Nature And Nurture In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

Within psychology, the topic of nature and nurture is dicussed. centers around whether an individual’s characteristics are gained through genetics or their environment. Nature is a biological approach, explaining that a person’s actions are dependent on their genes. Nurture is the belief that an individual’s actions are based upon the environment they grew up in, learning how to interact with the social customs around them. In Truman Capote’s nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood, Capote introduces the readers to one of the main killers of the Clutter family, Perry Smith. While conducting research for this novel, Capote and Smith’s relationship was questioned. Capote gained a perspective while writing this novel, influencing the readers to sympathize that it was Perry’s environment that caused him to carry the actions that he did. Due to Perry’s tragic experiences, it shaped him into a person that eventually murdered the Clutter family. Perry perpetrated petty crimes before his most known murder. Before committing larceny, his crimes escalated into the heinous crime against the Clutter family. The main question derived from this crime concerns the emotional state of Perry is in, what exactly caused Perry to commit such a heinous crime? Perry grew up alongside his four siblings. In his father’s letter to the Kansas State …show more content…
Perry stated himself that so many people had hurt him in his life that the Clutter family were the innocent surrogates who faced his rage. The information in the book influences the reader’s thoughts on the supposed “cold-blooded killers”. The readers are able to gain a perspective on what Perry had gone through. The reader can only wonder about the future Perry could have had if the environment he grew up in was better. If Perry never faced abuse and achieved the full education he wanted, would the Clutters not have been the victims of a cruel