How did Capote humanize the killers? Were you surprised by how likable they could seem despite the brutality of their crime and unremoresefulness to the end?
In this book I could not believe by the end how much I knew about these criminals' childhoods, jobs, family, wives, and hobbies. I felt like a knew them their whole lives. Capote throughout the book gave the same kind of information with the victims as with the criminals, which made me, as a reader, suprised at how sometimes I would forget about them being murders all together. Because I would be thinking, "That's cool. Perry plays guitar." or "Dick likes only that orange drink.", which made them have things in common with the normal person reading to make the reader feel safe.
Capote humanized the killers by providing in-depth background knowledge, describing their families, and showing insight into the killers’ dreams and aspirations. By describing the killers’ childhood, the reader was more sympathetic to Perry because he was often forced into situations that he had no control over, for example his parents’ divorce, bullying, and the orphanage where he was beaten. The reader feels sorry for Perry because he is alone and was abandoned by his family. His dreams of traveling to foreign places and becoming a famous musician are very relatable. On the contrary, Dick had a relatively normal childhood with the exception that his family was poor. He is humanized through his family. His mother and father are kind and well-liked in the community. Dick’s dream of becoming rich and successful is also very relatable. I was surprised that the killers could be so emotional towards their lives, families, and dreams, but have no emotion for the Clutter family. I assumed that a person who had an abusive life wouldn’t want to put anyone else through the same pain, but that was not the case.
Usually when one thinks of a killer, one thinks of a person who has no human emotions. While reading this book, I realized that that is not the case for Perry and Dick. The author spends a large bulk of the chapters emphasizing the struggle they went through as children and even as grown ups. They even have Perry’s father write a letter about how good Perry was and that he had gone through so much after his parents divorced. Knowing all of this, the reader begins to sympathize with Perry and can understand why he was able to do what he did. Even as an adult, you realize how similar he is to the reader; he just wanted to be an artist and to go to high school. His childhood just never gave him the opportunity to do so. Dick, even though he was not as likeable as Perry, is also described in great detail. All he wanted was to live a happy life, killing the Clutters in the process. One also realizes how human he is when even though he killed the Clutters, he still cared for his parents. He worried about going to Mexico and paying the fake bills and not wanting to show his face, ashamed of facing them. By doing this, the reader realizes just how human Dick is and sympathizes with him. If he had had money in his childhood, he would have ended up being a well respectable mechanic. In other words, both characters were humans who did not have the opportunity others did. This made the reader sympathize and understand them.
He humanized the killers by letting the readers spend enough time with them throughout their journey. We learn of Perry's dreams and hopes throughout his life and we learn his inner conflict with himself. We learn that he had always wanted a good education but has never been able to have one. By showing us that there was more to the killers than their crime, Capote was able to draw out the human qualities in them and us and make the reader sympathize for people who had done such a horrible crime. The same, but to a lesser extent, is done with Dick. As Jasmin says, it is shown that Dick does care for his family when he is down in Mexico. He tried to be an honest worker and the last thing he wants is to hurt his mother. Also, if one thinks of it in a parent's perspective, it is easier to sympathize with Dick. By showing us the emotions and trials that Dick, and especially Perry went through, he stirs the emotion within us. He humanizes them by telling the readers who they were, not what they did.
Capote does indeed create "astonishing empathy" for the murderers that humanizes them. Capote reveals their thoughts and their pasts to evoke emotions that would not have been felt toward two merciless human beings. Perry becomes a person to the reader when Capote reveals Perry's thoughts. "Hadn't he always been a loner, and without any real friends..."(pg.124) However, the reader truly starts to see Perry through empathetic eyes when Capote reveals his past, especially through the letter written by his father. "Yes, Perry's birth was normal....Yes, I was able to care for him properly until my wife turned out to be and disgraceful drunkard when my children were at school age."(pg.126) Capote generates compassion for Dick when Investigator Nye interviews his parents. "The whole world was against Dick Hickock-that's how he figured."(pg.167) The reader could experence no other feelings than sympathy and sorrow for these two unfortunate souls even though they were both cold blooded murderers.
Leanne, you have tuned in to how Capote tries to show how Dick and Perry seem to be "normal". Paige, your last sentence is most perceptive. Jasmine, your examples support your thoughts on what went wrong with Dick & Perry. Kyle, your quotes support your claim well, and it is noted that sympathy or not, they are murderers. Mrs. Kasper
I believe that Truman Capote, through humanizing both Perry and Dick, was able to give us the ability to relate and sympathize with the killers. Even though they were killers and they committed a horrible crime, I found myself throughout the story sympathizing with the killers and even at some points of the story I found myself pulling for the criminals. This is a very good example of how Mr. Capote uses the more negative facts from the killers lives to promote the thought of sympathy and pity towards the killers. The use of this writing style helps us start to like Perry and Dick because again we are able to relate to some of their life problems and even if you aren't poor or abused you can't help but feel sorry. I am not in the least bit surprised about how likable the killers become because they are, in fact, very normal as Leanne had said. I always felt like killers would just be different in nature from someone like me, but as I found out, they were just normal people who made bad choices.
Capote humanizes Dick and Perry by providing relatable details about their lives, hobbies, superstitions, and family. When you can relate to a character, it becomes much harder to think of them with the disgust usually assigned to cold-blooded killers like Dick and Perry. For example, if you did not know anything about the killers except for the details of the murder, they would be defined in your mind soley by the crime they committed. Capote lets us into their minds, see their fears, and know their families making them not just a distant outline, but real, almost-tangible people. Once you start thinking about them as people, you start to relate to them, and once you start to relate to someone, you start to care about them and their future. So by this logic, its not surprising in the least that we actually like the killers at some points throughout the story.
Capote does humanize the killers making dick almost seem most gentlemanly and sympathizing perry it almost makes you forget that they commited murder. Capote brings the reader along on thier journey and shows you the charm that dick has on other people and how perry has had a rough life. Dick always is thinking about his family and feels guilty that he hasn't made them proud. Perry is always thinking about his odd fantasies of hunting for treasure and becoming a one man symphony. Capote brings up his on and off relationship with his father and makes you feel truly sorry for perry. During their trial Capote makes you think that they were treated unfairly by the justice system and that they should have had another trial. Up until the end Capote makes the killers seem like good people.
Mr. Capote, he does it the same way we in real life do; he took the relatable qualities of Dick and Perry and presented them to us in an smooth read, though life ins't a smooth read. I wasn't surprised by how Dick and Perry were so likable, because I believe they were just acting nice so the police would release them after questioning, and then, when that failed, to try and convince the jurors to give them life in prison, rather than, "send them to the Corner." True, Dick captured my heart with his devotion to his parents, and Perry, in the beginning, by being the outcast, but after the murder, I couldn't forgive them. You can't take another person's life, period. And, to be honest, I couldn't like Dick or Perry in the first place because I couldn't respect either. Dick was a dunce for rejecting two, not one, two scholarships, to play football, and Perry was a whiney baby. Yes, I concede he had a very hard life, but so did Oprah, and you don't see her crying! So, again, no, I wasn't surprised. Connor S.
Capote humanized the killers by telling the reader about the killers' family, likes, and interests. For example Capote humanized Dick by simply talking about his parents. After Dick committed the crime he went home to his parents and it was as if he hadn't done anything at all and even after that he cared about his parents, it wasn't as if he didn't care about anyone that cared about him. Capote humanized Perry with telling us about Perry's past and how he hardly had any family left and the family he did have wouldn't speak to him. I wasn't surprised very much that the killers were so likable because they were just regular people who made terrible choices. -Ashley Mambru-
I’m actually not surprised by the fact that I never really hated them. Though their crimes were extremely cruel and the fact that they’re unremorseful should make disliking them easier, I never did. I think the main reason they were still likable is because we saw it from their perspective. Being placed in their shoes and in their mind always helps to empathize. As Paige Hinkle stated, “Capote humanized the killers by providing in-depth background knowledge, describing their families, and showing insight into the killers’ dreams and aspirations.” I absolutely agree with her. By learning about their families and past we see them not as killers, but as fellow humans with human emotions and desires. On page 262 Perry is thrilled by a letter from, “someone offering help, a sane and respectable man who had once known and liked him, a man who signed himself friend.” Perry desired to be accepted and understood, which is what all humans want. Reading this I could connect more with him and remember that he is human, just like me. ~Kendall R.
Capote made the killer's seem human by showing everyday events in their lives. He also showed things like their memories, dreams, and goals. Showing these things allowed people to connect with them almost making you forget the terrible things they had done to the Clutters.He made Perry seem human because of his wanting to be accepted by people which everyone wants. Dick was made to seem human by showing his caring for his parents. Capote showed things in these men that all people have. Even the ability to be killers.
I have to say that for some time I was surprised at myself to be charmed by the personality of a murderer, or relating to things that were happening because I mean, who wants to say that they can relate to a ravenous killer? But I think that was Capote's purpose in this. He pulled the traits of Dick and Perry that are intriguing. The little detail of quirks or talents makes all the difference because that is what makes up everyone of us. For example, Perry's personal dream of being a musician that he knew wasn't going to happen. Everyone has a fantasy and Capote chose to share that because it is easy to relate to. Dick had a sense of humor. I found myself smiling when Capote talks about how even in the worst of places Dick would crack a joke. That is so real, and so relatable, therefore humanizing the characters. I got to a point where I was more and more frequently overlooking the brutality of anything because I was being blinded by their plain humanness. Perhaps that is what happens with everyone, when you are attracted to only the good in a person, you begin to refuse to see the bad side of them. That's what I found myself doing the more I related to Dick and Perry, the more Capote humanized them. -Emily Haban
Capote humanized the killers by giving us deep, in-depth looks into the lives of the killers. Bringing in the their families and their perspectives probably help humanize the killers more than anything. I was surprised how much I began to like them. You were able to relate to them maybe not to the degree that they experienced the hardships of life, but none the less to an extent you knew how they felt. The more you related to Dick and Perry the more humanized they seemed.
I think people sometimes can judge to quickly by first impressions. You expect, when you start this book to read about two murderers who are ruthless and evil but, when you begin to read the story from their point of view, you realize that they are human beings with feelings and backgrounds. Capote humanizes Dick and Perry through showing us their insecurities. For example, Perry was insecure with his legs that were injured in a car accident years ago. (Capote 199) "Dick wore bathing trunks, but Perry, as in Acapulco, refused to expose his injured legs-he feared the sight might "offend" other beach-goers-and therefore sat fully clothed...". Perry was insecure about his scarred legs. You begin to almost feel bad for Perry and realize he is not just a brutal killer. He has emotions and feels enadequate like you and me. Capote also humanizes Dick through his family. When you see Dick with his family and when he is just simply watching basketball with his father, you see that he is just like you and me. Simple things that people do are the things that humanize them. Even hearing what type of food they like or the fact that they have hardy appetites, humanize Dick and Perry. I was surprised that these two people are frankly just "people". When I read about a murderer in the news I am quick to write them off as a terrible person and do not think of them as a human being with a history. Capote humanizes Dick and Perry by giving simple details and life to these two human beings.
Capote humanized the killers by giving the reader insight into the killers’ personal lives and backgrounds. Capote showed the reader how Dick had a wonderful family that loved him unconditionally, and how Perry had a very rough childhood with very few people who actually understood him.
I was surprised by how likable the killers could seem. At times I would be reading, caught up in the story thinking about how likeable the characters were and how Perry just wanted to be understood. Then I would remember what they had done and feel surprised at how sympathetic I felt towards them.
Capote humanized the killers by letting the reader into their lives before the crime and during the crime. As you read you get introduced to family members of both Dick and Perry. You learn that both had a hard time, but still had someone who loved them, or cared just enough for them. Learning a lot about Dick and Perry's lives, you truly begin to realize they have different sides of them, not just being a murderer. Even though what they did was utterly horrible, you still felt a connection with them, as though they aren't bad, but nice. It did suprise me think they were nice and likeable knowing they were cold blooded killers. The reason they seemed likeable is because you where introduced with their lives, which made it easier to like them and not just hate them.
Capote did one thing to humanize the killers that few writers, generally speaking, truly do. He delved into their past; their minds. Capote investigated and explored every detail, every thought, every smidgen of information he could find (presumably), and he relayed them to the reader. Perry's childhood, his circumstances, were all 'on the table' mid-way through the novel. You come to know his ideas, his misgivings, his dreams and aspirations. You come to know the man behind the murderer, the human being who was simply dealt a poor hand in life. You learn, through Capote, that he has virtually no one left, that he simply follows and attaches himself to whoever influences him, such as Willie-Jay, and unfortunately, Dick. Even in jail, awaiting the news on his punishment, Perry fancies himself to be rescued by the 'big yellow parrot', or by the men he sees outside. Anyone who has ever been caged, for whatever reason, can relate to these very human imaginings; that lingering sense of hope in a desperate time. By relaying this information to the reader, Capote creates an underlying feeling of sympathy for the killer, despite the fact that he brutally murdered innocent people. Dick is much the same, though in my opinion on much less of a grand scale. Dick did not have a particularly horrible childhood, nor did he grow up without the leisure of a family to return to. He is a straight-forward man, a man without the excuse of possible insanity, without the excuse of being 'dealt a poor hand', and yet Capote still manages to instill a feeling of empathy in the reader for the murderer. Capote details Dick's quirks, his attitude, his speech patterns, and the reader becomes familiar with all of them as the novel continues. Something significant from early on is that Capote relays Dick's IQ, an astonishing 130, leading the reader (or myself, at least) to wonder what this man could have accomplished had he walked a different path. The possibilities alone were enough to make me feel some sympathy for the man. Personally however, I did not have the amount of sympathy or remorse for Dick as harbored for Perry. Yet the feeling was still there, that sympathy, that "what if", that the human mind conjures at the thought of another human being killed. I was not surprised "by how likable they could seem" in the end, mainly because I could see them as human beings, as two lives that would be taken for the sake of the four they had ended. In the humanization of the killers, Capote leaves no stone unturned, and by exploring their pasts and minds, he creates in them a surprisingly likable feel that holds out to the bitter end. B. Leggett
Capote's descriptions of these two characters lives, dreams, goals, likes, and dislikes gives the reader insight and a more feeling of depth to both sides of the story. Just like the victims, Dick and Perry are described as normal, sane beings. I think I felt more sympathy for Perry because I can relate to him being a huge dreamer. Perry also had such a rough childhood and youth, and such problems with his parents (mostly his mother) I think that gives the reader a more feeling of compassion for him. Dick I didn't feel the same likability towards because of his attitude, but he grew up in a comfortable home with loving parents and siblings like most people, this gave him a more human quality. I was surprised at how likable they are, this is the first book that I have read where the "bad guys" are so humanized on such a high scale. I was surprised that Perry had done the majority of the crime because I felt he was more preferable than Dick, his dreams were more simple and lovely, and his musical and artistic talents as well as his passion for literature made him a less likely candidate than Dick. Capote showed through the lives and trials of these two individuals that although their acts were brutal they still had a past a family and a life like any other person.
One of the first few words you associate with a killer is sick and twisted. By the time you reached part three of the book Capote had already given Perry and Dick backgrounds of their childhood, having children, and significant others. I was totally in awe in how human and normal Capote made the charecters seem I couldn't believe that they had actually killed the Clutter's. Perry and Dick were charecters you could relate to, their dreams and goals were of good nature and no matter how horrible the crime they commited I just couldn't bring myself to be disgusted by them. Capote had made them so human that it's was truly fightening to find out that they were murders and it was even more frightening that I couldn't associate the words sick and twisted with them. The more that Capote had humanized them, the more I found myself wondering what really made a killer tick.
Capote humanized the killers by telling the story from several different points of view. Perry Smith and Dick Hickock are killers who's perspective we are allowed to understand and share in their feelings and fears. Through the story the author helps you to understand some of the killers reasoning behind why they killed the Clutter family and committed the other more petty crimes. You are also provided with the view of the towns people or police officers working the case. I found myself feeling sorry for the killers Perry Smith and Dick Hickock. It seemed to me that whichever point of view I was being told or explained I found myself feeling sorry for that side of the story. At times I found myself compassionate for that person or group while being told their side of the story. Because of the killers backgrounds, especially Perry Smith who really wanted to be educated but was never allowed or given the opportunity to do so, I feel a strong will to forgive such a horrific act that he did. Then all of a sudden I get angry when the author switches back to the point of the towns people and all my feelings change. I would feel for the whole town of Holcomb because of the horrific crime that happen to their friends and the fear they felt with in the community. Dalton K.
Usually, when one sees a killer, one doesn't see a childhood, or a family, or friends. One usually just sees his or her crime. Capote demolishes this method of judgement by giving an intimate account of Dick and Perry's lives, from their childhoods, to their families, to the girlfriends and wives. And by the end of the book, when Dick and Perry are taken to be hanged, the reader is crying out against it, because now they know so much about the killers that killing them off seems so difficult to do. The finality of the act of capital punishment just hits the reader like a freight train, and just like that every opinion they had about capital punishment and Dick and Perry vanishes, replaced by new opinions taken from the new perspective the reader gets from knowing of Dick and Perry as people, not as criminals.
After chewing on this question for a quite a bit of time, I realized that Capote made Dick and Perry likeable people rather than ruthless murderers by giving every detail of their lives. If Capote had not given the criminals' stories, the average reader would've just labeled them as despicable creatures, not human beings with a personality, a family, and a soul. I felt as if I knew Dick and Perry intimately and I nearly experienced pain when they were hanged. By telling every element of their pasts, I could identify with a few aspects of their lives which almost made me forget Dick and Perry's horrendous crime.
Capote humanizes Dick and Perry by examining all parts of their life. I agree with Mariela that Capote did this by telling about who they were and not about what they did. The way Capote tells us about the killers' lives and how they came to do the things they did helps to make me feel for them as actual people, not immediately as a murderers, though normally I would think that people who kill for any reason were sick, twisted and disgusting people. However, as Capote went though the story, I found that they were just normal people who just did not make the best choices in life. They had dreams, passions, and hobbies just like other people; the difference was in the choices they made.
Capote makes these two men from cold hearted, and ruthless killers to mere humans, normal everyday men just trying to make a life for themselves by stripping them down to the core of their persons and their lifes. Most come to see a Murder as a sociopathic, and mental unstable person with the heart to take the life of another,but capote goes beyond that to make you see who these men really are. He takes it back to the struggles and the lives of every day people like you and I. He takes it that extra level and shows you it all, their childhood,adolescense,to maturity as a individual. Showing you their aspirations and dreams as well as hobbies and things of that favorite or that make you happy. Nearing the end of the novel in which you know that they will die. You almost feel sorry for them, they seem like people that you could be the best friend of, someone that you would never consider a murderer.
Capote humanizes Dick and Perry by telling you about each of the Killer's past. everything from hobbies, to what drink Dick likes. He gives as many details about each as he does whith the Clutter's. I believe that if the reader didn't know that Dick and Perry were the Killers till the very end, one would be surprised, because they could seem to be likeable people.
I agree with Lauren when she says that people judge too quickly. Yeah, they did kill four innocent people in a savage way, but just because they did, doesn't mean they don't have feelings like everyone else.
Capote humanized the killers by incorporating their personal lives into the story. By telling so much about their pasts and how they felt going through certain situations, he makes it easier for the reader to relate to Dick and Perry. This relation helps the reader come to the realization that these criminals aren’t what you would normally expect of a cold-blooded killer; they were more like everyday people you’d see around the neighborhood than the typical stereotype of a murderer. And, by avoiding the topic of the actual murders, it was almost as if they didn’t occur. Like before Dick and Perry confessed to killing the Clutters, it seemed as if we were reading about a couple of normal guys, just trying to make it through the day. -Tori J.
Capote humanized the killers by giving us an in depth look into their past. With this we could kind of relate to where they where coming from, and have some reasons as to why they did what they did. I was somewhat surprised by how likable they where, but when you start to dive into people's pasts you can start to relate more to them. Knowing where a person comes from gives you a deeper understanding of them and makes it hard for you to not like them, at least a little bit. If Capote had not told the readers some of Dick and Perry's past they would not have been likable, and would just be seen as heartless killers.
Capote beautifully painted a human being behind the mask of a heinous murderer. Through Dick and Perry’s point of view, he opens windows into the heart and soul of both men. Capote forces you to confront the almost horrifying reality that those that take the lives of others are people no different from any man or woman you’d meet at the supermarket. That perhaps everyone has the capacity to kill. While both had rough pasts, severe physiological issues, and warped senses of reality, they were simply human beings. Men with goals, with purpose, with aspirations. Men with the capacity of love, of kindness, of sympathy. These men slew the Clutter family out of pure emotion, not due to a thoughtless and twisted impulse. They were likable because they connected with the reader, and they connected with the reader because they were simply human.
Capote does an exceptional job humanizing both characters. Through the way he describes Perry's childhood he creates an enormous amount of sympathy toward him. The reader cant help but feel sorry for him after the way he was beaten, or the way his parents split. Through the way that Capote shows that all Perry wanted to do was explore the world he was in, it showed that he is just another human being. Capote also does a great job humanizing Dick. By showing that all Dick wanted was too grow up and be rich and successful is a great way for the reader to relate to him, considering half of the readers want to do the same exact thing. I was extremely surprised about how much I liked both of these characters. I was actually sad when I learned that they committed the murders because I liked them, which shows how well Capote creates a sense of humanism.
Capote does an excellent job of humanizing the Perry and Dick. It was hard to truely think of them as murderers. Capote includes so much detail about the two that you can't help but sympathize. He spends a lot of time on Perry and Dick's past that we end up knowing a lot more about them than expected. The struggles that they tried to overcome as children and the tough life as an adult. Perry's past was definitely one to sympathize one and one can't help but think that may be the reason to his personality. But just like us, he didn't have much money and wanted an education. Something that we should be grateful for. Near the end, we find out about Dick's low self esteem and his envy for what others have. He grew up with little money and was probably "out of style." He tried to start over in Mexico, but his expectations were shattered. They both had there own dreams and problems just like everyone of us. And like Leann, I felt as if I've known them for awhile. I felt as if I could understand them and was on common ground with them. The fact that they were murderers simply went away as I got to learn more about them.
Capote does a wonderful job of portraying the killers (mostly) in the same light as not only the victims, but everyone involved in the story -- the officers, friends, family, ect. He provides the reader with backgrounds and sensitive stories about both the killers and victims, which, in turn, shows that the killers are humans too.
I was very surprised by how likable Hickock and Smith were. I was able to relate to both because I am a musician, just like Smith, and I am also very picky and easily annoyed, like Hickock.
The humanization that Capote did to the murderers named Dick and Perry were in ways very relatable and amusing. Dick, first of all, would make me laugh sometimes. I don't know if I got this from the book or my own imagination, but I saw Dick as a sarcastic likeable guy that was funny and easy to make friends with if you forget the fact that he was pushy and gross. Perry on the other hand I would say,was very sensative and took things into perspective. He was relatable because he had dreams of preforming. He was also short and dark skinned and put up with a lot because of it. Like Emily I too also started to over look the fact that they were killers the more I read. It actually made me question how somebody so relatable and so "normal" could be a killer. It puts it into perspective that murderers could be anybody and they are just like us.
Capote humanized the killers by introducing the crime first and the characters second. For the first part of the book we feel disgust at the crime and look at Dick and Perry through the filter of "murderers". As the book progresses it follows the criminal's lives, describes their relationship dynamic, and outlines their pasts. We learn who they are and how to love them. This shift of focus moves the crime to the back of the reader's mind and brings the criminal's humanity into the foreground.
Even with their character descriptions, I caught myself liking Dick and Perry only occassionally. By switching between the two criminals and their separate perceptions of each other, I was influenced by the annoyance each had for each other. Also, that they never discussed their crime bothered me, and certain aspects of their personality were definitely unlikeable. Dick's pedophiliac tendencies lent me no affection for him, nor did Perry's vain and unfounded victim complex.
You can connect with them because of all the depth on their backgrounds you given through the novel. You could find at least one thing to sympathize with the killers, or perhaps even empathize with them. When people normally think of killers they think of people with no human like qualities, people that just sit in their basements, who have never seen the light of day and people that just couldn’t perform in normal society. I was not surprised by the fact that they were so likable, because if they were not likable they would of not of been able to make it so far without being caught.
Capote spends a great amount of the book painting a deep, detailed picture of Perry and Dick as not just ruthless killers, but living, breathing humans. He wrote more about the lives, habits and quirks of Perry and Dick than the Clutter family. By doing so, he lifted the veil-like stereotype readers would normally have of murderers being ruthless, emotionless killing machines. Every murderer has a history, a childhood, a mother and a father.
Capote does a brilliant job at giving us an inside look into what the vast majority of us can only guess at. The back story that Capote provides for Dick and Perry is almost caught of guard, their likes and dislikes and especially their aspirations have such a relatable quality that we start to look past the heinous crime that had been committed and start to actually care about them. I was surprised at how much I found myself almost rooting for them that I had to remind myself that they were the bad guys and what they had done was unforgivable. By revealing the murderer's pasts, their insecurities, and their morale, Capote makes them seem like vulnerable human beings instead of the downright cold slaughterers with no mercy for anyone that some people would conceive them to be.
The author made the killers seem more human by breaking the common stereotype of a murderer. He gave them hobbies, and families, and an actual personality. He made them people you could meet in the grocery store and not give a second glance. I was a little surprised at first by how likeable they were, but after I thought about it a little more, I kind of realized that the author's characterization of them was actually very realistic. While any murderer obviously has some serious problems, there's more to their personality than what might show on the outside.
By showing us different aspects of their personality, the author helped the reader to sympathize with the murderers. It also gives the reader a different way to look at the death penalty. It's easy to sentence a psychopathic killer to die, but it's a little harder to kill someone who's very similar to us.
I believe that just because someone is a murderer doesnt make them unlikable. As humans we naturaly ease torward those that are like us or that we can connect with. For instance, Dick and Perry have self esteem issues, who doesnt? And Perry had a horrible childhood, i can relate to that. The fact of the matter is these men were human just like us, but what seperates us from this morals, compasin, and being rational. He humanized these men by showing us just how much they were like us, its no surpprise they commited these crimes beacause its something we are all capable of. In the end it all depends on the choices we make and the reason behind them. (Cause and Effect).
truman humanized the murderers by showing them how we are all the same in a way. people kill all the time other people well no not so much as killing other animals but showing us that they FLAWED. just because someone kills another doesnt mean that they are insane animals. they just screwed up really bad and are going to be severly punished for it were not any different from them we have feelings and thoughts and personalitys as well as them they also have desires and goals and wishes all the same he showed the person in the human we can easly do the same the only difference is that its moraly wrong and to me a discusting emotion to want to think
Capote unleashes a plethora of pathos appeals towards both parties (criminals and victims) throughout the book, juxtaposing the seemingly perfect lives of the Clutters with the disturbingly issue-prone life of Perry.
I am not surprised that I feel compassion for Perry. As an actor of the stage, I take it upon myself to (from the beginning) have absolutely zero pre-concieved notions of the character I am portraying in order to capture that character honestly. And although in 'In Cold Blood', Capote from the get-go unveils the critical event of the novel, we are left empty of information to the backing of it- and only through the telling of the story can I form judgements of any kind. Since the greater portion of this novel is told from the perspective of or the point of view of Perry- I am biased towards him. (as in, I have a greater level of understanding and sympathy for Perry). And it is not just a coincident that Capote focuses on Perry, Capote wrote this novel on the basis to not just have the reader seek a thrill, but to seek understanding through investigation and analysis- making the reader go about the novel like he did during the actual interviews with Perry and Dick. This therefore makes me believe that there is more to Perry than what meets the eye. Capote wrote this novel as a sort of second trial- having the reader act like the jury but making the jury extremely knowledgeable about the problematic history of Perry.
In this book I could not believe by the end how much I knew about these criminals' childhoods, jobs, family, wives, and hobbies. I felt like a knew them their whole lives. Capote throughout the book gave the same kind of information with the victims as with the criminals, which made me, as a reader, suprised at how sometimes I would forget about them being murders all together. Because I would be thinking, "That's cool. Perry plays guitar." or "Dick likes only that orange drink.", which made them have things in common with the normal person reading to make the reader feel safe.
ReplyDeleteCapote humanized the killers by providing in-depth background knowledge, describing their families, and showing insight into the killers’ dreams and aspirations. By describing the killers’ childhood, the reader was more sympathetic to Perry because he was often forced into situations that he had no control over, for example his parents’ divorce, bullying, and the orphanage where he was beaten. The reader feels sorry for Perry because he is alone and was abandoned by his family. His dreams of traveling to foreign places and becoming a famous musician are very relatable. On the contrary, Dick had a relatively normal childhood with the exception that his family was poor. He is humanized through his family. His mother and father are kind and well-liked in the community. Dick’s dream of becoming rich and successful is also very relatable. I was surprised that the killers could be so emotional towards their lives, families, and dreams, but have no emotion for the Clutter family. I assumed that a person who had an abusive life wouldn’t want to put anyone else through the same pain, but that was not the case.
ReplyDeleteUsually when one thinks of a killer, one thinks of a person who has no human emotions. While reading this book, I realized that that is not the case for Perry and Dick. The author spends a large bulk of the chapters emphasizing the struggle they went through as children and even as grown ups. They even have Perry’s father write a letter about how good Perry was and that he had gone through so much after his parents divorced. Knowing all of this, the reader begins to sympathize with Perry and can understand why he was able to do what he did. Even as an adult, you realize how similar he is to the reader; he just wanted to be an artist and to go to high school. His childhood just never gave him the opportunity to do so. Dick, even though he was not as likeable as Perry, is also described in great detail. All he wanted was to live a happy life, killing the Clutters in the process. One also realizes how human he is when even though he killed the Clutters, he still cared for his parents. He worried about going to Mexico and paying the fake bills and not wanting to show his face, ashamed of facing them. By doing this, the reader realizes just how human Dick is and sympathizes with him. If he had had money in his childhood, he would have ended up being a well respectable mechanic. In other words, both characters were humans who did not have the opportunity others did. This made the reader sympathize and understand them.
ReplyDeleteJasmine N.
He humanized the killers by letting the readers spend enough time with them throughout their journey. We learn of Perry's dreams and hopes throughout his life and we learn his inner conflict with himself. We learn that he had always wanted a good education but has never been able to have one. By showing us that there was more to the killers than their crime, Capote was able to draw out the human qualities in them and us and make the reader sympathize for people who had done such a horrible crime.
ReplyDeleteThe same, but to a lesser extent, is done with Dick. As Jasmin says, it is shown that Dick does care for his family when he is down in Mexico. He tried to be an honest worker and the last thing he wants is to hurt his mother. Also, if one thinks of it in a parent's perspective, it is easier to sympathize with Dick.
By showing us the emotions and trials that Dick, and especially Perry went through, he stirs the emotion within us. He humanizes them by telling the readers who they were, not what they did.
Mariela V.
Capote does indeed create "astonishing empathy" for the murderers that humanizes them. Capote reveals their thoughts and their pasts to evoke emotions that would not have been felt toward two merciless human beings. Perry becomes a person to the reader when Capote reveals Perry's thoughts. "Hadn't he always been a loner, and without any real friends..."(pg.124) However, the reader truly starts to see Perry through empathetic eyes when Capote reveals his past, especially through the letter written by his father. "Yes, Perry's birth was normal....Yes, I was able to care for him properly until my wife turned out to be and disgraceful drunkard when my children were at school age."(pg.126) Capote generates compassion for Dick when Investigator Nye interviews his parents. "The whole world was against Dick Hickock-that's how he figured."(pg.167) The reader could experence no other feelings than sympathy and sorrow for these two unfortunate souls even though they were both cold blooded murderers.
ReplyDeleteLeanne, you have tuned in to how Capote tries to show how Dick and Perry seem to be "normal".
ReplyDeletePaige, your last sentence is most perceptive. Jasmine, your examples support your thoughts on what went wrong with Dick & Perry. Kyle, your quotes support your claim well, and it is noted that sympathy or not, they are murderers. Mrs. Kasper
Good work, Mariela!
ReplyDeleteI believe that Truman Capote, through humanizing both Perry and Dick, was able to give us the ability to relate and sympathize with the killers. Even though they were killers and they committed a horrible crime, I found myself throughout the story sympathizing with the killers and even at some points of the story I found myself pulling for the criminals. This is a very good example of how Mr. Capote uses the more negative facts from the killers lives to promote the thought of sympathy and pity towards the killers. The use of this writing style helps us start to like Perry and Dick because again we are able to relate to some of their life problems and even if you aren't poor or abused you can't help but feel sorry. I am not in the least bit surprised about how likable the killers become because they are, in fact, very normal as Leanne had said. I always felt like killers would just be different in nature from someone like me, but as I found out, they were just normal people who made bad choices.
ReplyDeleteCapote humanizes Dick and Perry by providing relatable details about their lives, hobbies, superstitions, and family. When you can relate to a character, it becomes much harder to think of them with the disgust usually assigned to cold-blooded killers like Dick and Perry. For example, if you did not know anything about the killers except for the details of the murder, they would be defined in your mind soley by the crime they committed. Capote lets us into their minds, see their fears, and know their families making them not just a distant outline, but real, almost-tangible people. Once you start thinking about them as people, you start to relate to them, and once you start to relate to someone, you start to care about them and their future. So by this logic, its not surprising in the least that we actually like the killers at some points throughout the story.
ReplyDeleteRachel E.
Capote does humanize the killers making dick almost seem most gentlemanly and sympathizing perry it almost makes you forget that they commited murder. Capote brings the reader along on thier journey and shows you the charm that dick has on other people and how perry has had a rough life. Dick always is thinking about his family and feels guilty that he hasn't made them proud. Perry is always thinking about his odd fantasies of hunting for treasure and becoming a one man symphony. Capote brings up his on and off relationship with his father and makes you feel truly sorry for perry. During their trial Capote makes you think that they were treated unfairly by the justice system and that they should have had another trial. Up until the end Capote makes the killers seem like good people.
ReplyDeleteMr. Capote, he does it the same way we in real life do; he took the relatable qualities of Dick and Perry and presented them to us in an smooth read, though life ins't a smooth read. I wasn't surprised by how Dick and Perry were so likable, because I believe they were just acting nice so the police would release them after questioning, and then, when that failed, to try and convince the jurors to give them life in prison, rather than, "send them to the Corner." True, Dick captured my heart with his devotion to his parents, and Perry, in the beginning, by being the outcast, but after the murder, I couldn't forgive them. You can't take another person's life, period. And, to be honest, I couldn't like Dick or Perry in the first place because I couldn't respect either. Dick was a dunce for rejecting two, not one, two scholarships, to play football, and Perry was a whiney baby. Yes, I concede he had a very hard life, but so did Oprah, and you don't see her crying! So, again, no, I wasn't surprised.
ReplyDeleteConnor S.
Capote humanized the killers by telling the reader about the killers' family, likes, and interests. For example Capote humanized Dick by simply talking about his parents. After Dick committed the crime he went home to his parents and it was as if he hadn't done anything at all and even after that he cared about his parents, it wasn't as if he didn't care about anyone that cared about him. Capote humanized Perry with telling us about Perry's past and how he hardly had any family left and the family he did have wouldn't speak to him. I wasn't surprised very much that the killers were so likable because they were just regular people who made terrible choices.
ReplyDelete-Ashley Mambru-
I’m actually not surprised by the fact that I never really hated them. Though their crimes were extremely cruel and the fact that they’re unremorseful should make disliking them easier, I never did. I think the main reason they were still likable is because we saw it from their perspective. Being placed in their shoes and in their mind always helps to empathize. As Paige Hinkle stated, “Capote humanized the killers by providing in-depth background knowledge, describing their families, and showing insight into the killers’ dreams and aspirations.” I absolutely agree with her. By learning about their families and past we see them not as killers, but as fellow humans with human emotions and desires. On page 262 Perry is thrilled by a letter from, “someone offering help, a sane and respectable man who had once known and liked him, a man who signed himself friend.” Perry desired to be accepted and understood, which is what all humans want. Reading this I could connect more with him and remember that he is human, just like me.
ReplyDelete~Kendall R.
Capote made the killer's seem human by showing everyday events in their lives. He also showed things like their memories, dreams, and goals. Showing these things allowed people to connect with them almost making you forget the terrible things they had done to the Clutters.He made Perry seem human because of his wanting to be accepted by people which everyone wants. Dick was made to seem human by showing his caring for his parents. Capote showed things in these men that all people have. Even the ability to be killers.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that for some time I was surprised at myself to be charmed by the personality of a murderer, or relating to things that were happening because I mean, who wants to say that they can relate to a ravenous killer? But I think that was Capote's purpose in this. He pulled the traits of Dick and Perry that are intriguing. The little detail of quirks or talents makes all the difference because that is what makes up everyone of us. For example, Perry's personal dream of being a musician that he knew wasn't going to happen. Everyone has a fantasy and Capote chose to share that because it is easy to relate to. Dick had a sense of humor. I found myself smiling when Capote talks about how even in the worst of places Dick would crack a joke. That is so real, and so relatable, therefore humanizing the characters. I got to a point where I was more and more frequently overlooking the brutality of anything because I was being blinded by their plain humanness. Perhaps that is what happens with everyone, when you are attracted to only the good in a person, you begin to refuse to see the bad side of them. That's what I found myself doing the more I related to Dick and Perry, the more Capote humanized them.
ReplyDelete-Emily Haban
Capote humanized the killers by giving us deep, in-depth looks into the lives of the killers. Bringing in the their families and their perspectives probably help humanize the killers more than anything. I was surprised how much I began to like them. You were able to relate to them maybe not to the degree that they experienced the hardships of life, but none the less to an extent you knew how they felt. The more you related to Dick and Perry the more humanized they seemed.
ReplyDeleteI think people sometimes can judge to quickly by first impressions. You expect, when you start this book to read about two murderers who are ruthless and evil but, when you begin to read the story from their point of view, you realize that they are human beings with feelings and backgrounds. Capote humanizes Dick and Perry through showing us their insecurities. For example, Perry was insecure with his legs that were injured in a car accident years ago. (Capote 199) "Dick wore bathing trunks, but Perry, as in Acapulco, refused to expose his injured legs-he feared the sight might "offend" other beach-goers-and therefore sat fully clothed...". Perry was insecure about his scarred legs. You begin to almost feel bad for Perry and realize he is not just a brutal killer. He has emotions and feels enadequate like you and me.
ReplyDeleteCapote also humanizes Dick through his family. When you see Dick with his family and when he is just simply watching basketball with his father, you see that he is just like you and me. Simple things that people do are the things that humanize them. Even hearing what type of food they like or the fact that they have hardy appetites, humanize Dick and Perry. I was surprised that these two people are frankly just "people". When I read about a murderer in the news I am quick to write them off as a terrible person and do not think of them as a human being with a history. Capote humanizes Dick and Perry by giving simple details and life to these two human beings.
Lauren S.
Capote humanized the killers by giving the reader insight into the killers’ personal lives and backgrounds. Capote showed the reader how Dick had a wonderful family that loved him unconditionally, and how Perry had a very rough childhood with very few people who actually understood him.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised by how likable the killers could seem. At times I would be reading, caught up in the story thinking about how likeable the characters were and how Perry just wanted to be understood. Then I would remember what they had done and feel surprised at how sympathetic I felt towards them.
Ashley C
Capote humanized the killers by letting the reader into their lives before the crime and during the crime. As you read you get introduced to family members of both Dick and Perry. You learn that both had a hard time, but still had someone who loved them, or cared just enough for them. Learning a lot about Dick and Perry's lives, you truly begin to realize they have different sides of them, not just being a murderer. Even though what they did was utterly horrible, you still felt a connection with them, as though they aren't bad, but nice. It did suprise me think they were nice and likeable knowing they were cold blooded killers. The reason they seemed likeable is because you where introduced with their lives, which made it easier to like them and not just hate them.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCapote did one thing to humanize the killers that few writers, generally speaking, truly do. He delved into their past; their minds. Capote investigated and explored every detail, every thought, every smidgen of information he could find (presumably), and he relayed them to the reader. Perry's childhood, his circumstances, were all 'on the table' mid-way through the novel. You come to know his ideas, his misgivings, his dreams and aspirations. You come to know the man behind the murderer, the human being who was simply dealt a poor hand in life. You learn, through Capote, that he has virtually no one left, that he simply follows and attaches himself to whoever influences him, such as Willie-Jay, and unfortunately, Dick. Even in jail, awaiting the news on his punishment, Perry fancies himself to be rescued by the 'big yellow parrot', or by the men he sees outside. Anyone who has ever been caged, for whatever reason, can relate to these very human imaginings; that lingering sense of hope in a desperate time. By relaying this information to the reader, Capote creates an underlying feeling of sympathy for the killer, despite the fact that he brutally murdered innocent people. Dick is much the same, though in my opinion on much less of a grand scale. Dick did not have a particularly horrible childhood, nor did he grow up without the leisure of a family to return to. He is a straight-forward man, a man without the excuse of possible insanity, without the excuse of being 'dealt a poor hand', and yet Capote still manages to instill a feeling of empathy in the reader for the murderer. Capote details Dick's quirks, his attitude, his speech patterns, and the reader becomes familiar with all of them as the novel continues. Something significant from early on is that Capote relays Dick's IQ, an astonishing 130, leading the reader (or myself, at least) to wonder what this man could have accomplished had he walked a different path. The possibilities alone were enough to make me feel some sympathy for the man. Personally however, I did not have the amount of sympathy or remorse for Dick as harbored for Perry. Yet the feeling was still there, that sympathy, that "what if", that the human mind conjures at the thought of another human being killed. I was not surprised "by how likable they could seem" in the end, mainly because I could see them as human beings, as two lives that would be taken for the sake of the four they had ended. In the humanization of the killers, Capote leaves no stone unturned, and by exploring their pasts and minds, he creates in them a surprisingly likable feel that holds out to the bitter end.
ReplyDeleteB. Leggett
Capote's descriptions of these two characters lives, dreams, goals, likes, and dislikes gives the reader insight and a more feeling of depth to both sides of the story. Just like the victims, Dick and Perry are described as normal, sane beings. I think I felt more sympathy for Perry because I can relate to him being a huge dreamer. Perry also had such a rough childhood and youth, and such problems with his parents (mostly his mother) I think that gives the reader a more feeling of compassion for him. Dick I didn't feel the same likability towards because of his attitude, but he grew up in a comfortable home with loving parents and siblings like most people, this gave him a more human quality. I was surprised at how likable they are, this is the first book that I have read where the "bad guys" are so humanized on such a high scale. I was surprised that Perry had done the majority of the crime because I felt he was more preferable than Dick, his dreams were more simple and lovely, and his musical and artistic talents as well as his passion for literature made him a less likely candidate than Dick. Capote showed through the lives and trials of these two individuals that although their acts were brutal they still had a past a family and a life like any other person.
ReplyDeleteMadeleine Gallaher
One of the first few words you associate with a killer is sick and twisted. By the time you reached part three of the book Capote had already given Perry and Dick backgrounds of their childhood, having children, and significant others. I was totally in awe in how human and normal Capote made the charecters seem I couldn't believe that they had actually killed the Clutter's. Perry and Dick were charecters you could relate to, their dreams and goals were of good nature and no matter how horrible the crime they commited I just couldn't bring myself to be disgusted by them. Capote had made them so human that it's was truly fightening to find out that they were murders and it was even more frightening that I couldn't associate the words sick and twisted with them. The more that Capote had humanized them, the more I found myself wondering what really made a killer tick.
ReplyDeleteCapote humanized the killers by telling the story from several different points of view. Perry Smith and Dick Hickock are killers who's perspective we are allowed to understand and share in their feelings and fears. Through the story the author helps you to understand some of the killers reasoning behind why they killed the Clutter family and committed the other more petty crimes. You are also provided with the view of the towns people or police officers working the case. I found myself feeling sorry for the killers Perry Smith and Dick Hickock. It seemed to me that whichever point of view I was being told or explained I found myself feeling sorry for that side of the story. At times I found myself compassionate for that person or group while being told their side of the story. Because of the killers backgrounds, especially Perry Smith who really wanted to be educated but was never allowed or given the opportunity to do so, I feel a strong will to forgive such a horrific act that he did. Then all of a sudden I get angry when the author switches back to the point of the towns people and all my feelings change. I would feel for the whole town of Holcomb because of the horrific crime that happen to their friends and the fear they felt with in the community.
ReplyDeleteDalton K.
Usually, when one sees a killer, one doesn't see a childhood, or a family, or friends. One usually just sees his or her crime. Capote demolishes this method of judgement by giving an intimate account of Dick and Perry's lives, from their childhoods, to their families, to the girlfriends and wives. And by the end of the book, when Dick and Perry are taken to be hanged, the reader is crying out against it, because now they know so much about the killers that killing them off seems so difficult to do. The finality of the act of capital punishment just hits the reader like a freight train, and just like that every opinion they had about capital punishment and Dick and Perry vanishes, replaced by new opinions taken from the new perspective the reader gets from knowing of Dick and Perry as people, not as criminals.
ReplyDeleteAfter chewing on this question for a quite a bit of time, I realized that Capote made Dick and Perry likeable people rather than ruthless murderers by giving every detail of their lives. If Capote had not given the criminals' stories, the average reader would've just labeled them as despicable creatures, not human beings with a personality, a family, and a soul. I felt as if I knew Dick and Perry intimately and I nearly experienced pain when they were hanged. By telling every element of their pasts, I could identify with a few aspects of their lives which almost made me forget Dick and Perry's horrendous crime.
ReplyDeleteCapote humanizes Dick and Perry by examining all parts of their life. I agree with Mariela that Capote did this by telling about who they were and not about what they did. The way Capote tells us about the killers' lives and how they came to do the things they did helps to make me feel for them as actual people, not immediately as a murderers, though normally I would think that people who kill for any reason were sick, twisted and disgusting people. However, as Capote went though the story, I found that they were just normal people who just did not make the best choices in life. They had dreams, passions, and hobbies just like other people; the difference was in the choices they made.
ReplyDeleteWesley Cannon
Capote makes these two men from cold hearted, and ruthless killers to mere humans, normal everyday men just trying to make a life for themselves by stripping them down to the core of their persons and their lifes. Most come to see a Murder as a sociopathic, and mental unstable person with the heart to take the life of another,but capote goes beyond that to make you see who these men really are. He takes it back to the struggles and the lives of every day people like you and I. He takes it that extra level and shows you it all, their childhood,adolescense,to maturity as a individual. Showing you their aspirations and dreams as well as hobbies and things of that favorite or that make you happy. Nearing the end of the novel in which you know that they will die. You almost feel sorry for them, they seem like people that you could be the best friend of, someone that you would never consider a murderer.
ReplyDeleteCapote humanizes Dick and Perry by telling you about each of the Killer's past. everything from hobbies, to what drink Dick likes. He gives as many details about each as he does whith the Clutter's. I believe that if the reader didn't know that Dick and Perry were the Killers till the very end, one would be surprised, because they could seem to be likeable people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lauren when she says that people judge too quickly. Yeah, they did kill four innocent people in a savage way, but just because they did, doesn't mean they don't have feelings like everyone else.
Capote humanized the killers by incorporating their personal lives into the story. By telling so much about their pasts and how they felt going through certain situations, he makes it easier for the reader to relate to Dick and Perry. This relation helps the reader come to the realization that these criminals aren’t what you would normally expect of a cold-blooded killer; they were more like everyday people you’d see around the neighborhood than the typical stereotype of a murderer. And, by avoiding the topic of the actual murders, it was almost as if they didn’t occur. Like before Dick and Perry confessed to killing the Clutters, it seemed as if we were reading about a couple of normal guys, just trying to make it through the day.
ReplyDelete-Tori J.
Capote humanized the killers by giving us an in depth look into their past. With this we could kind of relate to where they where coming from, and have some reasons as to why they did what they did. I was somewhat surprised by how likable they where, but when you start to dive into people's pasts you can start to relate more to them. Knowing where a person comes from gives you a deeper understanding of them and makes it hard for you to not like them, at least a little bit. If Capote had not told the readers some of Dick and Perry's past they would not have been likable, and would just be seen as heartless killers.
ReplyDeleteCapote beautifully painted a human being behind the mask of a heinous murderer. Through Dick and Perry’s point of view, he opens windows into the heart and soul of both men. Capote forces you to confront the almost horrifying reality that those that take the lives of others are people no different from any man or woman you’d meet at the supermarket. That perhaps everyone has the capacity to kill. While both had rough pasts, severe physiological issues, and warped senses of reality, they were simply human beings. Men with goals, with purpose, with aspirations. Men with the capacity of love, of kindness, of sympathy. These men slew the Clutter family out of pure emotion, not due to a thoughtless and twisted impulse. They were likable because they connected with the reader, and they connected with the reader because they were simply human.
ReplyDeleteAlexis A.
Capote does an exceptional job humanizing both characters. Through the way he describes Perry's childhood he creates an enormous amount of sympathy toward him. The reader cant help but feel sorry for him after the way he was beaten, or the way his parents split. Through the way that Capote shows that all Perry wanted to do was explore the world he was in, it showed that he is just another human being. Capote also does a great job humanizing Dick. By showing that all Dick wanted was too grow up and be rich and successful is a great way for the reader to relate to him, considering half of the readers want to do the same exact thing. I was extremely surprised about how much I liked both of these characters. I was actually sad when I learned that they committed the murders because I liked them, which shows how well Capote creates a sense of humanism.
ReplyDeleteIm sorry I forgot to sign that last one
ReplyDeleteBeaux Pace
Capote does an excellent job of humanizing the Perry and Dick. It was hard to truely think of them as murderers.
ReplyDeleteCapote includes so much detail about the two that you can't help but sympathize. He spends a lot of time on Perry and Dick's past that we end up knowing a lot more about them than expected. The struggles that they tried to overcome as children and the tough life as an adult. Perry's past was definitely one to sympathize one and one can't help but think that may be the reason to his personality. But just like us, he didn't have much money and wanted an education. Something that we should be grateful for.
Near the end, we find out about Dick's low self esteem and his envy for what others have. He grew up with little money and was probably "out of style." He tried to start over in Mexico, but his expectations were shattered.
They both had there own dreams and problems just like everyone of us. And like Leann, I felt as if I've known them for awhile. I felt as if I could understand them and was on common ground with them. The fact that they were murderers simply went away as I got to learn more about them.
-Diana T.
Capote does a wonderful job of portraying the killers (mostly) in the same light as not only the victims, but everyone involved in the story -- the officers, friends, family, ect. He provides the reader with backgrounds and sensitive stories about both the killers and victims, which, in turn, shows that the killers are humans too.
ReplyDeleteI was very surprised by how likable Hickock and Smith were. I was able to relate to both because I am a musician, just like Smith, and I am also very picky and easily annoyed, like Hickock.
Amanda P.
The humanization that Capote did to the murderers named Dick and Perry were in ways very relatable and amusing. Dick, first of all, would make me laugh sometimes. I don't know if I got this from the book or my own imagination, but I saw Dick as a sarcastic likeable guy that was funny and easy to make friends with if you forget the fact that he was pushy and gross. Perry on the other hand I would say,was very sensative and took things into perspective. He was relatable because he had dreams of preforming. He was also short and dark skinned and put up with a lot because of it. Like Emily I too also started to over look the fact that they were killers the more I read. It actually made me question how somebody so relatable and so "normal" could be a killer. It puts it into perspective that murderers could be anybody and they are just like us.
ReplyDeleteCapote humanized the killers by introducing the crime first and the characters second. For the first part of the book we feel disgust at the crime and look at Dick and Perry through the filter of "murderers". As the book progresses it follows the criminal's lives, describes their relationship dynamic, and outlines their pasts. We learn who they are and how to love them. This shift of focus moves the crime to the back of the reader's mind and brings the criminal's humanity into the foreground.
ReplyDeleteEven with their character descriptions, I caught myself liking Dick and Perry only occassionally. By switching between the two criminals and their separate perceptions of each other, I was influenced by the annoyance each had for each other. Also, that they never discussed their crime bothered me, and certain aspects of their personality were definitely unlikeable. Dick's pedophiliac tendencies lent me no affection for him, nor did Perry's vain and unfounded victim complex.
-Zoe Bulls
You can connect with them because of all the depth on their backgrounds you given through the novel. You could find at least one thing to sympathize with the killers, or perhaps even empathize with them. When people normally think of killers they think of people with no human like qualities, people that just sit in their basements, who have never seen the light of day and people that just couldn’t perform in normal society. I was not surprised by the fact that they were so likable, because if they were not likable they would of not of been able to make it so far without being caught.
ReplyDeleteClark D.
Capote spends a great amount of the book painting a deep, detailed picture of Perry and Dick as not just ruthless killers, but living, breathing humans. He wrote more about the lives, habits and quirks of Perry and Dick than the Clutter family. By doing so, he lifted the veil-like stereotype readers would normally have of murderers being ruthless, emotionless killing machines. Every murderer has a history, a childhood, a mother and a father.
ReplyDelete-Angela Boyrie
Capote does a brilliant job at giving us an inside look into what the vast majority of us can only guess at. The back story that Capote provides for Dick and Perry is almost caught of guard, their likes and dislikes and especially their aspirations have such a relatable quality that we start to look past the heinous crime that had been committed and start to actually care about them. I was surprised at how much I found myself almost rooting for them that I had to remind myself that they were the bad guys and what they had done was unforgivable. By revealing the murderer's pasts, their insecurities, and their morale, Capote makes them seem like vulnerable human beings instead of the downright cold slaughterers with no mercy for anyone that some people would conceive them to be.
ReplyDeleteThe author made the killers seem more human by breaking the common stereotype of a murderer. He gave them hobbies, and families, and an actual personality. He made them people you could meet in the grocery store and not give a second glance. I was a little surprised at first by how likeable they were, but after I thought about it a little more, I kind of realized that the author's characterization of them was actually very realistic. While any murderer obviously has some serious problems, there's more to their personality than what might show on the outside.
ReplyDeleteBy showing us different aspects of their personality, the author helped the reader to sympathize with the murderers. It also gives the reader a different way to look at the death penalty. It's easy to sentence a psychopathic killer to die, but it's a little harder to kill someone who's very similar to us.
Alecia H.
I believe that just because someone is a murderer doesnt make them unlikable. As humans we naturaly ease torward those that are like us or that we can connect with. For instance, Dick and Perry have self esteem issues, who doesnt? And Perry had a horrible childhood, i can relate to that. The fact of the matter is these men were human just like us, but what seperates us from this morals, compasin, and being rational. He humanized these men by showing us just how much they were like us, its no surpprise they commited these crimes beacause its something we are all capable of. In the end it all depends on the choices we make and the reason behind them. (Cause and Effect).
ReplyDeletetruman humanized the murderers by showing them how we are all the same in a way. people kill all the time other people well no not so much as killing other animals but showing us that they FLAWED. just because someone kills another doesnt mean that they are insane animals. they just screwed up really bad and are going to be severly punished for it were not any different from them we have feelings and thoughts and personalitys as well as them they also have desires and goals and wishes all the same he showed the person in the human
ReplyDeletewe can easly do the same the only difference is that its moraly wrong and to me a discusting emotion to want to think
Capote unleashes a plethora of pathos appeals towards both parties (criminals and victims) throughout the book, juxtaposing the seemingly perfect lives of the Clutters with the disturbingly issue-prone life of Perry.
ReplyDeleteI am not surprised that I feel compassion for Perry.
As an actor of the stage, I take it upon myself to (from the beginning) have absolutely zero pre-concieved notions of the character I am portraying in order to capture that character honestly. And although in 'In Cold Blood', Capote from the get-go unveils the critical event of the novel, we are left empty of information to the backing of it- and only through the telling of the story can I form judgements of any kind.
Since the greater portion of this novel is told from the perspective of or the point of view of Perry- I am biased towards him. (as in, I have a greater level of understanding and sympathy for Perry). And it is not just a coincident that Capote focuses on Perry, Capote wrote this novel on the basis to not just have the reader seek a thrill, but to seek understanding through investigation and analysis- making the reader go about the novel like he did during the actual interviews with Perry and Dick. This therefore makes me believe that there is more to Perry than what meets the eye. Capote wrote this novel as a sort of second trial- having the reader act like the jury but making the jury extremely knowledgeable about the problematic history of Perry.