Although Truman Capote appears to emphasize the tragedy of the murders, his main assertion is the validation of Perry’s humanity through exploring Perry’s past, innermost thoughts, and the effect Dick has had on them, therefore, demonstrating that even those with potential to do good can be corrupted by evil. Truman Capote places two contrasting personalities side by side to, subtly, draw attention to Perry’s reasoning for his motivation to do whatever it takes to please Dick. The juxtaposition of Perry describing his dream and Dick’s utter lack of interest reflects the contrast between the two characters--Perry the dreamer and Dick the (bored and unsympathetic) realist: “‘Now comes the part [of the dream] it makes me sweat even to think about.
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The juxtaposition accentuates the differences in the two foils as Perry lies about having previously killed a man whilst Dick takes a life for fun: “‘Sure I did [kill him]. Only--a nigger. It’s not the same’ [...] A hundred feet ahead, a dog trotted along the side of the road. Dick swerved toward it [...] and the impact, as it met the car, was little more than what a bird might make. But Dick was satisfied” (112). By placing these two lines within a close vicinity of each other, Capote draws a line between the characters, highlighting their differences. Dividing acceptable from wrong. Dividing good from evil. Perry is but a little pet, a dog, to Dick. Something he can errantly disregard. Perry the puppy desperately tries time and time again to prove himself to his master Dick, this time lying to him about killing a man in order to gain his respect, trust, approval, affection, anything. Yet Dick can’t be bothered by Perry’s apparent veneer and incessant barking, as he is too occupied with his demented task at hand. As he runs over the mangy mutt, he not only crushes the life out of the canine, but also the last shred of Perry’s hope; Dick is satisfied with his assertion of dominance over his companion because it proves he can kill anything at any time, meanwhile Little Perry couldn’t even kill a colored man. Perry is all bark and no bite,
The juxtaposition accentuates the differences in the two foils as Perry lies about having previously killed a man whilst Dick takes a life for fun: “‘Sure I did [kill him]. Only--a nigger. It’s not the same’ [...] A hundred feet ahead, a dog trotted along the side of the road. Dick swerved toward it [...] and the impact, as it met the car, was little more than what a bird might make. But Dick was satisfied” (112). By placing these two lines within a close vicinity of each other, Capote draws a line between the characters, highlighting their differences. Dividing acceptable from wrong. Dividing good from evil. Perry is but a little pet, a dog, to Dick. Something he can errantly disregard. Perry the puppy desperately tries time and time again to prove himself to his master Dick, this time lying to him about killing a man in order to gain his respect, trust, approval, affection, anything. Yet Dick can’t be bothered by Perry’s apparent veneer and incessant barking, as he is too occupied with his demented task at hand. As he runs over the mangy mutt, he not only crushes the life out of the canine, but also the last shred of Perry’s hope; Dick is satisfied with his assertion of dominance over his companion because it proves he can kill anything at any time, meanwhile Little Perry couldn’t even kill a colored man. Perry is all bark and no bite,