Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Summer Reading Response #2
There are two common discussions that occur in response to Parts Three and Four of Capote's *In Cold Blood.* The first is the question of degree of guilt for Dick and Perry: Which individual is most to blame for the murders that occurred in Holcomb and why? Did they both deserve the death penalty? The second is the question of Capote's own opinion on the matter. He deftly maintains what seems to be an objective persona as narrator of this brutal tale, but of course has a strong opinion he is "masking"- otherwise, why write this masterpiece that he later claimed almost destroyed him? Making specific references to the text to support your position, answer both questions above. Then return to the blog later and respond to a peer's post on the matter- replying to either one or both of your colleague's answers to questions above.
You will receive your score for this assignment in two parts: 15 points awarded for your own insightful post and 15 points awarded for a thoughtful response to at least one peer. Remember that I am looking for effort as well as evidence of your reading. I will enter this online discussion later, but want to wait and see what you all say first!
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In my opinion dick and perry are both to blame for the murder.dick had his plan to kill the Clutter family to get their riches, he had no empathy for anyone else but himself. Perry follow his idea and didn’t stop him to advise him of how bad this idea could of gone. They both did wrong and even when the family ask them what wrong they did to them and beg not to hurt them, that didn’t stop them. Perry was the one that pulled the trigger on the victims which it was a surprise to me since he seen unsure of what he was doing and almost guilty of ending this good people live. dick tried to rape nancy but perry didn’t let him.Perry suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, and Dick has brain damage from a concussion so they are both sick people that needed help.they both killed this family just to get forty or fifty dollars so of course they deserve the death penalty.The point of writing this tragic story is to tell both criminal side, their past that push them to do this.For example Perry describes the killings as a competition between himself and Dick: “I meant to call his bluff, make him argue me out of it, make him admit he was a phony and a coward” (244). the decision to kill the Clutters would not have been made if dick and perry weren’t in doubt with each other, and feeling frustrated. Perry put the blame for his self hatred and all four Clutters pay the price for his pain.Capote showed how ordinary feelings of frustration and despair accidentally erupt in this crime. The book seems to contend that criminality and “evil” are not different as we tend to define them, but normal human responses that become amplified and find a destructive exist.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on how both Perry and Dick were sick people. i like how you point out the flaw of Perry and Dick with the paranoid schizophrenia and the concussions to Dicks brain. Its crazy to think that if the crime were to happen during this time it could be used as an insanity excuse to escape the death penalty.i did feel sympathy towards the murders when Capote described Dick's and Perry's upbringings but as you said the book explains their past and what made them do their crime, i did notice that sometimes it isn't necessary to have a troubled past to be a killer.
DeleteWhile both Perry and Dick are to blame for the murder of the Clutter family, I believe that Dick is more responsible than Perry. First of all, when they stopped to buy rubber gloves, Perry suggested that they wear stockings over their heads; however, Dick insisted that they leave no witnesses behind. Therefore, Perry never had the intention of killing the Clutters, whereas, Dick did. Moreover, Perry initially came to Holcomb in search of his friend Willie Jay, but never found him. Instead Dick invited Perry on a “score.” Dick was planning the crime a long time ahead, unlike Perry. Lastly, following the murder, Perry experienced feelings of regret, such as when he stated “There’s got to be something wrong with somebody who’d do a thing like that” (128). Dick obviously wasn’t experiencing thoughts of regret, but rather was annoyed by Perry’s comments. It seemed that Perry was a bit more conscientious about his actions, although he went on with them anyway. During the actual crime scene, it is not clear which one was responsible for the deaths. Perry initially claims that he killed Herb and Kenyon, and that Dick killed Bonnie and Nancy, but he later modifies his story so that it matches Dick’s, implying that he killed all four people. What is clear, though, is that they both were deeply involved with the murders, and they each had the opportunity to turn back and not carry out their plan, but they refused to. Therefore, I believe that they both deserved the death penalty. Regarding Capote’s own opinion on the matter, I believe that he sympathized with the murderers, otherwise, why would he have spent so much time learning about their lives? Also, because he knew of their rough childhoods, he was better able to understand their motives and felt that they were truly mentally ill, and did not deserve to receive the death penalty.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in where both Perry and Dick are to be blamed for the murders but the truth is, Perry killed these people without a motive and Dick did not. Ultimately, it does not matter who planned the murder spree or who regrets what they did, in the end four lives were lost because of Perry Edward Smith. Both of these men were in the right state of mind but their issues go so deep inside them, Dick had the sanity to not participate in the killing for whatever reason and Perry killed these people without even realizing it! Overall, Perry shows to have a bigger conscience than Dick but that is how Capote chose to interpret him, in the end, Perry shot the trigger and stole four lives, whereas Dick did not.
DeleteI believe that both Dick and Perry have the same amount of blame. They both followed through with the murder of the Clutter's. One of them could of stopped the plan to murder the Clutter's but neither of them did. They killed a whole family, leaving a town devastated, therefore, yes, I do believe they both deserved the death penalty.
ReplyDeleteI am sure this piece almost killed Capote because he gets so into the characters. Being that he really expresses his true feelings and put his deepest thoughts into each book. It was also stated in an article I happened to find online that while writing "In Cold Blood", Capote took up heavy drinking while getting to involved with his characters.
I applaud you and share your opinion concerning their joint-ownership of the blame for the Clutter-mass-murder spectacle. And oddly enough, I find your thoughts on this piece almost killing capote wierd. As an aspiring author, I get into my characters, too, (<-- that, I undersrand) but most likely not to the point where it would cause me emotional distress (and this part, I don't). But maybe that's because I'm strictly fiction XD.
DeleteBut you hadn't talked about what you thought Capote was thinking underneath his 'mask'. Do you think he favors the stories malefactors in any way?
It does seem that dick would have more of the blame that perry since he had this plan as soon as they told him about Clutter riches. But yet we all agree they both were apart of the murber and none of them try to stop it or give them slef to the police.In my Opion it doesn't matter who did more because at the end they both killed an inasent family who didn't do nothing wrong to them and kids that had life to live But were ended shortly.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading the first 70 pages or so in the book I totally thought that Dick and Perry were wrong in the head. For example “She’d been tied up too, but different – with her hands in front of her , so that she looked like she were praying.” (p.63). That’s just wrong so I believe that they both deserved the death penaly. However, I began seeing the other side of the story when more was said about Dick and Perry (including their past histories, the murder scene, and their reactions to being sentenced to the death penalty.
ReplyDeleteDick has not killed any people in his life but he had a bad soul. This can be proved thru his actions; hewas a pedophile and loved to kill animals. He totally does not deserve to live if death makes him live & feel happy. Its like when he purposefully swerved his car toward an “old half-dead mongrel, brittle-boned and mangy” dog that him and perry had come across in the desert, he was satisfied over wat he did by him saying, “Boy! We sure splattered him!”. That’s just crueld.
I feel a little remorse towards Perry though; I know he was the one who killed the four people but the murders began as an accident when his anger got out of control. Of course this cant be seen as an excuse fro what he did but at least Perry did not go into the house thinking that he wanted to brutally murder four people he had never met. At the end of Perry’s life, one could see that Perry had changed for the better; right before his death, he said that he felt sorry for what he did. “It would be meaningless to apologize for what I did. Even inappropriate. But I do. I apologize.” I feel like Perry had repented by this point & was truly aware of what his actions did.
The death penalty is too broad of subject to have a definite answer on whether anyone deserves it. But I believe that anyone who has murdered someone deserves the death penalty and that they should be put through the same torture that they put their victim else through. Or else how would they learn if they just get away with it?
I agree with most of what you say Aby, especially the part about the death penalty being such a broad subject. But I do have a question: it is understandable that there must be punishment for crimes such as murder, but how does one learn anything in death -- other than maybe that life was too short to do (or not do) some of the things that were/weren't done?
DeleteAnd this is just a question that I've asked a few times when conversations of the death penalty arise: doesn't "an eye for an eye make the whole world blind"? Isn't killing someone "legally" because they killed someone "illegally" still killing in the end? Just some food for thought...
Like i said it is my opionion, and i just believe that anyone who has the guts to murder someone should die. I mean everyone will die at some point but there life should stop right when they can kill another human being because not only did they kill a person but they 'killed' their families as well (they will hurt all their life). I think one learns that every action has their consquence and that they should think about what they do next time. I wouldnt like the fact of them being just imprisioned their whole life because they might as well be dead. They would be stuck in thier ALL their life which they cant see the outside world or interact with them as much, so what would be the point of living? & maybe they would get killed in there as well. Yes its killing still but the good part is the legal part because they wouldnt need to pay for their actions :p
DeleteI do believe that both men deserved the death penalty for their crime, especially if Perry's description of the event (p. 232-246) is even 80% accurate. Based on this description, however, I believe that Dick is more at fault for the murders than Perry. Although the murders were not "officially" planned, Dick already suspected that they would have to deal with witnesses (up to a dozen) when they attempted to rob the Clutter residence; he planned for this long before the men had even committed the crime, shortly after he had heard about the Clutters from Floyd Wells. The entire time leading up to the murders, Dick took every opportunity to remind Perry that they were to leave "no witnesses." Although Perry was the first to pull the trigger and kill anyone within the house, he seemed as though he was more following along with Dick's plan than making his own decisions; this was proved to me when Perry admitted to Dewey and Duntz that he had the idea and the chance to kill Perry once they left the property, but couldn't figure out why he didn't do so. Had Perry really been in total control of his own actions and NOT just sticking to Dick's plans, he more than likely would have killed his partner, stolen the car, and left for Mexico. Also, even though Dick played the leader and Perry the follower, Perry seemed to be the more sane -- or better yet, "human" -- than his partner. For the most part, Dick was more emotionless and detached when he committed any form of crime. Perry actually felt the emotional distress a normal person would consequently feel after commiting such crimes. This, to me, is why Perry was so hesitant prior to the crime, whereas Dick was eager to get the job done -- putting Dick more at fault than his cautious partner.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Dick was emotionless when killing this poor family...but i also think that when Perry is in the right mindset he is a cold blooded killer...(this totally contraditcs what i wrote on my blogpost but im weird so leave me alone) just like when he killed that poor black man in Las Vegas...i dont know but theu are both to blame one way or another...Dick for being a criminal mastermind...so to speak...and Perry for being a baby
DeleteDeon brings up an interesting point that hits the nail on the head in terms of my personal opinion on the matter. Intent is absolutely an integral piece when deciding who is ultimately to blame. As Deon pointed out, Dick knew without a doubt that people were going to be killed. In fact, he chooses not to even bother trying to get hose to cover their faces, knowing full well that he and Perry would leave no witnesses alive. And in selecting Perry, Dick again was fully aware of what he was doing. As Wendy pointed out in her first blog response, Dick chose Perry as a partner because he believed him to be the ultimate killing machine. (We have to remember though, Wendy, that Perry lied about killing the black man in Vegas.) It's almost as if Perry is the weapon Dick brings along in the commission of his crime. "Guns don't kill people- people kill people?"
DeleteHowever, this being the third time I've read this novel now, I was trying to pay much more attention to Capote's hidden agenda, and am aware that the pity I've always felt for Perry is just a sophisticated device Capote's writing style subtly weaves into his writing. Or maybe not so subtly, even.
After reading "In Cold Blood", I believe that both men, Perry and Dick, are to blame for the murders of the Clutter family. Regardless of who pulled the trigger, each men were in control of their actions and one of them could have stopped the killing from going any further or they could have both left the premises once they found out there was no safe. Although, they are both to blame for the four murders, I believe that Perry should have been the one to recieve the death penalty because he was the one who was psychologically sick that he was able to kill innocent people in cold blood and excused his actions by saying that "the Clutters were the ones who had to pay for it", regarding the abuse he endured during his whole life. Dick is merely an accomplice and although he was the first to make the plan of robbing Mr. Clutter, he ultimately was too "weak and a coward" according to Perry, to shoot the Clutters. In my opinion, Dick should have been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole or a lesser sentence than Perry, because in the end, Dick was not a murderer but Perry's accessory. Regarding Capote's opinion on who is most to blame, he clearly takes a liking to Perry and portrays him as a troubled man who has had the worst luck in the world. Capote masks his opinion but at the same time includes many details of Perry's life that would lead people to feel sympatethic for Perry and understand why he murdered four people. Some examples would be when Capote describes Perry's childhood, the recurring abondmentments in his life, lack of love, and most importantly the letter that Dr. Jones (the psychiatrist) made Perry write at the trial which showed his vulnerable side and where his hurt and anger came from. Therefore Capote chose to hide his opinion of the case because not many people would have like it if he took sides with a criminal, this is why he made the comment that "his masterpiece almost destroyed him".
ReplyDeleteAt first I believed that Dick was more to blame since in the 3rd part of the book Perry's side of the story was told. He described the murders and how Perry was worried that Dick was going to rape Nancy if he left him alone with him.He seemed to be the only one that was right in the head even after tying up Nancy he was still trying to calm her down even pointing out that he thought she was a nice girl saying that he really liked her. But then when Floyd wells told Dick about the Clutter family, he was determined to kill everyone and not leaving any witness behind And how Perry was going to stop everything by him leaving Dick but the murder was a competiton saying "“I meant to call his bluff, make him argue me out of it, make him admit he was a phony and a coward” (pg 244)
ReplyDeletei believe both deserved the death penalty since both of them committed the crimes, with Perry pleading guilty and dick playing the innocent one by denying that he shot a Clutter member. Dick was the one that thought about he crime and Perry following his orders, both killed an innocent family.
i think Truman Capote decided to expose the event since he was captivated by the murder and after researching for 6 years and even becoming good friends with Perry, he felt there was a need for the nonfiction novel. the novel nearly distroyed him more because of his friendship with Smith and when writing a nonfiction novel there might be some inaccurate events since he would write quotes after each interview and misquoted some.
I thought you made a good point on how dick was still an accomplice however what about the fact that perry was diagnosed with mental illness during the trial you don't feel that it would have been better to admit perry into a mental institution?
DeleteI believe that both Dick and Perry, are horrible people for what they did to the clutter family. However I do NOT believe that death was the correct way to punish them for it. Yes they are equally responsible for what happened, even though it wasn’t clear as of who killed who.I personally believe Perry’s first story the one where he killed Mr. Clutter and Kenyon while Dick killed Nancy and Mrs. Clutter. Dick, I think, was the worst. But I didn’t think about how bad he was until I first read about him not really caring about Perry. After they killed the Clutters, Dick didn’t even care about what he had just taken part in, all he did was stuff his face and act as if they didn’t do anything. While Perry, my favorite character, seemed to at least feel something about it, reading the article in the paper about a few times becoming paranoid the “no clues” part. But Dick, ooh Dick, I can’t get over the fact that he planned to kill that family from the very start. He was just using Perry, and towards the end when all the cards were on the table he was so quick to put it all on his “buddy” Perry. I was happy to find that they were both found guilty, but NOT that Perry had to suffer the death penalty. I do not doubt that Perry is a cold-blooded killer, however I do think that if he were to get the help he needed then maybe things could be different with him. Maybe because I think that he is more human than the emotionally untouchable Dick. So to give a straight answer no human should be able to take a life, and that includes laws, I believe that both are equally guilty because Dick planned it and they both did it, knowing their lifes story means nothing in that matter. As for Capote, I had to read the whole book all over again to really understand his position. It was obvious that he was a bit taken out about this story. Telling the mental position of the two men, is what really made me realize that he had real feelings for these men, or else why continue writing? The death penalty, I assume he felt, wasn’t the right thing for these men.
ReplyDeleteI agree with absolutely everything you just said! yes I think that both men were to blame of murder but like you said Dick didn't care about the crimes being committed while Perry did. I kind of agreed with the death penalty though because i think Perry's life was already a bit too screwed up to actually fix. Even if he could have gotten help things wouldn't be the same. As for Dick i think we really needed to make sure that he wasn't going to cause any more harm and that's why the death penalty was the best thing for him. Plus i loved that you noticed (well you're the only one who has mentioned it so far) that Dick was kind of the bad influence for Perry here. But i do think that the death penalty shouldn't be an option because they were still human beings.
DeleteI completely agree as well! But WHY do we think Perry is more human than Dick? What is it about Capote's writing that presses the reader to feel more sympathy and even empathy for him when he is actually far more dangerous (to adults) than Dick?
DeleteI understand why you are against the death penalty, but what would be a proper punishment for these two? If they had dropped the death penalty then they would feel like they outsmarted every one, spend time in jail on tax payers expense then released to the puplic to do what they want- thinking they are smarter and can do better than the last by not making the same mistakes. Not every murder should be treated as such as this one but this murder was In Cold Blood (pun :p)
DeleteOk so the question who is the most to blame for and if they both had to go through the death penalty? Honestly i say that the person who is the most to blame for is Dick...why? Because HE was the mastermind of this whole operation...HE was the one who wanted this "money" that was in the possesion of the people whom he didnt even know...it was HIM that used Perry...a simple child who seems to have no guidence as he was growing up and "looks up" to Dick as...not so much as a father firgure but someone who he can count one of his ONLY friends...as for the Death Penalty...i stand strongly with my opinion that Dick deserved his sentence...he did plan everything even when he was behind bars...he was the one that wanted the robbery to go a certin way whereas Perry never actually wanted to kill anyone...just instill fear into the Clutter Family...yet Dick wanted "no witnesses"...i feel more of sympathetic towards Perry...he seems lost especially when his plans to meet Willie-Jay were destroyed when he missed him going the opposite way...but in reality both deserved what they got for killing a family they did not know and for just being insane
ReplyDeleteI believe that In order for you to write a novel like this you have to know the characters to the point that even you feel just like them...you feel insane. You feel like you are in their shoes at the time when the murder happened...he might have been over thinking the murderers that he was to the point of insanity
I like your emphasis and also how you described Dick as the mastermind (it's a rather apt description). (Perry's the accomplice, correct?) While you do state that you supprot the death penalty for Dick but you made no mention on the thought of if the death penalty was suitable for Perry as well. Seeing as you directly acknowldged feeling for Perry and his predicament, would you're compassion sway the judgement and lead you to think that Perry wasn't deserving of the death penalty? (I noticed another person had differentiated between the duo of which criminal should be put to death and the other given a lighter sentence, also)
DeleteDeon I agree with the "food for thought" you gave Aby. However your Post confused me on your position on whether the death penalty is a good thing or a bad thing. I know that wasn't really part of the prompt but it is bugging me. I mean I think that no one deserves the death penalty no matter the crime. You seemed like you were against it too on your response to Apy's post. But here in your post you say both Perry and Dick deserved it. So I'm just asking for a bit of clarification.
ReplyDeleteDick and Perry should both be equally blamed because they had leaned on each other to get through what they had done. Dick needed Perry to support him and Perry needed someone to follow. I believe Dick would have found someone else to work with if he never met Perry, and Perry would have wandered aimlessy until he fell into something else. Both deserved the death penalty. Dick becuase he didn't have shame in what he was going to do next. Perry had made himself look remorseful-“I didn’t want to harm the man. I thought he was a very nice gentleman. Soft-spoken. I thought so right up to the moment I cut his throat.” (pg. 244) but he was manipulative and was trying to come out a better man than Dick, he was so self absorbed that he tried to take his own life. If Dick was to get passed the death penalty then he would have thought he had outsmarted people and do something again, maybe find another tip to follow in prison. Perry would have been the same, except would cry over a bit for what he got himself into then blindly follow Dick again or some one else.
ReplyDeleteVery insightful, Angel. I hadn't considered the symbiotic nature of their relationship, nor what would most likely have happened if they had ended up going their separate ways. I'll bet you're absolutely correct when you imply that they were "destined" to commit brutality somewhere, somehow.
DeleteI'm not quite sure where the most degree of guilt should be placed, whether on Dick or Perry, becuase they were partners in crime (pun intended) and my initial response is that they are equal in taking the guilt.... but seeing as I'm supposed to name one more so than the other, my inital opinion won't work. Yes, neither Dick nor Perry seemed to be mentally-stable (unstable in differing aspects, too), and the matter of who killed who isn't too clear although it seems to be leaning more toward Perry... All in all, Dick and Perry were acting as a unit, kind of like a single person in a way (which just reinforces my original opinion). Although they are the same entity, they act as different parts of a sole unit- Dick as the brain and Perry as the hand. And when looking at it in this way, I would think that he who is most at fault would be the brain (Dick) seeing as your hand is just the tool you use to manipulate the things that surround you. And yes, I believe even if it may be seen as harsh considering their minds were somewhat damaged (yeesh that sounds harsh, too) that they both deserved the death penalty since they acted as a unit ( <-- look, my inital opinion is back again!) and each played a part in the overall scheme of things.
ReplyDeleteI'm having alot of trouble seeing through Capote's 'masking', but if I were to speculate on his personal and underlying position because, as I'm sure I said in the first prompt, he seems sympathetic toward all involved, especially towards the villains in my opinion becuase I would never had been so charitable (reference my post for the first prompt). Capote retains his god-POV, what with his portraying the villains as the imperfect humans they are, paired with Perry's sentiments of remorse for his wrong-doings, lends to the overall affect of 'this was just a mistake/misunderstanding, allowing readers to pity said evil-doers. Capote has an unusual preference for the offenders; why he maintains such notions is unforseen.
When you say Capote prefers the offenders, you really mean just Perry, right, Sofia? I feel as if Capote's utter distaste for Dick repeatedly surfaces in the writing, and that his favoritism of Perry is equally clear. Agree?
DeleteI believe that both men are to be blamed for the murder of the Clutter family but in my opinion Dick had more blame than Perry did. I think that Dick seemed to know Perry’s weak spot and that’s what he always aimed for to get him to do whatever he wanted him to do. Yes I think that they both deserved the death penalty, though for very different reasons. Perry would’ve been good in some kind of medical place but I think he was doing most of this because of psychological problems and I think that the death penalty was the best way to just end Perry. While Dick, well Dick deserved to suffer more, but there was no guarantee that he was not going to escape from whatever place he got placed into so he might as well be killed, just to be sure that he wouldn’t cause any more damage. That might sound cruel but I think Perry still had his good side even when he knew what he was doing, he was able to stop himself when he was conscious of what was happening, but his problems showed when he mentioned killing Mr. Clutter. “But I didn’t realize what I’d done till I heard the sound”(pg 157). Killing was never Perry’s intention. But Dick had thoughts, wrong thoughts, and he was aware that what he was doing was wrong, but he didn’t care. “’What do you care? Hell, you can bust her, too. ' Now, that's something I despise. Anybody that can't control themselves sexually. Christ, I hate that kind of stuff”(156).Like the sexual thought he had of young children, of the little girl, of Nancy, and Perry always having to stop him because it just wasn’t right. I’m not trying to say that Perry was innocent, or that he was better than Dick, because what they did (it was team work) was wrong, the only difference is that one was completely aware of the situations while the other wasn’t really aware at all times. But at the end I think that both men got what they deserved.
ReplyDeleteYou introduce a really important point, Silvia. What is the ultimate purpose of the death penalty? Is it to simply and permanently remove this person from society or is it to punish them? Perhaps making them suffer as their victims did? This is probably a debate within itself that could be held by those who support the death penalty, and a whole other angle to approach the prompt from.
DeleteYes these two men both committed horrible crimes, and should have been punished severely. But do you think if you gave them the death penalty it would be right? It may be wrong to kill someone but does taking the life of others "legally" in a court of law make it right? you stated that dick and Perry both deserved the death penalty, but doing to them what they did to others doesn't fix anything. It puts you right where they are. By us saying the death penalty is ok, we are not only sinking to the killers level, we are contradicting ourselves, becoming hypocrites and worst of all we too become killers.
DeleteI'm not saying that i think they desrved the death penalty as a punishment. Yeah at the end i said that they got what they deserved but who are we to judge whats's right and what's wrong? I'm just saying that the death penalty was the best option for both. Ms.Madden got the point of my argument actually. I'm against the death penalty, i really am. But i think that Dick and Perry where very dangerous threats to society and the best way for them to end their non reversable lifes would be to just be given the death penalty.
DeleteDeath is an unnatural thing, someone once said. God (For those who believe in him) did not create man just to kill on another. There fore, no matter how bad the murder, i do not believe anyone should obtain the power to take another life. Even if it may be in a court of law. Only in war, when you are protecting your country, is it justified to kill. My belief is that both Dick and Perry are equally responsible for the Clutter murders. Both had countless opportunities to leave or turn themselves in to the authorities. The majority of people would say these two men deserved the death penalty and have it justified with the murders they committed, but that isn't justification. It is in fact murder. Not to mention hypocrisy and contradiction. I do not believe either men deserved the death penalty because in my book, no human has the right to take another's life. Some might argue and ask me, what if they had killed your family? I would say, I feel enormous amounts of pain. So much that if, i saw either one of those men, I would want to charge them with the death penalty. But realizing death would be too easy, I would want them to rot in prison for the rest of their lives. I think any "sane" man would go crazy living life in a cell while facing the guilt of murder. This is where Capote pushes me to feel sympathy for Perry. Although having psychological problems, Perry was sane to me. On page 302, Perry states "I thought Mr. Clutter was a very nice gentlemen, i thought so right up to the moment I cut his throat." Committing this murder only because Dick was the yang to Perry's yin. His quilt and resent gave him humanity and sanity. Dick on the other hand, felt no regret or remorse. He never cared for the deaths of the Clutters, nor any other crime he committed. On page 108 where Dick says, "Deal me out baby, I'm a normal. And Dick meant what he said. He thought of himself as balanced, as sane as anyone- maybe a bit smarter than the average fellow, that's all. But Perry-there was in Dick's opinion, something wrong with little Perry." Proves that Perry is the Yin to Dicks yang. Dick knew Perry. He knew he was capable of committing these murders, so he instigated Perry into killing the Clutters all the back when they were in their jail cells. Capote was a man of great stature and great talent. He went in to investigate this murder to write a book about it. It was all intended to be factual. Truman, probably did not intend to feel sympathy for these two men in the beginning, but after spending so much time with them and learning about heir past, Capote began to not only feel sympathy but also pity for these men.
ReplyDeleteI think they are both Dick and Perry both deserve the Death penalty because they both knew what they were doing. They were doing it for some reason and they knew right from wrong they were not confuse on they were don. They both had emotional and mental break downs but they knew what they were doing. They both kind of regret what they did to the clutter but they did it an d that was really bad for them. Like in this quote "I know it is wrong. But at the time I never give any thought to whether it is right or wrong. The same with stealing. It seems to be an impulse....(pg278) Dick and Perry knew what was going on and maybe they had that impulsive since they were young because dick wanted to rape the girl but Perry never gave the chance. Both have made excuses that they are sick and they need help but in the back of their minds they knew what they were doing. I think that Capote opinion is very good but he has to many opinion.
ReplyDeleteHi Daisy. I agree with your opinion that both Perry and Dick are equally to blame for the murders. They both deserve the same punishment, but I'm not sure if that is the death penalty. They had countless amounts of times to go back and stop from committing the crime, but they chose not to. They knew the consequences, and went on with their plan anyways. I feel that Perry had the power to stop Dick, as Perry never intended on killing the Clutters, whereas Dick did, but Perry never did.
DeleteI believe although the death penalty was justified I believe that neither of them deserved it. Dick is the least to blame out of the two I felt for two reasons that dick never shot any of the clutters and that he even if not deemed insane may have had brain deterioration due to crash making go toward crime. Now as for perry he murdered the whole family however the reason perry would not deserve it is for what the Dr.Jones said about him that he showed signs of a schizophrenic "Perry Smith shows definite signs of severe mental illness." and "'paranoid' orientation toward the world. He is suspicious and distrustful of others, tends to feel that others discriminate against him, and feels that others are unfair to him and do not understand him. He is overly sensitive to criticisms that others make of him, and cannot tolerate being made fun of. He is quick to sense slight or insult in things others say, and frequently may misinterpret well-meant communications." sadly however they both committed the crime of killing a family of four.
ReplyDeleteAs for Capote's feeling toward the killers Its feels as if he saw the weakness and humanity in the two man rather than monsters writing a story of senseless murder objectively is a challenge and he felt the world need ed to know both sides.
When talking about giving some individual the death penalty it not just removing a soul from this world but also affecting the people's or family who care about them and removing a part of them from this world spirtually as well. Although i admit that both Perry and Dick are both to blame for their actions of committing the Clutters murder I don't strongly agree they should have been punished with the death penalty. I can understand why the would be sentenced to be in that situation. I know that if they were to be kept alive the people of Holom would not bare to see them free and would try to kill them on their own since they killed a well loved family. I was pleased that the author gave us detailed background information of who Perry Smith was. I liked it because it was if the author left it to his audience to decide what opinion to have on the characters although he did have his own opinion. The reason why Mr.Truman would write a book that affected so much of this personal life I think, is because if he was so touched than many of this audience member would as well. Making it a great book.
ReplyDeleteTo Daniel's response: I agree with your state of mind. i would as well say that they do have to go through some harsh punishment. Death is such a strong and emotional subject that people hardly talk about that why when we are to fight for other people's right of not being put to death we just hush and let things happen.
They both deserved the Death Penalty. Even if only one committed the murders ( such as Perry ), Dick could and would still be accountable for accessory to murder in all cases. He also helped more than what the typical ' accessory to murder ' counts as. Really, they're both just as guilty and responsible. Perry may have lingered by the car, not wanting anything to do with what Dick was planning; however, he went along with it. He didn't get back in the car, he didn't drive away from the farm, like his gut was telling him to. He also may have tried to make everyone more comfortable, like tucking Nancy into bed, placing Kenyon on the couch in the basement with a pillow under his head, having a mattress box on the floor for Herb to be in - that doesn't matter. He was, in part, the cause of their deaths - it was his doing. Dick had made the plans to find the nonexistent safe and make sure there were "no witnesses." So, if need be, he had, in his mindset, a plan to kill any of the Clutter clan. These do not excuse the fact that their capture was inevitable and their sentence was nearly unavoidable. Should the psychologist have actually been able to say more than yes or no, Perry's sentence may have been slightly less severe; perhaps life in prison.
ReplyDeleteAs for the why of Capote writing this brutal story, I would have to say that he wanted others to understand the true feelings of murder, even in a small town. The killer(s) could be anyone the people know, it could be a stranger. Distrust, anguish, despair.. Just three of the emotions I feel he captured in "In Cold Blood." Obviously there are many others, but those are the top three that come to my mind right off the bat. Just for the cacophony of moods, tones and nearly everything else in the story would easily make it a fantastic book. Looking back on it, I can understand why it almost destroyed him - especially with the gruesome details of the Clutter bodies. In the same aspects, it almost destroyed me. ( Though I did have to fight to finish it towards the end; I did make it. )
Dick and Perry where both introduced as odd people, that joined together to commit this horrible crime. I personally have never believed in the death penalty, we become just like the killers when we justify killing them. They might as well just live in prison pondering over their acts when they were free, that at least might give them a chance for redemption. To answer the first question i believe they are both to blame for the murders, equally. Dick plotted and Perry went through with it all, and dispite Perry's more remorseful outtake he was just as guilty as dick when it comes to physicality and mind. However when it comes to soul Dick is far more guilty. Even though later on we do not want Perry to be hurt we must remember that he went along with everything and did not really try to stop the entire incident from happening. As the book shifts to focus more on the two murderers we quickly learn more about their past and personalities. For example Dicks real name, his joy of pain, and his sometimes pedophilic actions. We also learn about Perry's past murders, his guilt, and wishing that he could take it back. This brings us to the second questions of Capote's writing intentions. He clearly steers us to feel sorry and support Perry dispite his actions, he also tends to write in a way that brings out the worst in Dick. Even when they both get the death penalty he has you wishing that Perry could be let free because her truly is sorry for his actions, and in his/our eyes that is enough. So thats my opinion :)
ReplyDelete- Eva- Maria Tamez
In response to Eva's answer to question 1, i so agree about the death penalty part, but remember the book said in Kansas at that time there was no such thing as life with out parole most life sentences on served i think at least 30. There was no sign of hope of religious redemption, if that's what you meant, for the two. Most likely they would have went and did something else together or apart to feed their need. I see you believe Dick is more guilty, have you ever seen someone get so mad and pissed that they do something and hurt themself, like the little boy who had his Warcraft account canceled. That's perry he was so upset did something but was to caught in trying to be smarter he did something stupid. I mean jut because dick fed him the idea he didn't hold a gun a perrys head. You could even say Perry had the upper hand considering all the times Perry called Dick out and Dick reluctant to defend himself.
Deleteaslso the capatcha things are soooo complicated i had to do it like 30 times, IM NOT A FREAKING ROBOT....IF I WAS ID BE GETTING CREDIT CARD INFO NOT ON A HIGH SCHOOL BLOG TRYING TO COMMENT!!!!
In response to Eva i also agree with you about the death penalty part, it's like they killed someone and your going to justify it by giving them the death penalty. They justice system is just being hypocritical. They should just live miserbly in jail for the rest of their life. I feel like the death penalty gives them in a way a free card of commiting the crime but that's just my idea.
DeleteI agree with you Eva on the death penalty part. Society is promoting that it is okay to go around killing people. The death penalty is a form of revenge and this gives the idea to others that they can do justice themselves. I also don't think it is a fair way of punishment because they basically get away with it. Once dead, they don't have to think about what they did nor worry about it. The best punishment was to rot in a cell and let the mind do the damage.
DeleteHowever, I don't agree with you on letting Perry more easy than Dick because of what was told about him. I have no sympathy for them. They did what they did and to every action their are consequences.
I agree with what you said at the end, Capote in a way makes Perry seem as a better person than Dick, which on my opinion he was. Although they both did something really bad, Dick seemed to be more aware of the situation. I also agree with you on the death penalty if we punish others doing the same thing they did how are we becoming better people.
DeleteIn response to Brie....
ReplyDeleteyou and i had quite a few similarities. First great job using the sat word cacophony! I disagree with the death penalty comment, but that's just cause of stuff i believe. I also disagree when you said that his (Perry's) actions didn't matter (when he made the victims more comfortable) and that may be true when it comes to the case, however for Perry im sure it mattered a lot, because even only if it helped a little bit it gave him a small amount of peace of heart. I really liked when you said that Perry probably would have gotten a more lenient sentence if the psychologist had been able to say more then yes and no. You also said that that lighter sentence could have been life in prison. I was wondering if you really thought that is a better sentence? death can give us a way out, and many people would agree that life in prison is a much greater punishment to pay than death. I enjoyed your last paragraph about the emotions that stood out to you, while reading i felt appalled, understanding, and sadness. so we felt different things and i think that's great that book can bring out so many different emotions in different people. you should watch the movie Capote if you haven't, its about his writing process. I had one more question. How do you feel about Capote using writing to make us feel remorse towards Perry? if you did.
Heheh, thanks. ~ It just popped up into my mind.
DeleteAnd you're more than likely right about it bringing some peace of mind/heart to Perry. It's mostly the fact that it didn't matter entirely when it came to the actual crimes. Not everyone takes that into consideration, and even if they do, there's almost always someone to bring up everything else and deter people's minds.
As for the life in prison sentence, it is a little better than the death penalty. I never did specify whether or not he would have had a chance at parole, which he might have, had someone asked the psychologist. It may not have happened, mind you, but the chance could have been there. Death is really just an easy way out. It's harder to live in this world at any point, and some more time trying to find himself, perhaps some kind of inner peace with himself, would, as I could see it, given him parole opportunities in fifteen years.
I actually do intend on watching that with my dad, and eventually ( probably first ) the film version of In Cold Blood.
As for as remorse, a little bit was there. Not much; I felt more for his sister. She knew what he could be like. And while I do understand the estranged family ( very estranged family ) issues, I just could not get that full on sense of remorse for him. After their mother took them away to San Francisco, he wanted to go back to his father. Instead of following his siblings leads, he went off on his own path: being a criminal. Petty at first, and as time grows on, escalating. At any given point in that time, he could have done what he did in front of the Clutter house, wonder what the heck it was he was doing and leave. He still went along with each thing, which I do finds demonstrates his mental instability.
Really that's my long way of saying that I found no personal remorse for Perry.
At first I thought Dick had more responsibility, but then by the second sentence I was thinking about the psych's examination of Dick and started thinking only sick people would have the uncontrollable urges to commit rape and rape children at that. I remember the part when it was saying how deep down Dick was sure that every man had something in him that gave him that pedophilic urge. Well clearly if anyone could possibly get themselves to believe that then, they are sick. He was just as sick as Perry. I can personally relate to Perry, anyone who knows me and was in my small circle probably could at one point see us as identical. Just as Perry, I hated almost everyone who I didn't consider my friend, and thought they deserved every bad thing coming their way due to their utter stupidity (anyone remember Mr.Patrick and that lady who jumped off a moving train, and his mom and that whole situation). I had a seemingly next to non-existent seance of sympathy. I understand that Perry's sickness, isn't sickness it's a state of mind that is hard to loose, and usually feels like that "human right" you supposedly rob people of, wasn't robbed it was handed over to you. I, like Perry could commit "crime", stare the victim in the face and not feel a sense of guilt. The only sorry i might have occasionally had was that I was in trouble and time was wasting. Although, Dicks sickness didn't really have much to do with the murder aspect and he planned the "Hit" he wasn't yet at fault. You could infer Dick has no idea who Dick is. Muti-personality disorder, an angel to his parents but demon to the public. He was a well off, poor child. A lot to thank his parents for, but then that whole "why me, it's a cold world, im poor, eat or get eating" attitude that was necessary. He was given a lot but truth is as soon as his folks died there would be nothing for him, because they had nothing. His father gave him this reality when he couldn't go to school, a confusing situation. Dick,probably had a sense of right from wrong but also believed there are different rights and wrongs for diff people. He needed some type of control. He clearly couldn't control who he was but could control Perry and manipulate other people's lives and he knew it. Criminal activity is the one way to feed his hunger for control. Therefore, this crime was of equal fault. Both were acting on a knowing basis, but it was out of a personal Need, something incurable by anything else. It was acting as a prisoner to the self, certainly a sane person wouldn't have these cravings as they.
ReplyDeleteCapote's reasoning for writing this story came out when he explained Dicks confession and Perry's confession of not feeling guilty. We all have a need to have possession, strength and control, we use projection as a mean to get it. In doing so we create these "monsters", they don't just come from anywhere. He purposely wanted us to feel sorry for the two (Perry a bit more), and make enemies of the town folks who did nothing but spread rumors and make suspects of everybody. Its pretty disgusting how everyone was willing to drop years of trust and use the death of 4 to make their neighbors monsters,quick to pin the blame on any and everyone so they may again feel safe, selfish. A town that was once so cold could turn on each other, what a way to confuse the children and make more Perrys and Dicks. The same people who preach against murder and outraged by it are willing to change their firm belief so they may murder...feel better about themselves. Capote's whole point was to show that we are responsible for the creation of monsters, twas the point for telling Perry and Dicks life stories, about the horrors done to them.
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ReplyDeleteI think both Dick and Perry are equally to blame for the murder of the family. You cant just look at one character and say they did something worse than the other if they BOTH agreed on killing an innocent family for their money. Both of them knew what they were doing regardless of their mental issues. The issue with whether they deserve death penalty is a bit tricky to explain. “… for Susan, puffy-eyed, sickened by spasms of nausea, argued, inconsolably insisted, that she must go - must run - the three miles to the Rupp farm. "Don't you see, Mother?" she said. "If Bobby just hears it? He loved her. We both did. I have to be the one to tell him." And then “She said, "I wanted so much to tell you." Bobby began to cry. Larry lingered at the edge of the Teacherage yard, hunched against a tree. He couldn't remember ever seeing Bobby cry, and he didn't want to, so he lowered his eyes.” Oh my goodness I nearly died of sadness. Personally, I think if I were in the shoes of Bobby Rupp or Susan Kidwell, I would have wanted nothing more than to witness the deaths of Dick and Perry. They both adored Nancy and that really got to me when I was reading because no matter how I read it, I could never truly imagine the sort of pain they felt when they found out the Clutter family, was gone. They have a VERY good reason for why Dick and Perry deserve the death penalty but it still seems too much. The death penalty seems like “the easy way out” because they don’t get to suffer the way everyone who knew the clutter family had to suffer. They should have rot in their prison cells with their own thoughts of what they did and knowing that everyone, including their families, will never see them as nothing more than killers. I don’t know where I got this saying or how it REALLY goes, (I checked google but it didn’t help) but it went something like this “the death penalty is given to murderers because killing is wrong.” If its wrong im sorry, but that’s the only thing that I thought of with the death penalty question. Why are we going to kill people who did the same thing? It seems more of “an eye for an eye” sort of thing to me. I think the reason why Capote claimed that his masterpiece almost destroyed him is that he had to learn about the actual murder, how they did it, why they did it, and then he had to learn their pasts and how they truly were. He began to unravel who the two characters really were, Dick being the one who was the bad seed and Perry being the one who in the end, regretted what he did and felt guilty for his actions. Im guessing it almost destroyed Capote because he felt empathy for them and he may have felt as though he couldn’t tell people directly that they shouldn’t have gotten the death penalty because they wouldn’t understand why he would say that about two murderers.
ReplyDeleteAt first I thought Dick was to blame for it because of the following part of the book "On the evening of Tuesday, November 17,1959,he was lying in his cell with a pair of radio earphones clamped to his head. He was listening to a news broadcasting... His drowsiness instantly vanished when he heard,'Officer's investigating the tragic slaying of four members of the Herbert W. Clutter family have appealed to the public for any information which might aid in solving this baffling crime'... not only had he known the murdered family, he knew very well who murdered them. Next thing I knew, Dick was talking about killing Mr. Clutter. Said him and Perry was gonna go out there and rob the place, and they was gonna kill all the witnesses... He described to me a dozen times how he was gonna do it, how him and Perry was gonna tie them people up and gun them down. " When I was reading this I thought to myself that Perry in a way did not really have a choice because since the thought that Dick had he was already included but then I realized that they were both to blame because Perry did what Dick had said he would do when he was planning to murder the Clutters. I think neither of them should have received the death penalty because the justice system is being hypocritical but like Brianna said the most they would have served is thirty years if even that and they both had committed crimes before so if they were to get out of jail the cycle would have just continued. But then I ask if they had been educated and interpersonal relationships with classmates would they have acted the way they did? "'Deal me out, baby,' Dick said. 'I'm a normal.' And Dick meant what he said He thought himself as balanced, as sane as anyone-maybe a bit smarter than the average fellow, that's all. But Perry-there was, in Dick's opinion, 'something wrong' with little Perry. I think this quote is part of Capote's masked opinion because I think he is suggesting that they are both guilty bit that Dick had the most part to do with it because he claimed to be sane whereas Perry who wasn't all there was also a victim in Dick's plan to murder the Clutters.
ReplyDeleteBoth Dick and Perry are responsible for the crime. However, I believe Dick was more responsible because he was the one who found out about the Clutter family's wealth and came up with the plan to break into the house to look for the "safe." Perry followed with Dick's plan and killed all four of the victims. Perry has been more of a follower, which had led him to bad situations in the past. Dick seems more like a soul less person due to the fact of his terrible childhood. Despite of the crime committed, the death penalty was not appropriate. This act is not show sympathy towards them but to give them the actual punishment they deserved. They should have been sentenced for life in jail, where they will think about the terrible deed they did until the day they die. The death penalty is a from of the easy way out. They didn't have to live with what they for a very long time. They were only in jail for 5 years until the execution, which in my opinion was not enough. They need to have that weight of guilt of killing those two young Clutter
ReplyDeletekids and not being able to have a proper life. Capote's writing was that of an investigation; however, throughout the book he expresses some of his opinions while moving from perspective to another. One example is when the trails are occurring and he expresses his opinion on the death penalty. He also opposes the M'Naghten Rule by saying what the psychologist would have said.
ugh my whole response was deleted >.< anyways before this internet act up. I agree with you Daisy in which you said execution was an easy way out to what huge murder they both committed. They should of stay in jail for life and be miserable! Its plain dumb how authorities gave them an easy way out by killing them plus what do they receive in return of killing the killers? They should of though a bigger longer punishment which is life sentence until they died.
DeleteWhat you do cannot be undone, and no matter the reason(s), you have to take responsibility for your actions. Perry may be portrayed as a pitiful and lost character, but having participated in the murder makes him just as guilty of the crime as Dick. And Dick, likewise equally as guilty as Perry. To me, it does not matter who did what, but that they were involved in the crime and did nothing to stop it from happening. In fact, I would place equal blame on anyone who was even remotely aware of the two's plans and did nothing about it. That being said, I do not believe the death penalty was the appropriate form of punishment. The two(especially Perry) could still have learned from their mistakes and owned up to them in some other way. What they needed was not death but help.
ReplyDeleteAs for the author's opinion on the story and why he said it almost killed him, I believe that the ferocity of the crime in reality is what caught his attention and made him think something along the lines of "There's gotta be something wrong with someone who'd do a thing like that" (quoting Perry), that drove him to want to reveal the true faces of the villains behind the crime. It is my belief that as he interviewed the murderers and became more and more deeply involved within this drama, that it became harder and harder for him to write the story and portray the characters objectively, because after all, the people involved were highly complex individuals. Individuals like the rest of us, who make mistakes and can be driven into bad situations or decisions by lack of foresight, stress, and emotions. I see this in Capote's writing, when he tries to draw out the sympathy of the reader. He does this by explaining all the reasons and hardships of the murderers. And the way he writes too; introducing all the characters and then the crime. He then continues to reveal more and more about the characters, almost like he wants the readers to experience the same thing he did; to be drawn in by the complexity of people and understand just what kind of person could do something so horrid. Those people not being so different from ourselves.
I believe that both Dick and Perry should be blamed for the murder of the Clutter family but in my opinion Dick had more blame than Perry. I think that Dick seemed to always pressure Perry, he knew exactly what Perry's weakness was and thats how he got him to do whatever he wanted to. I think that dick deserved the death penalty,because he was just cruel and deserved more than being punished in a cell.meanwhile Perry could have served time in a mental institution where he could get treatment, i always felt bad for Perry it seemed like everything he did was because of how much he had suffered in the past.
ReplyDeleteon my opinion Perry was a follower, that why he agreed to rob the Clutters house. if Dick would never had met Perry he could have found someone else to help him, that is why i feel that Dick manipulated Perry in certain points because he wasn't mentally stable.
I also think Dick is more responsible for the murder because Perry had no intension of killing anyone meanwhile Dick had other thoughts.
"I know it is wrong. But at the time I never give any thought to whether it is right or wrong. The same with stealing. It seems to be an impulse. One thing I never told you about the Clutter deal is this. Before I ever went to their house I knew there would be a girl there. I think the main reason I went there was not to rob them but to rape the girl. Because I thought a lot about it. That is one reason why I never wanted to turn back when we started to." pg.270
DIck to me was more responsible, and Perry had part responsibility but to me he wasn't really thinking but instead just following.
which leads to the second question, to me it seemed that Capote felt sorry for Perry and in a way brought up all the things that happened to Perry when he was younger, i also think that he makes Dick look more a creep and cruel person who has control over perry.
At first I thought Perry was the one to blame most because he seemed to be the saner person but now I think that both Dick and Perry had the blame because neither of them tried to stop the other. Dick was leading Perry on falsely by agreeing with about everything Perry dreamed of doing after they robbed the Clutters. Dick just needed a partner to help him carry on the robbery who wasn't afraid to kill. He was obviously more of a criminal than Perry. Perry, I thought after reading the book, was a troubled character whose actions could be traced back to his childhood. Even though Capote did a good job in putting the basis for us to feel sympathy towards the criminals, we remember that most criminals have their underlining reasons to have the type of personalities that drive people to crime. Dick was the darker character in the book. Perry can easily be explained by looking at his past but Dick seems to me to be the one with more in born psychopathic traits. After the Clutters murder, Perry showed some form of regret in that he kept thinking that they must have done something wrong and also in that he put the heads of the people he killed on the pillows. Dick showed no form of regret in that he kept saying that he was "a normal" . For him everything they did made sense. Dick had his conscious clean and used Perry for his own goals. Perry was the perfect person to be manipulated by someone like Dick because Perry looked up to him and Dick seemed to acknowledge Perry as important. So I think that these 2 men where equally responsible for the death of the Clutters. They might not have felt the same about committing a crime but they went for it anyways. As for the second question I think that Capote started writing but might not have anticipated that he would become so immersed with the case. He went through the similar thing that Al Dewey went through and his style of writing was distinct because it held the view of the general public and the investigators. For the first parts of the book we where outsiders to the reasons and background thoughts of the murderers unlike in other books that usually hold the point of view of those who know more about the stories. As the narrator of the story Capote was supposed to be the voice with more insight to an issue but had to hold iot back for the uniqueness of his book.
ReplyDeleteI think perry is least to blame since he was beaten as a kid and mistreated which could of lead to his behavior. Dick wasn't beaten and came from a good home and had opportunitys in life but he didn't take them and decided to take the wrong road. He could of just lived a good life if he chooses to. Perry might of want to release anger and resentment and that might of been realised when he killed the family. Even though both were to blaim it was surprising to see that perry regret what he did while dick didn't care and of course both were killed, but at least at the end perry showed some humanatiarism.
ReplyDelete-Moises Hernandez
I think what they both did was wrong and deserve punishment. I would say that Dick is the main guy who was more ambitious and is the one to blame. He show more interest in finding were the safe was ,saying he was going to murder them and just asking details of the Clutter family.But then again I dont see whats the point in the death penalty because what does authorities receive after they killed a killer? As for Perry he did helped in Dick and killed as well but, I believe he should of have sentence for life in jail as a punishment instead of being killed. Perry had a some metal health problem and needed help. I also believe that Perry had some conscious about what he did to the Clutter family, in the book I remember he was worried that the police would found out that they killed the family and as for Dick he was calm and careless. I believe the narrator (Capote) style of writing was very unique but, I did notice when he narrated Perry story he show more compassion/empathy towards him than to Dick side. I think he wanted Perry to receive another chance. Then again they were murders and committed a huge crime.
ReplyDeletePerry is by far the most interesting characters I've seen in literature, characters like him are in the likes of Atticuss Finch and Tyler Durden in my opinion. While i read this masterpiece of literature (most of the reading was done while I was on the bus) I definitely felt for Perry, and was sad to see what happen to him, but he was not exactly innocent. Its clear that for many readers Dick is the least favorite (due to his attitude, and pedophilic impulses) but that fact doesn't make the character the more guilty of the duo. Perry had many many changes to leave the house and let Dick take the fault, but he did not. He just didnt in a way he wanted to stay he had every change to leave but he chose not to, Perry has been treated like a criminal his entire life so it seems natural that he would stay. But there was also a kind of loyalty he had to Dick even tho it felt like he hated him at on point. Perry had loyalty to a man who took interest in him when nobody else would. His entire life his father mother and other siblings all turned their back on him, it seemed obvious that when a man took interest in him he would be loyal to him, but like many cases like these he was betrayed. Perry from what I read was a good man, an artist and a dreamer. He was also lonely, mistreated and deceived, that can lead men to do things. Capote had what most of the readers had, sympathy for Perry, I saw the film "Capote" (2005, directed by Bennet Miller)which is a film about the process that Capote went trhu to write the book. In the film Capote clearly seems to feel sympathy (and some romantic feelings) for Perry, Capote was brilliantly brought to life by the brilliant Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Before the Devil Knows you're Dead), his performance earned him an academy award. Hoffman brought to life the romantic feelings and sympathy between Perry and Truman brilliantly Perry who was played Clifton Collins Jr. (Boondock Saints 2, Pacific Rim)in the best performance of his career was brilliant. The reason Capote said this destroyed him because he had to witness the hanging of Perry, a man who he had come to love, in the film Hoffman brought so much emotion to that scene that and many other moments earned him the Oscar. The book made Truman's Career and made him a Legend, it also broke his spirit. Like the amazing song by the brilliant Red Hot Chili Peppers's (Anthony Kiedis, John Frusciante, Michael "Flea" Balzary, and Chad Smith) "Californication" says, "destruction leads to a very rough road but it also breeds creation".
ReplyDeleteWhile I do believe both characters are guilty and should be blamed for this crime, I kind of want to place the blame most on Perry rather than Dick. Yes, Dick was the one who wanted to kill the Clutters for the safe in the first place, but in the end he never actually killed anybody. Perry, on the other hand, killed all of the Clutters ruthlessly and mercilessly despite his slight hesitation (pg. 302 "I didn't want to harm him.") and Nancy's pleading for her life (pg. 245 "Oh no! Oh, please. No! No! No!No! Don't! Oh, please don't! Please!"). If I had to choose whether or not Dick or Perry deserved the Death Penalty I'd have to say to spare them because I think keeping them locked up would have been punishment enough seeing as Perry would ultimately live a lonely existence as his father nor his sister would visit him and Dick would be there too for same amount of time as Perry. Whether or not they deserved they Death Penalty I would rather Dick and Perry be kept away from society so they can't hurt anybody anymore such as Perry's sister, Bobo , who is afraid of Perry.
ReplyDeleteI think Capote chose to write this book to go deep into the nature and understanding of the human condition. People do things for various reasons we won't always understand or agree with (sometimes there won't always be a good reason for doing it) and very often, in the midst of life, we forget that other people are human to and make mistakes and bad decisions. To say what Perry and Dick did was a "bad decision" is an understatement, but they both don't think or feel like we do. They both have evidence and symptoms of mental illness, specifically schizophrenia which separates thought from feeling so they feel a sort of apathy. By all means their mental illness doesn't at all justify or excuse what they did though. This book also goes into things I'm sure we all can relate to or have experienced such as being abused, loneliness, and losing loved ones.
In the early parts of the story, I felt that Perry was the character that the more leeway in the story, but, given much thought and description, they should be both charged equally for the murder of the Clutters. However, the sentences should of been carried out differently. If this happened in our time period, it would of been wise to send Perry to a mental rehabilitation center, but this story takes root in the 1930's, where people didn't really know how to deal with mental problems. Dick, on the other hand, was the one planning everything out and kept pressuring Perry to do it. Near the end of the book(about 85% through, again no page numbers because of Kindle), Dr. Jones said that Perry, "was marked by brutality and lack of concern on the part of both parents." Perry has basically been rejected all of his life and he needed to vent his frustration at something. Unfortunately, he vented it in the wrong direction. In the end, both men should be charged equally for the degree of murder, however, if there were acceptable mental hospitals in this time period, then Perry should of went there. In the case of Dick, the death penalty is to light. I believe that death is only a quick escape of life. He should of been living with souls that he took for the rest of his life.
ReplyDeleteTo a degree, I believe that Capote had a sense of sorrow for Perry, but had an equal hatred towards both of them. The way he described Dick throughout the entire story was alike a man who wanted to kill just for the fun of it. Perry was much less harshly described. He was given this feeling of understanding him. However, Perry didn't tell anyone about the plan that him and Dick were going to execute, so Capote probably didn't feel that much remorse for Perry.