Psychosis Leads to Murder

The non-fiction novel In Cold Blood written by Truman Capote details the murders of four members of the Herbert Clutter family in the 1950s in Holcomb, Kansas. In the opening of In Cold Blood Capote describes the setting and characterizes Holcomb, Kansas as a disorganized, remote, dreary city through the use of literary devices such as diction, detail, and imagery.

Truman Capote wrote In Cold Blood with the intention of creating a new non-fiction genre, a creative spin on a newspaper article with the author, and his opinions and judgments completely absent from the text, leaving only the truth for the reader to interpret. The pages of In Cold Blood are filled with facts and first-hand accounts of the events surrounding the brutal murder of a wealthy unsuspecting family in Holcomb, Kansas. Author Truman Capote interviewed countless individuals to get an accurate depiction of every one affected by and every side of the murder. Although he declares himself an unbiased and opinion-free author, based on the extensive descriptions of one of the murderers, Perry Smith, there is much debate about this

Less complex of a character than Perry Smith, Dick Hickock undoubtedly deals with conflict in the latter part of his life that causes his mental state of mind to become impaired. Hickock, unlike Smith, endures a fair childhood. He is born into a “semi-poor” home, in which his parents rarely fight (Capote 277). Indeed, he respects his parents, and in turn, they prove loving toward him throughout his life. Involved in copious sports and attaining mostly A’s, his future seems bright. However, with no real money to pursue a college education, he turns toward the workforce. At his second job, he is involved in a car accident, which leads to the ruin of his mental state. Left for several hours unconscious, and with a “serious head injury,” he was not, as his father stated, “the same boy” (Capote 166, 294).

Perry Smith and Dick Hickock were two very different men who came together in one the most renowned and talked about murders in American history. Although the men’s motives were the same, the psychological differences that they experienced after the murders were very different. Smith and Hickock were living testaments to the fact that one’s upbringing really does play a part into the person one will someday become. For Perry, his traumatic family experiences, or lack of them, led him to a psychotic malfunction and for

In the non-fiction novel In Cold Blood, Truman Capote (1965) gives his own narrative of the Holcomb tragedy in which a family of four living out on a secluded farm were slaughtered with a shotgun by the collaboration of two individuals for a seemingly few dollars. In this novel, Capote gives a thorough character description of the two murderers, Richard Hickock and Perry Smith, as he recreates their experience (much as he sees it as it would be from

Rural Kansas was a peaceful, welcoming community. The farmers and townspeople were very close and friendly with one another. Nothing bad ever happened in these farming areas because the people were nice and friendly. Until one frightful night, everything changed. Back in 1959, the town of Holcomb, Kansas was absolutely shocked and taken aback by the news of killings that occurred in their small town. The victims were a well-known and loved family from the community. They were brutally murdered in their rural farmhouse. Truman Capote unravels the secrets, rumors, suspicions, and truth about the crime of the small town murder of the Clutter family in his non-fiction book, In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences.

Many people say the documentation of the murder of the Clutter family is Truman Capote’s best work. It started out as an article for The New Yorker, and evolved into the non-fiction novel; the first of its kind. Capote traveled to Kansas with friend Harper Lee to research the killings. In the course of six years bringing this narrative together, Capote began taking drugs and drinking heavily due to the dark nature of the book. Truman Capote tells the true story of a family murdered in In Cold Blood, through character analysis and symbolism to prove nature is a stronger force than nature in shaping a person’s character.

Have you ever heard of the Insanity Defense? The insanity defense is when the defendant is not responsible for his or her actions because of a psychiatric disease or a psychotic episode during the act of the crime. For instance, the Durham rule can be used if the defendant is diagnosed with a mental illness that was present during the time or show his or hers medical history records to demonstrate the defendant’s insanity. In the book In Cold Blood, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, was sentenced to death for the murder of the Clutter Family, on November 15, 1959. Perry, who was the one that killed the whole family,could be eligible for the insanity plea if he has shown any signs of being mentally unstable during the act of the crime.

As Truman Capote guides his readers through the thrilling story of the homicide of the Clutters family in his nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood, he gives the them a clear conception of the characters in his story. The characterization of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, the two vicious killers, enhances the richness of the story by adding depth to the characters. Capote manipulates ethos and visual imagery to illustrate Dick’s corrupt nature, while he skillfully exploits assumption and pathos to characterize Perry as a sympathetic character.

Education offers endless doors of opportunity for the people who pursue it. Not only does knowledge breed confidence, but it sets society on a path and purpose towards success. Wandering without a purpose, people lose their goals and aspirations. Some individuals never find direction, developing a sense of insecurity and isolation. They begin to have thoughts which result as defense mechanisms to safeguard them from feeling alone and abnormal. When these reactions happen, the outcome of their actions become unpredictable, and potentially dangerous. Moreover these individuals will create their own world from their insecurities and act on them like reality. Often, these cases embody victims of mental disorders, overlooked by society. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote suggests criminals deserve careful analysis, an unpopular opinion; he refers to the lives of two characters, dreams shattered, suffering from the same fate. Through the investigation of a detective bureau and the author 's interpretation, the perpetrators symbolize a bigger picture. Although the details of the crime convey Perry as a cold-blooded murderer, Capote illustrates Perry as a victim of his childhood by emphasizing his insecurities and fears.

Capote describes the interaction between Harold Nye and Hickock’s father, revealing the behavioral transformation of Dick. Before the accident, Dick was an athlete, excelling in multiple sports. He was not just an athlete but also a scholar, receiving high grades in numerous disciplines. He was a good kid. In any case, Dick’s behavior changed after the accident, potentially as a result of head injuries.

In this essay I will argue why Dick Hickock & Perry Smith from "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote should get the death penalty. In Holcomb, Kansas 1959 the Clutter's family was found dead in their home tied and bound with a bullet in each of their heads. The officials tracked down their killers Dick Hickock and Perry Edward Smith 6 weeks after the killings. My essay is about why Dick Hickock and Perry Smith should receive the death penalty for killing the Clutter family.

In these six lines, Hicok describes how he responded to those that reached out to him after the massacre at Virginia Tech; he appreciated the shared understanding that sometimes nothing can besaid in the face of such catastrophe. He then articulates the void felt by those that had any connection to the tragedy. Finally, Hicok conveys that the perpetrator of this heinous act, Seung-Hui Cho, ended the lives of 32 students and faculty members because he was a “boy who felt that he was nothing” (12).

Another theme throughout In Cold Blood is the attraction of opposite personalities between Hickock and Smith. The first scene of Perry Smith is with a guitar and a set of road maps. The guitar appears to function as a feminine image and symbol. Part of what attracts Hickock to Smith is that Hickock feels "totally masculine" by this. In one scene, the criminals' automobile is mentioned. One of Perry's possessions is the guitar, and the "instrument that characterizes his companion Dick... a twelve gauge pump-action shotgun." Another instance of Smith's feminism is Hickock's constant addressing of him as "sugar," "honey," and "baby," for example, Perry says "O.K., sugar—whatever you say" (Capote 46) to Dick when discussing the murder. Outside the novel, Truman Capote himself actually falls in love with Perry Smith; only he likes him because he sees a reflection of himself somewhat in Smith.

The disturbing description of the serial killer is recited without any waver whatsoever away from the intent only to divulge information. The narrator makes no personal comment and expresses no opinion about Howard. After the narrator has given the information to the listener, the narrator leads the train of thought right back to the work environment. The idea of a horrible mass murderer is interrupted by his typing ability. This continued contrast now goes past unstable and borders on psychotic.