Truman Capote's Song If I Die Young

Truman Capote, the infamous mid – century American author in his nonfiction literary novel, in cold blood shows the Clutter family, a stereotypical southern family. Capote demonstrates this tragic story by telling about their last moments. The devices that Capote uses in the novel is the gentleness and sophistication. The audience was mainly towards those in the surrounding communities of Holcomb, Kansas and to those around the nation that wanted to know the feelings , and feel closely acquainted to the Clutter family, and be able to hear each and everyone’s background from the Clutter family to the murderers.

What makes a true American crime novel so fascinating that it abandoned the audience in a shocking, fictional world? According to author Truman Capote, its blending of facts and fiction elements proves it all. In most nonfiction novels, authors write from their own perspective and focus exactly on what happened. However, for Truman Capote, he writes what most authors doesn’t, especially his decision to not intrude. His main objective is to blend both facts and fiction together, creating an interesting and mind-blowing tone rather than obscure.

Truman Capote’s non-fiction novel, In Cold Blood (1963), implies that the death penalty should only be used as a last resort.

Literature, the dictionary defines it being the art of written works that is simultaneously designed to entertain, educate and instruct its audience; writers, using their skill of telling stories, use literature in an attempt to transfer their ideas from paper to the reader; for some, this task means bringing their story to a different place and time that is entirely separate from what the could be perceive as ordinary, on order to serve the writer’s intent. With this, the impossible, becomes the probable, and the worst fear imagined becomes the breathed reality; with no separation between the truth, and fiction. The word “literature” in itself cannot be accurately defined, and by attempting to do so, it limits the word not only in its

In the non-fiction novel, In Cold Blood, Truman Capote follows the tail of the Clutter family murder in Holcomb Kansas. Four members of the Clutter family are brutally murdered by two ex-cons and the story follows the hunt for the murderers, their capture, and eventually some country justice. The murder took place on the night of November 15, 1959. The investigators had no motive for the crime and the only clues that they had were two pairs of boot prints left by the killers. Capote took all of his notes and after the murder had been solved he began to formulate a new kind of non-fiction novel, a feat that no one had truly succeeded at before. Many challenges faced him due to not being able to change facts like a fiction writer might be

In In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, the device of juxtaposition is used to contrast the differing mental states of Dick and Perry, which is emphasized by the syntax, diction, and tone throughout the two passages. Capote uses opposing accounts of the same situation to add a deeper characterization of the two men, and to emphasize their differences psychologically. Throughout the book Capote attempts to show the true complexity of the killers, and how their backgrounds and psyches affected their actions. Although Capote is talking in the third person omniscient, he changes his style when describing the two characters.

Although Capote’s writing may seem as though he is trying to relive the storyline of the murder, he is using language tools in order to build sympathy and humanize the murderers despite their gruesome crime while simultaneously making the reader feel sorrow for the Clutter’s.

Of all the characters in In Cold Blood, Perry proves to possess the most surprising and dynamic traits. Unlike Dick, whose character remains consistent throughout the book, Perry portrays innocent, child-like characteristics juxtaposing his title of a murder. Capote sympathizes with Perry using pathos to achieve this, as evident in his writing. On many occasions, Capote illustrates Smith with humane characteristics. Particularly in the chapter “Persons Unknown”, Capote goes in-depth of Perry’s past. In this section, readers learn that Perry has suffered from (childhood) abuse and neglectance caused by authoritative figures in his life, including his parents, and the caretakers of his youth (132). More importantly, Capote also discloses a “composition

In his “nonfiction novel” masterpiece In Cold Blood, Truman Capote attempts to shape readers’ perceptions of Perry as a cold-hearted murderer to a mentally ill, childlike character whose suffering has driven him to commit a horrendous crime. Capote introduces Perry Smith to readers with a physical description, opening the premise that Perry encapsulates an injured child: “His tiny feet, encased in short black boots with steel buckles, would have neatly fitted into a delicate lady’s dancing slippers; when he stood up, he was no taller than a twelve-year-old child” (Capote 15). Through this comparison and metaphor of Perry’s figure to a lady and child, Capote references characteristics of weakness and innocence that not only resonate in the

In the dark night bullet shells hit the floor blood is everywhere and the innocent lives of a successful family are taken away. The captivating story of “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote is an amazingly written piece describing the unveiling of a family murder. In the book “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote the primary theme is death. Although the theme is death it is used in such a way that highlights points of other themes such as the American dream. The book has a strong sense of symbolism that adds greater depth to the story. The clutter family symbolizes the American dream while Dick and Perry symbolize the reality that all dreams do not become a reality. Capote gives the reader different characters point of views in the novel and gives details

Truman Capote In the 1950’s Truman Capote was not comparable to any other writer. His style and dedication to his work was greater than any other writer at the time. His dedication showed through his book In Cold Blood when he took the time to get to know the murderers, Dick and Perry, and follow them until their execution. Capote took on this journey with his lifelong friend Harper Lee as an assignment for the New Yorker.

On November 15th, 1959 in the small town of Holcomb Kansas, wealthy farmer Herbert Clutter and three of his family members were brutally murdered by Perry Smith and Richard Hickock. In 1965 Truman Capote changed the true nature of the crime genre by publishing one of his bestselling novels, In Cold Blood. Capote’s approach towards the novel used journalistic facts and evidence and his own personal creative writing method to reveal the details of the Clutter murders, classifying the novel as a link between fiction and nonfiction.

The novel, “In Cold Blood”, is a beautifully written piece of literature telling about the unexpected death of the Clutter family that took place in the small town of Holcomb. The author, Truman Capote, does a fantastic job explaining the tragedy, but more importantly the thoughts and feelings of the characters directly involved, including the beloved friends and family of the Clutters. By revealing the true killers, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, Capote takes away the mysterious aspect of the novel, but quickly replaces it with inspiring arguments between the characters concerning capital punishment and what ways to proceed, for a crime such as this one. This is exactly the kind of literature William Faulkner, winner of 1949 Nobel Prize

In Cold Blood is like a fictional novel because he wrote of a true account in a poetry-like way. He used many details to capture the setting and the characters. On page 3, instead of stating the story takes place in Holcomb, it’s expressed using figurative descriptions, such as: “a lonesome area that other Kansans call ‘out there.’” The novel shows journalism because as the readers goes through the events in the book, they are told of accounts from a wide range of people, such as the friends and acquaintances of the Clutters, to the investigators on their case. Because of the fictional and journalist aspects, Capote created suspense in the novel, detailing the ‘behind-the-scenes’ before the murder, saving the murder walkthrough until the near

Exploring Capote and his novel In Cold Blood Truman Capote was more than a great American author; he was a writer who broke the mold. He stepped far beyond what was common place in literature at the time thus making a name for himself that was impossible to forget. He is a man known not only for his literary classics, but also for the intention with which he pursued creating them. For Capote, writing was more an art form he practice—it was his way of life.