Thesis- Although Capote seems to be telling the story of a brutally murdered family, he focuses upon Dick’s psychotic ways to reflect a dim light on Perry’s disposition, revealing the unexpected possibility for humanity in the face of a murderer.
In order to reveal Dick’s cold-blooded ways, Capote strategically juxtaposes the murderers’ actions. He writes that, after the crime, Perry “had merely fallen face down across the bed, as though sleep were a weapon that had struck him from behind.” Contrastingly, Dick “had arrived home at noon, kissed his mother, readily replied to questions his father put concerning his supposed overnight trip to Fort Scott, and sat down to eat, seeming quite his ordinary self” (Capote 73). Emotionally spent, Perry is seemingly more distraught over the terror as his conscience is so heavy, consuming his body with guilt that he physically cannot bear to stand any longer. Whereas, Dick’s actions suggest that he is peculiarly content for having just murdered an entire innocent family. Anyone with a moral compass would feel riddled with guilt, but seeming as he carries on with his life as usual, it validates Dick’s …show more content…
Clutter. He portrays Mr. Clutter as the ideal man, perfect in almost every way. He “touched neither coffee nor tea [...and] opposed all stimulants, however gentle. He did not smoke, and of course he did not drink; indeed, he had never tasted spirits, and was inclined to avoid people who had” (Capote 10). Mr. Clutter seemed to be the ideal man, flawless in almost every way, and “like Mr. Clutter, the young man breakfasting in a cafe called the Little Jewel never drank coffee” (Capote 14). In this sense, Mr. Clutter would have approved of Perry as a good man, and as the pinnacle of respect, the hard worker, loving father, and faithful husband, is recognized as credible. This comparison plays a key role in starting to patch up Perry’s
In order to reveal Dick’s cold-blooded ways, Capote strategically juxtaposes the murderers’ actions. He writes that, after the crime, Perry “had merely fallen face down across the bed, as though sleep were a weapon that had struck him from behind.” Contrastingly, Dick “had arrived home at noon, kissed his mother, readily replied to questions his father put concerning his supposed overnight trip to Fort Scott, and sat down to eat, seeming quite his ordinary self” (Capote 73). Emotionally spent, Perry is seemingly more distraught over the terror as his conscience is so heavy, consuming his body with guilt that he physically cannot bear to stand any longer. Whereas, Dick’s actions suggest that he is peculiarly content for having just murdered an entire innocent family. Anyone with a moral compass would feel riddled with guilt, but seeming as he carries on with his life as usual, it validates Dick’s …show more content…
Clutter. He portrays Mr. Clutter as the ideal man, perfect in almost every way. He “touched neither coffee nor tea [...and] opposed all stimulants, however gentle. He did not smoke, and of course he did not drink; indeed, he had never tasted spirits, and was inclined to avoid people who had” (Capote 10). Mr. Clutter seemed to be the ideal man, flawless in almost every way, and “like Mr. Clutter, the young man breakfasting in a cafe called the Little Jewel never drank coffee” (Capote 14). In this sense, Mr. Clutter would have approved of Perry as a good man, and as the pinnacle of respect, the hard worker, loving father, and faithful husband, is recognized as credible. This comparison plays a key role in starting to patch up Perry’s