Nature Vs. Nurture In Harper Lee's In Cold Blood

In Cold Blood, Americas first journalistic novel, is a story with many themes. The main theme focusses on Dick and Perry’s agenda, the book is constantly talking about where they are, where they are going, where they have been, what they are doing, and why they are doing it. There are a few more themes in the story. One theme focusses on the effects caused by childhood environment, nature vs nurture. Another theme is how the randomness of the crime caused a loss of innocence and fear in the town. The last them compares the opposite personalities and how they affect each other when united.

Some may try to conclude that Dick and Perry did what they did because of their childhood. Dick had a pretty normal childhood. His parents provided for him as needed, and he did not come from a broken home. Perry, on the other hand, came from a very chaotic childhood. Perry’s parents were divorced, his mother was an alcoholic, and Perry was constantly in trouble. Dick and Perry’s childhood environments were nothing alike, yet, they both ended up in the same place. They were destined to live the life they lived as adults no matter what their childhoods were like. A bad childhood is no excuse for bad behavior, just the same as a good childhood wont always result in good behavior. …show more content…
The Clutters were one of the most respected families in Holcomb, which is why their murders were so shocking to the whole town. The crime was so random and uncalled for that it had the whole town out of sorts. Holcomb was the type of town that left their doors unlocked until the crime was committed. The crime caused the townspeople of Holcomb to second guess their friends and neighbors, it had people sleeping in shifts, and even had people moving out of