Final Book Blog for "In Cold Blood"

Prompt: Comment on the perspective from which the book is told and how the
author’s choice affects your relationship with the book’s content.

The book starts out with Capote narrating some basic background information on Holcomb and the clutter family, with the final result of the crime in this murder story already being hinted to at the very beginning, like when Mr. Clutter "headed for home and the day's work, unaware that it would be his last" (p. 12). The way the author chose to tell the story says alot, especially considering that "In Cold Blood" was the very first of its kind - the nonfiction novel, because he is taking a true event and building an intense story so that the reader can literally experience what really happened.

As the story develops the scenes change quickly between the perspectives of different characters, from Mr. Clutter, Nancy, and the rest of the family, to Dick and Perry, who are making their way towards Holcomb. The scene-to-scene action, which continues throughoug the book, kind of resembles a movie in the way it flows and Capote does not reveal much information at first and leaves much up for interpretation. For example, on page 55 the scene changes from nancy filling out her diary before bed, to the two men pulling up at a house - "The bank, that must be the bank, now we turn west - see the trees? This is it, this has to be it". The scene is completly unannounced and the scene that follows it is the discovery of the dead bodies the next morning. - "He was getting out of the car to go after them when he heard the screams, but before he could reach the house, the girls were running towards him. His daughter shouted, 'She's dead!' and flung herself into his arms. 'It's true, Daddy! Nancy's dead!'" (p. 58).

The reader had suspicion that Dick and Perry would be the killers, but its not actually known for sure until after the murders take place and the bodies are discovered. At this point, with the major events out of the way, i began to wonder what the specific details of the murders were, what the motive was, how they did it, etc.

As the story shifts to the longest, most detailed part of the book, it becomes clear that the main focus is on the investigation of the murders and the analysis of the killers, mainly Perry, who's tough past kind of leads me to sympathize a little bit. "I finished the third grade," (p.128) Perry (who considers himself an intellectual) recalls, as he describes a lonely childhood where his family abandons him. Giving Perrys perspective and life story is perhaps Capote's way of giving the facts so that the reader can pass judgement on him and whether what he did is somehow from a psychologic illness (at the end of the book, it mentions that the court psychologist asks him to write down his life story and is "unsure" about his mental wellfare p. 265)

Capote's scene-to-scene writing technique throughout the book, which leaves so much specific information unsaid, is probably meant so that the reader becomes engaged in the story. As i read i imagined what the motives could have been, if they'd get caught, when they'd get caught and how. Cleverly, the actual details of the murder are revealed only when the killers make their confessions. The story kind of reminds me of Prison Break, in a less dramatic way. After finally being captured, the interrigation kind of acts as a climax to the middle part of the book, answering the questions - like when presented with overwhelmin evidence, Dick cracks under interrigation: " 'Perry Smith killed the Cutters' he lifted his head, and slowly straightened up on the chair, like a fighter staggering to his feet. 'It was Perry. I couldn't stop him. He killed them all' "

In conclusion, i think the perspective Capote chose to write the book from was obviously diverse with characters, all of whom gave their own viewpoints and leads me the reader to do a little investigation work of my own, which is how the perspective shapes my relationship with the content.