opens with a quotation from a journal entry by Charles Darwin: â€Å"It is difficult to believe in the dreadful but quiet war of organic beings, going on in the peaceful woods and smiling fields.† And indeed, Frazier’s acclaimed novel describes a war of beings built of flesh