In part four tension was prevalent when Perry’s character witnesses and Dr. Jones were testifying for him and the prosecution was limiting them to yes or no answers. Capote creates tension by stating what happened and then stating what the witness would have said if they were allowed to elaborate further. For example, “it was hopeless because though Dr. Jones agreed to elaborate, the prosecution was entitled to object” (Capote 294). The prosecution objects, the objection is upheld, and the witness is dismissed. If Capote would have stopped right here the tension would not exist. Tension exists because he explains what they would have said if they were allowed to elaborate. In Dr. Jones’ testimony she had written she discusses Perry’s
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This creates tension because it makes the reader think that there is a reason behind his actions. In Dr. Jones’ lengthy page-long psychological evaluation of Perry he states, “he does not seem to be capable of learning from experience….he shows fairly typical characteristics of what would psychiatrically be called a severe character disorder” (Capote 295). He even stresses the importance of ruling out the possibility of organic brain damage when he states, “if present, it might have substantially influenced his behavior during the past several years and at the time of the crime” (Capote 295). This almost makes you feel as if Perry could be spared from the death penalty if these witnesses were allowed to elaborate. Obviously the psychological evaluation of Perry is very important and could have changed the opinion of the Jury on its own. But the prosecution also continued to cut the questioning short for many of the character witnesses. For example, The Reverend Post said that Perry was a likeable guy and described a painting of Jesus that Perry had painted for him. He had pictures of the painting ready to be passed out to the jurors but the prosecution interrupted and said, “if Your Honor please, this is going too …show more content…
At the very beginning of the book, Capote describes the town of Holcomb as a very calm, untroubled and irrelevant town. He also mentions that Kansans outside of Holcomb often refer to the town as “out there”. Capote uses this description in order to engage and prepare the reader using tension, “Until one morning in Mid-November of 1959, few Americans -- in fact few Kansans had ever heard of Holcomb”. This informs the reader of an event that is going to take place in the future, and the peaceful ambiance shifts to one of tension. This language effectively prepares the reader for future events, as it generates tension effectively. He reveals the outcome of the event without any key details, Capote suspends and engages the reader effectively, provoking them to read on to learn more. By structuring In Cold Blood like this, Capote involves the reader more in the story as they are following the book in the order that it occurs, preparing them in advance for what happens in the book. In the book as a whole, Capote also uses assorted paragraphs in order to create tension. For example, when he begins to introduce the characters he uses vast paragraphs and passages. However as the book progresses, the passages in which the time shifts become smaller and less dense. This method effectively prepares the reader and builds tension. In this case, the mood of the
This creates tension because it makes the reader think that there is a reason behind his actions. In Dr. Jones’ lengthy page-long psychological evaluation of Perry he states, “he does not seem to be capable of learning from experience….he shows fairly typical characteristics of what would psychiatrically be called a severe character disorder” (Capote 295). He even stresses the importance of ruling out the possibility of organic brain damage when he states, “if present, it might have substantially influenced his behavior during the past several years and at the time of the crime” (Capote 295). This almost makes you feel as if Perry could be spared from the death penalty if these witnesses were allowed to elaborate. Obviously the psychological evaluation of Perry is very important and could have changed the opinion of the Jury on its own. But the prosecution also continued to cut the questioning short for many of the character witnesses. For example, The Reverend Post said that Perry was a likeable guy and described a painting of Jesus that Perry had painted for him. He had pictures of the painting ready to be passed out to the jurors but the prosecution interrupted and said, “if Your Honor please, this is going too …show more content…
At the very beginning of the book, Capote describes the town of Holcomb as a very calm, untroubled and irrelevant town. He also mentions that Kansans outside of Holcomb often refer to the town as “out there”. Capote uses this description in order to engage and prepare the reader using tension, “Until one morning in Mid-November of 1959, few Americans -- in fact few Kansans had ever heard of Holcomb”. This informs the reader of an event that is going to take place in the future, and the peaceful ambiance shifts to one of tension. This language effectively prepares the reader for future events, as it generates tension effectively. He reveals the outcome of the event without any key details, Capote suspends and engages the reader effectively, provoking them to read on to learn more. By structuring In Cold Blood like this, Capote involves the reader more in the story as they are following the book in the order that it occurs, preparing them in advance for what happens in the book. In the book as a whole, Capote also uses assorted paragraphs in order to create tension. For example, when he begins to introduce the characters he uses vast paragraphs and passages. However as the book progresses, the passages in which the time shifts become smaller and less dense. This method effectively prepares the reader and builds tension. In this case, the mood of the