Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” follows a 1959 massacre of a beloved family of four that took place in the remote town of Holcomb, Kansas . They were viciously murdered via a shotgun and knife by two men, Perry Smith and Richard Hickock. As the book follows the murder case, we see sides of the killer that, given the circumstances, seem impossible. Capote makes it almost impossible for us to view Perry Smith as what he actually was (a cold-blooded murderer) in this famous novel as he spends most of his time trying to convince us that he isn't as bad as we thought. Capote choses to show the contrasts between Dick, the inhumane mastermind, and Perry, the unconvincing killer. He shines a different light on Perry Smith, despite the fact that he
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Smith has never had an easy childhood growing up and often had to deal with things that no young kid should have. “His mother, an alcoholic, had strangled to death on her own vomit...Fern jumped out the window… Jimmy, who had one day driven his wife to suicide & killed himself..” (pg.110-111) The only one that ever cared for him was his father as he took custody of Perry at a young age and his sister Barbara was afraid of him. This lack of a good homelife sent him down on a bad path at a young age and he began to get into trouble a lot. Capote chooses to mention this because it helps create a reason behind why Smith would murder people. You empathize with him because it is strikingly obvious that he’s incredibly angry at the world. There was a streak of self-hatred that was carried with him throughout the better part of his childhood and adult life. “‘You think I like myself? Oh, the man I could have been!’” (pg.185) Smith resents everyone around him, including his own father who he blames for taking away the life he could have had which in a sense is true. He was neglected an education and spent a majority of his time just working with his father. Capote uses this to his advantage because in a sense, it's true. His father took him out of school in the third grade and traveled with him a lot making it almost impossible for him to bond with children his own age. This combined with the fact that he never knew how to love makes you empathize with him. Due to this self-hatred, Smith was dealing with suicidal thoughts. “...he dwelt upon a possibility that had for him “tremendous fascination”: suicide.” (pg. 202) Capote sculps this into the novel to help you get a better grasp of how mentally ill Smith actually
Smith has never had an easy childhood growing up and often had to deal with things that no young kid should have. “His mother, an alcoholic, had strangled to death on her own vomit...Fern jumped out the window… Jimmy, who had one day driven his wife to suicide & killed himself..” (pg.110-111) The only one that ever cared for him was his father as he took custody of Perry at a young age and his sister Barbara was afraid of him. This lack of a good homelife sent him down on a bad path at a young age and he began to get into trouble a lot. Capote chooses to mention this because it helps create a reason behind why Smith would murder people. You empathize with him because it is strikingly obvious that he’s incredibly angry at the world. There was a streak of self-hatred that was carried with him throughout the better part of his childhood and adult life. “‘You think I like myself? Oh, the man I could have been!’” (pg.185) Smith resents everyone around him, including his own father who he blames for taking away the life he could have had which in a sense is true. He was neglected an education and spent a majority of his time just working with his father. Capote uses this to his advantage because in a sense, it's true. His father took him out of school in the third grade and traveled with him a lot making it almost impossible for him to bond with children his own age. This combined with the fact that he never knew how to love makes you empathize with him. Due to this self-hatred, Smith was dealing with suicidal thoughts. “...he dwelt upon a possibility that had for him “tremendous fascination”: suicide.” (pg. 202) Capote sculps this into the novel to help you get a better grasp of how mentally ill Smith actually