In Cold Blood, written by Truman Capote, was arranged in 4 long parts: The Last to See Them Alive, Persons Unknown, Answer, and The Corner. These lengthy parts are comprised of many short entries, switching back and forth between the Clutters and the killers, further emphasizing the immense dramatic irony this book holds. The Last to See Them Alive articles the Clutters last day, their death, and the events leading up to it. Persons Unknown, rightfully named, explains the little evidence left of the Clutters’ murderers, and Perry’s backstory. The third, Answer, is where the detectives discover who they think killed the Clutters. Lastly, The Corner is where we see their trial, and conviction.
Part 1: The Last to See Them Alive: Truman Capote starts off the first part of the book, The Last to See Them Alive, with some imagery depicting the small town of Holcomb, Kansas. This part illustrates the final day of the Clutter family’s lives with depictions of each character and their huge effect on the town. The very rich, well known Clutter family owns the River Valley Farm, of which Herb Clutter is the primary owner. Herb manages all the workers, and, after a light breakfast, goes out to do some work. One of his employees goes home to take care of his sick child, which end up being an intriguing part of the plot as he was up all night tending to the sick child, and did not notice a thing when the murder occurred. Herb is an influential member in the community, and is involved in many organizations. His daughter, Nancy, is also equally liked and involved in her school. Bonnie, Herb’s wife, contrasts him since she seems to be outcasted in the community for her mental illness. Similar to Bonnie, Kenyon isn’t hated in society, but also isn’t praised like Nancy. We are then introduced to the people who will lead to their demise: Perry Smith Edwards, who had interestingly had aspirin and cigarettes for breakfast, and the cynical Richard Hickock. Meanwhile, Herb tries to have Nancy cool down her relationship with Bobby Rupp. Nancy then has Jolene Katz over to teach her how to bake pies, and Bonnie Clutter and her have an interesting talk about Bonnie’s collection of trinkets. Dick and Perry start off on the road with the intent to rob and kill the Clutters, and Perry suggests they get stockings in order to not be spotted, but Dick intends to kill any witnesses, which they fail at eliminating all of them. Perry has great leg pain, which we later discover is due to a motorcycle accident. We later find out Perry’s mental instability and its causes of which Dick takes control of to kill the Clutters. Back at River Valley Farm, Herb Clutter is ironically making a huge life insurance plan. Nancy Ewalt and Susan Kidwell discover the bodies the next day. In the small town of Holcomb, news spreads quickly, and when people saw and heard about the ambulances, it was not easily ignored when the news started spreading through Hartman’s Cafe. Susan and Bobby are absolutely heartbroken by the event.
Part 2: Persons Unknown: The shocking event leads the KBI to start investing the murder case. We come to find out that Dick and Perry were very sneaky and left next to no clues behind. Alvin Dewey is the head investigator for the case. Dewey has no knowledge of a motive for the murder, but suspects it is someone close to the family as they know the layout of the house. Herb and Kenyon Clutter were both shot in the basement, while Nancy and Bonnie were killed in their beds. All were shot in the head, but Herb’s death was particularly gruesome, which led to Dewey’s belief that he was the main target. Nobody trusts each other in Holcomb anymore, the rumors still spreading at its heart in Hartman’s Cafe. Perry and Dick are now way off in Olathe, where we come to find out some pretty crucial information about Dick and Perry. Dick starts to writes bad checks, and Perry has a small appetite. The Clutter funeral service is saddening due to the cotton around their heads, presumably hiding the many injuries they acquired in their murder. Something greatly important is revealed about Perry as Dick and Perry are in Mexico. Perry previously told Dick that he killed a black man, which actually convinced Dick that Perry was capable of committing the murder, but this was actually false. The journalists finally leave Holcomb, as well as the Ashidas and the McCoys, but the rumors and the accusations still remain. Perry and Dick are living in Mexico City, pretty much broke. They brought boxes full of stuff with them, and Perry stumbles upon an old letter from his dad, Tex John Smith. This sends him into a flashback detailing his childhood. We now understand the backstory of his severe mental trauma. Pretty typically, his parents broke up. He was later sent to an orphanage for trying to run away to see his father. He was beat at the orphanage because he wet his bed. His schooling only went to third grade, which leads him to be envious do to his lack of further schooling. He later joins the military, gets in a motorcycle accident, and gets arrested. Thus, he met Dick in a jail in Kansas. He finds many other documents, journals, and letters, all the While Dick is having sex with a prostitute he promised to marry on the other bed. We come to find out through these letters that all of Perry’s siblings have died, other than Barbara who hates him. It kind of makes you feel bad because Perry is such a genuine and sentimental guy, and it really goes to prove how not psychopathic he is.
Part 3: Answer: We gain a person who knows exactly who committed the murders, Floyd Wells. Floyd immediately knows it was Dick because he was talking about doing it, except Floyd never thought Dick would actually go through with it. Floyd immediately reports this. Alvin Dewey, who has basically wasted his life on this case, is ecstatic to finally have some clue or person. Harold Nye is sent to talk with Dick Hickock’s family to find out about the Clutter case. He leads them to believe he’s there to ask about Dick’s bad checks. Due to this encounter, he discovers Dick was in Fort Scott, and finds a shotgun. Nye then goes to San Francisco to discover Perry and his sister’s non existent relationship. Dick and Perry steal a car and leave Iowa for Kansas City after staying in a miserable barn. Perry is now nervously waiting for Dick, and convinces himself they have been found out. Dick returns with new license plates on the stolen car. Dewey has a nightmare that he saw Herb Clutter in the cafe, which leads him to be woken up by a phone call from Nye alerting him of Dick’s checks that he found all over Kansas City. Dick and Perry are now in Miami on the beach. This is where we see Dick’s pedophilia, and Perry’s disgust for it, further proving his sane tendencies. Back in Holcomb, Bobby Rupp is not taking things so well, and goes on a mindless run in order to help clear his mind. He ends up in Mr. Clutter’s orchard because of this. Dick and Perry let in a young boy, and his grandfather. They proceed to cash in some empty bottles they find on the side of the road and have a hearty meal, leaving the boy with his grandfather. The investigators have spotted the killers’ license plate, and arrest Dick and Perry. They think they are being questioned about their bad checks, but in actuality the KBI agents are trying to connect them to the Clutter case. After questioning Dick, Nye just flat out asks Dick about the Clutter case, who is taken aback by it. Perry is obviously upset by the interrogation, and is later blamed for the entirety of the crime by Dick. Perry tells them the full story, which is actually pretty much the first time we are hearing the story. We find out that they went to the Clutter’s to find a safe of money, but were unsuccessful. Perry was very levelheaded and wanted to leave as soon as they could not find the safe, but Dick had other plans. The whole operation happened because Dick wanted to kill the Clutters, not take their money.
Part 4: The Corner: Capote really draws out this last part. We already know that Dick and Perry are going to be hung for their injustices, but it’s just a matter of proving it. We find out that Perry actually shot all of the Clutters, which is confusing since it is obvious that Dick masterminded the whole assassination. Perry is not visited by any relatives, and dreams that the big, yellow parrot that has been referenced in other chapters will save him. They have a psychologist come in and analyze Dick and Perry. Surprisingly, but also unsurprisingly, Dick is perfectly sane, and Perry has a number of mental disorders. Floyd and Dewey both testify. Dewey’s is most surprising because it’s the first time the citizens of Holcomb actually get closure with knowing what happened the night of the murder. It is unsure if Perry knew what he was doing the night of the murders, and is said to maybe be a paranoid schizophrenic. This part gets its name from the nickname of Death Row, “the corner.” Dick and Perry are both on Death Row, but are acting very differently. Perry contemplates suicide and starvation, while Dick passes the time reading erotic novels. They are joined by Lowell Lee Andrews, and two AWOL soldiers. Dick and Perry had differing views on Andrews. Dick liked Andrews, but Perry is once again bothered by education and his lack of it. After 5 years, the case has been taken to the Supreme Court twice. Dick and Perry are both hung on April 15, 1965. Dick and Perry both go out very differently. Dick shakes hands with the KBI officers, and it is known that he agrees with the death penalty. However, Perry is very adamant about his beliefs against the death penalty, says he’s sorry, and is hung. Dewey reflects on a trip to the graveyard. He ran into Susan Kidwell, and finds out that Bobby Rupp is happily married. In the end, the wind blows over the grass as the whole case blows over.
Rhetorical Analysis:
Context: Capote is known for his strong opinions, and although this is a true crime book, there is no shortage of opinions if you really look at it. Although Capote never appears in the book, it is clear how he feels by the way he describes Dick and Perry. Perry is a real, genuine guy in his opinion, despite his mental instability. Dick is the person you’d expect to actually murder people. It is quite plain that Capote is against the death penalty at least mostly as he explains that Perry should have gone to a mental institution. In the courtroom, Capote purposefully does not give a clear answer on if Perry knew what he was doing. This is because Capote feels like Perry did not have as equal an opportunity as Dick, as it was clear as day that Dick knew what he was doing, but we don’t know about Perry.
Audience: The audience covers pretty much everyone. It can cover people who do or do not believe in the death penalty, and those on the fence. The message is that sometimes you need to look beyond who actually did what. Capote wants us to look beyond that and consider if they knew what they were doing. If they did know what they did was wrong, then Truman Capote thinks the Death Penalty is just. But Capote wants people to think that the Death Penalty is not always just because some people are unable to perceive that what they are doing is wrong.
Purpose: As I have repeated, Capote wants us to not see the Death Penalty is not something that is black-and-white. Perry was used by Dick as a weapon to kill the Clutters, in no way is Dick not responsible. Capote wants us to notice that Perry was being taken advantage of for his mental illness, and has explained multiple times that he should have been sent to a mental institution.
Pathos: Capote uses pathos in an odd way that almost makes you feel sorry for the killers. It is revealed that Perry had an abusive childhood that led to mental illness, and was taken advantage of by Dick. He does this to further prove his opinion of being mostly against the death penalty.
Logos: At the same time, we cannot feel bad for Dick because it is morally wrong since he knew what he was doing. He uses logos so we don’t feel bad for Dick, and then have us grow an attachment to Perry because of it.
Ethos: Capote demonstrates his ethos by giving detailed descriptions of all of the residents of Holcomb. This makes us believe he is a reliable source, and is unbiased by his flawlessly detailed recounts of all of the events before and after the murders.
Tone: The overall tone is beautiful with many bits of imagery from the depictions of Holcomb and its citizens, to Perry’s dreams and visions. The tone is also very serious in order to push Capote’s opinions against the death penalty. The tone in the end reverts to the original, beautiful imagery of a graveyard. It’s interesting that we get such closure in the ominous setting of a graveyard. The very last sentences give us a serene closure as the wind blows over the grass. Delivery: The book cover is very creepy. It appears to be a photo of Holcomb, vignetted at the edges to give it a dark look. My copy has two pairs of eyes, which I assume are Dick and Perry. I can even tell which should be which based on the look in their eyes, which makes the cover even more creepy. The epigraph is from “The Ballad of a Hanged Man,” which seems appropriate for this book. Translated from French, it says: Men my brothers who live after us, have your hearts not hardened against us. For, if on poor us you take pity, God will sooner show you mercy. It’s basically asking us right at the start what our opinion on the death penalty is. It’s very interesting how well it primes us for the true meaning of the book.
Use of Outside Sources:
One of the only direct references is: Dust unto dust Genesis 3:19. This is very interesting because it’s clear that many of the prisoners were not Godly, yet this quote meant something to them. They all lost their will to live while on Death Row, and, as they say it, dust unto dust. Dust unto dust means that we come from the ground, we live as long as we live, and in the ground we go when we die. This quote was actually referenced in another series I read that’s totally unrelated to In Cold Blood, but almost has a similar plotline. To put it simply, this evil guy is tortured by his own mind, similarly to Perry. Then the main character gets a vision that the evil guy can be saved if you get rid of the metaphoric demons in his head. The main character ends up killing him despite this, similarly to Perry, and the phrase “dust unto dust” is repeated by the evil guy many times leading up to his demise.
Personal Response:
Just like Fast Food Nation, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the constant flipping between the killers and the Clutters, it kept me interested. I really liked the almost subtle criticism of the Death penalty, and I really liked how it connected to my favorite book series. I really grew attached to Perry as a person, and I was really sad when he was hung, but I knew he was guilty despite my attachment. Dick really reminded me of Dean from On the Road, which I’m sure was intentionally done by Capote. I got really attached to the Clutter family as well, although their descriptions were short. I think Capote is a really talented writer, and I did not dread reading this at all. I would totally recommend this to others who are interested because it isn’t just a bunch of gorey stuff. In fact, we really don’t find out a lot of what happened the night of the murders until later in the book. I would definitely read more of Capote’s books, and I might even re read this one because it was so well done.