In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, we learn about the horrific murder of the Herbert Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas. Capote uses a lot of detail to help illustrate the insanity of the murderers and the effect the murder had on the small farming community. The suspense that is a result of minimal facts and descriptive settings was an elaborate stylistic technique that gave effective results throughout the book. Capote writing the story in more than one perspective allows Capote to not have a bias towards either side. In one section in particular, Capote uses juxtaposition to emphasize the differences between the two murderers. When Capote wrote two representations of the same time span, the first representation was through the perspective of
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The intentions come mainly from Dick who is eager to “leave no witnesses” (37). The motive of the crime seems to be a robbery because Dick is constantly talking about “a big score” (14). Capote makes repeated references to the murders before they happen, including the planning of the crime. It also contains eyewitness accounts of the discovery of the bodies but the murder itself is not yet detailed. The action and suspense builds up to the moment when Dick and Perry pull up to the Clutter home, then slips past the crime to the next morning. Capote’s choice of not describing the killings, makes it clear that he did not want to write a horror novel. The fact that he reveals the identity of the killers early on also establishes that it was not meant to be a mystery novel. Perry’s placement as the occupant of the woman’s cell corresponds with they way Dick used to call Perry “honey” and how he always thought Perry had feminine qualities. In Truman Capote’s novel, In Cold Blood, he uses juxtaposition to emphasize the differences between the two murderers. In the first representation, he writes in the perspective of Dick Hickock. He explains how Dick thinks very highly of himself and uses Perry Smith to better his own self image. In the second representation, he writes in the perspective of Perry Smith. Perry is made out to be more sympathetic than Dick. Capote’s use of strong choice in language and his tone throughout the novel, helped capture the reader’s attention and get them to interact with the
The intentions come mainly from Dick who is eager to “leave no witnesses” (37). The motive of the crime seems to be a robbery because Dick is constantly talking about “a big score” (14). Capote makes repeated references to the murders before they happen, including the planning of the crime. It also contains eyewitness accounts of the discovery of the bodies but the murder itself is not yet detailed. The action and suspense builds up to the moment when Dick and Perry pull up to the Clutter home, then slips past the crime to the next morning. Capote’s choice of not describing the killings, makes it clear that he did not want to write a horror novel. The fact that he reveals the identity of the killers early on also establishes that it was not meant to be a mystery novel. Perry’s placement as the occupant of the woman’s cell corresponds with they way Dick used to call Perry “honey” and how he always thought Perry had feminine qualities. In Truman Capote’s novel, In Cold Blood, he uses juxtaposition to emphasize the differences between the two murderers. In the first representation, he writes in the perspective of Dick Hickock. He explains how Dick thinks very highly of himself and uses Perry Smith to better his own self image. In the second representation, he writes in the perspective of Perry Smith. Perry is made out to be more sympathetic than Dick. Capote’s use of strong choice in language and his tone throughout the novel, helped capture the reader’s attention and get them to interact with the