In Cold Blood by Truman Capote - Essay Example

?[Your full November 22, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote Prompt 2- Suspense In his nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood, the author, Truman Capote, has created suspense by focusing more on the murderer’s motive behind the act, instead of searching for who the murderer was. The reader knows from the beginning about the identity of the murderer. There is a deeper suspense behind this. Capote keeps the reader interested in knowing more and more, without confusing him about the identity of the murderer, and that is the beauty of this novel. The way Capote places the murder facts in order, and the way he manipulates with the starting and ending of the novel, is what makes this novel unique. This paper focuses on how Capote has created suspense throughout the novel to keep the reader engaged, while describing the events at the same time. Thesis statement is that: Truman Capote has presented a non-fiction novel in a very suspenseful way which lends anticipation and horror to the overall image of the novel. Capote has made the beginning very interesting by hiding the reasons Perry and Dick were driving to Holcomb, Kansas. “The way Capote builds suspense in the book, we do not immediately learn about what happened a short while later in the Clutter house…,” writes Voss (115). Floyd Wells, in the Kansas State Penitentiary, was listening to the radio news about the Clutter murders. The bodies had been discovered by one of Nancy’s friends who went to the Clutters’ house to check why they had not yet got prepared for church. She had found an eerie silence inside the house, and had shockingly discovered the four bodies in different parts of the house. Capote has told the reader about the Clutters’ death before depicting the actual scene, which creates suspense and increases the reader’s interest. The murders depict that the society is no more peaceful, and innocence has been betrayed in the hands of criminals. Class difference is also shown, where high class citizens of Holcomb were threatened by low class criminals. However, the reader finds it exciting that Floyd was shocked to hear the news because he had been acquainted with the Clutters for many years. He remembered Clutter as his boss, and Kenyon and Nancy as cute little kids. Now, he held himself responsible for the murders of four innocent lives because he was the one who told his cellmate, Dick Hickock, about Clutter’s safe. He had told him that he once worked with a wealthy man named Herb Clutter, who owned a farm at Holcomb, and kept large amount of cash at a safe at his home. Fahy (251) writes: “The horror of In Cold Blood operates on several levels: its realism, the brutality of the crime, the random selection of victims…the incongruity between the primary motive (theft) and the ultimate outcome (multiple murders)…” Suspense rolls in when readers come to know that Floyd talked to the authorities about Dick out of guilt. He confessed, and Dewey took his team for Dick’s search, when Dick and Perry were hitchhiking in some desert. Capote has described the life summaries of the criminals, to let the readers know about the bad times they had been through. Dick and Perry had tried to steal a car but had failed. Finally, they succeeded in stealing a car, and went to the Kansas City. They stayed in Miami, but when they were heading towards Las Vegas, they were recognized by a policewoman through their license plate number. Both of them were caught, and initially were questioned about some parole violation some days back which they admitted to. This creates suspense, as readers assume that they were being inquired for something else than the robbery that they had committed. But, the police told Dick and Perry the real reason of their arrest, and they were caught off guard when told that they were accused of brutal homicide of four innocent people in an attempt of blotch robbery. “This lends suspense to the capture of the two fugitives, because the reader learns about the Dewey’s reaction before he learns about the details of the arrest…,” writes Helten in his book (18). When Perry realized that Dick had confessed, he said, “I always knew if we ever got caught, if Dick ever really let fly, dropped his guts all over the goddam floor—I knew he’d tell about the nigger” (232). Readers find suspense appearing again when Dick and Perry were being brought to the jail, the authorities thought that the crowd would be violent, but they were surprised to see that “when the crowd caught sight of the murderers, with their escort of blue-coated highway patrol-men, it fell silent, as though amazed to find them humanly shaped” (248). They were then taken to the opposite sides of the jail, and brought to trial. They were shown the evidence of the case which included Floyd’s testimony and footprints found in Clutter’s house. Initially Dick blamed Perry for all the murders, and said that he could not stop him, but finally confessed about the murders while Perry followed the proceedings. Readers, here, feel suspense as to why Perry wanted to take the responsibility of all four murders when, actually, Dick had killed two of them. It reveals that Perry wanted so because according to him, he was sorry for Dick’s mother. According to him, “I didn’t realize what I’d done till I heard the sound. Like somebody drowning. Screaming under the water” (244). Finally, they were given capital punishment, but during their five year stay in the Death Row, Perry tried to starve himself and Dick wrote appeal letters to the authorities. Eventually, both of them were hanged to death, and suspense ends here. It can be easily assumed that this novel is a bit different from many other novels which solve murder cases, in that it keeps the readers in suspense and interested while having revealed the identity of the murderers. Other novels hide who the murderer is till the end, but this novel is special because of its unique facet of suspense. The readers keep on finding reasons as to why the murderers committed the act. The ending is all the more interesting in that Perry changes his confession to take responsibility for Dick’s murders too. This means, by one way or another, that criminals are also human beings, who feel for each other, especially of their own kind. They also possess a feeling of sympathy and sacrifice. Of course, they cannot be supported in any way but the readers come to know about an aspect of human nature through this novel. Moreover, both Dick and Perry were patients of mental illness. This makes the readers suspenseful as to whether the same laws of punishment will apply to them, or they will be given some relaxation. A mix of suspense and sympathy is present in the end of the novel, which makes it unique as compared to other non-fiction novels. In short, Capote has, very artistically, placed the events in order, making the murder case all the more suspenseful and enthralling through keeping the readers guessing about the real motives of the murderers till the end. Capote has, very interestingly, explained all the events, and the readers keep on getting answers to their confusions, just like the people of Holcomb. This element of suspense imparts a sense of style and beauty to a non-fiction novel, as it keeps the readers engaged while keeping them anticipating about what is going to happen next. Capote has been able to keep the readers on the edges of their chairs through the creation of suspense throughout his novel. Works Cited Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1994. Print. Fahy, Thomas. “The Horror of In Cold Blood.” The Philosophy of Horror. Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2010. Print. Helten, Michael. Truman Capote's Nonfiction Novel "In Cold Blood" and Bennett Miller's Biopic "Capote": A Comparison. Germany: GRIN Verlag. Print. Voss, Ralph F. Truman Capote and the Legacy of "In Cold Blood". Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 2011. Print. Read More