In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Review by Sakshi Gholap, 12

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Cold Blood is a nonfiction book written in response to the 1959 murder of the Clutter Family in Holcomb, Kansas. Truman Capote (author) asserts that society often judges individuals harshly for various acts when there are usually multiple factors influencing them. Capote supports his argument by describing the tough childhoods of Perry and Dick, the murderers, due to a lack of stable relationships, abuse, being underprivileged, and much more. The author’s purpose is to convince the readers in order to let them realize that every individual is the result of their upbringing and circumstances as seen by how Capote juxtaposes his tone from the beginning to the end. He starts with a harsh, insensitive tone while describing how the murder was committed. Capote then utilizes a pitiful tone in regard to Dick and Perry to show that he sympathizes with them for an improper childhood, which led them to take these horrible actions. For example, Capote appeals to the audience’s sympathy when describing the childhoods of Dick and Perry. As Capote leads his readers through the murder of the Clutter family, readers slowly, but surely, see how society characterized Perry and Dick as cold-blooded, ruthless murderers, when in reality, their actions were simply a larger consequence of their own upbringings. The audience is then able to sympathize with them, for there were external factors leading them to commit these murders. However, one thing I especially liked that Capote did is that he differentiated the murderers. Rather than grouping them together, he made sure to note their distinct characteristics. For example, in a particular scene, we see that Perry, to some degree, is bothered by the crime and wants to talk about it. Dick doesn't want to talk about it and wants to move on, which suggests he has no moral compass. Capote also emphasizes the many different angles to look at these murderers. When a third hitch-hiker showed up. We clearly see how two-sided Perry Smith is. He is willing to follow Dick’s orders and murder an innocent driver for his money and his car. Yet, he sees this as a necessity and wants to commit no additional crime for he doesn’t want to take the life of an innocent person. Overall, I loved reading this novel. Capotes intention of viewing criminals in a different light was defintely accomplished. While it did not justify his actions, I was able to look past the crime and delve into his past and future to understand both Dick and Perry. I would definetely recommend this book to others who are interested in the concept of a “non-fiction novel”. While based on a true story, the events are so crazy that the reader will feel like he too is on this adventurous journey.