Where is the reporter visible in the story?

In In Cold Blood two types of writing can be seen. One type or writing being the artistic, exaggerated writing of a storyteller. The other type of writing being the organizational, factual, and straight-laced writing of a reporter. Both types of writing are present throughout the first section of the novel. There are many times when Capote writes from the reporter stance, this happens mainly when writing about the facts or details of the crime. The times when capote uses his reporter’s sense of writing is when he is relaying quantitative information to the reader instead of qualitative. Gory as it is, Capote uses the “reporter” voice when speaking about facts, facts mainly involving the crime scene, “She’d been shot in the back of the head with a shotgun held maybe two inches away. She was lying on her side, facing the wall, and the wall was covered with blood…Her hands were tied behind her, and her ankles were roped together with the kind of cord you see on venation blinds” (62). Passages such as this, that are factual descriptions are written in the voice of the reporter. This type of writing is where the reporter in Capote is visible. In his reporter writings, he writes with a no nonsense straightforward writing style. You can clearly tell his reporter voice apart from his storyteller voice. Seeing as a big part of the first section of the book is describing the victims etc…, the voice of the reporter shows up a lot. If one is searching for it, on only needs to look for the factual, un-opinionated, cold hard truth that Capote so reluctantly writes about.

What characters do you sympathize with? Why?

In In Cold Blood, Capote uses his writing capabilities to make the reader feel sympathy for certain characters. Throughout the entire section of “The Last Ones to See Them Alive” Capote continually builds up specific characters, all so that the reader’s sympathy for them is greater. Probably the main few characters that the reader feels sympathy for are the late clutter family members which include Herb Clutter, Bonnie Clutter, Nancy Clutter, and Kenyon Clutter. All four of the characters are written about in great detail in the first section of the novel. Out of those four though, Mr. Clutter, and Nancy seem to be empathized the most. This is because Capote goes into great detail about their personalities, their tendencies and habits; it feels as if you personally know Nancy and Herb Clutter. Nancy and Herb are both upbeat, hardworking Holcombites. They don’t sin in any way and are loyal to their friends and family. Nancy cooks cleans and is the town darling. While Herb on the other hand is a successful entrepreneur/farmer, who was the most popular man in the surrounding area in Kansas; also he had held differing positions in important places such as Washington D.C. With all of this information, one can’t help but feel sympathy, especially when these nice people had so many things going for them. Another reason for why one would feel sympathy towards the clutters is because in his description of the clutters, Capote includes they’re ambitions and their plans in the near future. One can’t help but notice all that they missed out on. They were planning on going to a wedding, one of their older daughter’s weddings. Also they were planning on hosting a big family reunion. This wasn't a perfect family, but it was a real one. A family that, though dysfunctional at times, becomes very personal and close to the reader. Capote elaborates on every aspect of the Clutters, from the way they each individually eat breakfast in the morning to the way the clutter’s treat their employees; no detail is to nominal to mention. With all of this in mind, combined with the effect of double vision that gives the reader an extra boost in perspective, Capote utilizes his descriptive and personalizing writing skills to put the reader in the book, a place where the characters to sympathize, are the clutters.

Sympathizing with the Clutters and Perry

Throughout the first section of the In Cold Blood, Capote makes me feel sympathetic to the victims of the murder. Mostl I feel sympathetic to the Clutter family for their sheer bad luck in being chosen as Dick and Perry’s victims. At the begging of the non-fiction novel, when Capote describes the Clutter family, he first starts with an outsider’s view of the family and its perfection. Then using his style of double vision Capote elaborates on the Clutter family and its and its members flaws. By doing this, Capote is humanizing the Clutter family so they are real to the reader. Perfect family is non-existent in the real world, but a family with flaws like everyone else is realistic. Since the Clutter’s are real like all of us, we sympathize for them and their murders because it’s just as likely they are murdered as a student in Mr. Briecsh’s English class. The chance of either murder actually happening is close to zero, but the fact remains that the Clutter’s were murdered. The sense that at any time I could be murdered too makes me sympathize with the Clutters.

Another character that Capote makes me reluctantly sympathize with is Perry. Even though Perry is one of the Clutters’ murders, Capote makes it clear that Perry did want to originally kill the Clutter’s. He makes this point clear by telling a brief story about how Perry only came back to Kansas to reunite with one of his old cellmates that was recently let out of prison. If Dick hadn’t convinced Perry to assist with the robbery of the Clutters, Perry would have had nothing to due with the murders. While Capote reminds the reader that Perry is still a murderer, he also shows that Perry is a victim of Dick’s masterminded plot: a victim that I unfortunately sympathize with just because he is a victim too. A way Capote highlights Perry being used is by stating that Dick’s I.Q. is 130. Capote indirectly argues that Dick’s I.Q. is so high above normal that Dick was able to manipulate Perry into committing the murders.

What patterns and repetitions do you notice?

In the novel In Cold Blood, the author, Truman Capote, uses a unique writing tool to make greater the insight of the reader. Capote uses Double Vision in In Cold Blood to help the reader gain a more 3-dimensional or well rounded perspective of the characters, settings, actions, etc... There are multiple cases throughout the first section of the novel where Capote uses double vision, mainly to show one subject with two contrasting attributes. One such case being where Capote starts describing the setting, Kansas, with grandeur and then suddenly begins to write in a condescending way about the Kansan city of Holcomb, “The land is flat, and the views are awesomely extensive; horses, herds of cattle a white cluster of grain elevators rising as gracefully as Greek temples are visible long before a traveler reaches them. Holcomb, too, can be seen from great distances. Not that there is much to see – simply an aimless congregation of buildings divided in the center by the main-line tracks of the Santa-Fe rail road, a haphazard hamlet bounded on the south by a brown stretch of Arkansas (pronounced “Ar-kan-sas”) River, on the north by a highway, Route 50, and on the east and west by prairie lands and wheat fields” (3). The first half of the quote is spent in admiration and awe of “majestic Kansas”, being described as having grain elevators like Greek temples, and awesome, extensive views. Clearly capote is trying to show Kansas in a light that makes the reader appreciate Kansas. However, the second part of the quote is contractual to the first. Capote proceeds in describing little Holcomb in a way that is conflicting with the first half of the quote. Holcomb is looked at as a dirty, worn down little “town”, a town so nominal that no one bother learn about it. In some ways, this description seems as though its motive is now to downplay Kansas, to take away its splendor and majesty. There are two very different descriptions of Kansas, each trying to sway the reader’s opinion. One shows Kansas in greatness, and the other, as a disappointment to society. Capote uses double vision and expresses both sides of Kansas so that the reader won’t have a provincial, one sided view of Kansas in the story. The double vision is meant to give the reader a perspective that encompasses both the splendid side of Kansas and the shameful side of Kansas.

2 Ways To Answer A Question

"Four shotgun blasts that, all told, ended six human lives" (5). This was arguably, Capote's most memorable line in this book so far. However, the reader is faced with a dilemma. There are two ways to interpret this phrase, both of which are legitimate and valid. It is given that the four Clutters in the house died on the night of November 14, 1959. It can also be inferred that because Capote has made very little mention of Eveanna and Beverly, they were not affected as deeply as others may have been. Just who are the other two people whose lives ended on that night?
A most popular answer would be Perry and Dick. Perry was a sentimental and intelligent man, with a dangerous tendency to burst into flames of anger at times. He was, in my opinion, dragged into this operation by Dick, since the text makes several mentions of the plan being Dick's. In fact, Dick said the words, "No witnesses" (37) to Perry many times. Therefore, the plan to kill was Dick's. However, the man who physically pulled the trigger on the shotgun that took four lives that night, was Perry. Even though Dick hatched the plan, he was quite reluctant to go through with it, whereas Perry did not plan to go through with it, but did so anyways out of blind, overemotional anger. Dick said that Perry was, "capable of dealing...the coldest-blooded blows" (55). So in the end, Perry was dragged into the plan by Dick, and Dick was dragged to his death by Perry; a result in which the lives of two more men were ended because of what happened that night.
The second, less noticeable answer, would be Susan Kidwell and Bobby Rupp. Both people were deeply connected to Nancy, as best friend and boyfriend, respectively. Bobby loved Nancy dearly. He said, "Nancy's the only girl I ever dated" (50). This was a true sign of his dedication to her. Bobby remembered what she wore, what he gave her, and what her family was like. It would definitely be correct to say that he was devastated by her death. In a sense, his life did "end." It had revolved around his love for Nancy, and she was gone. Susan, on the other hand, was Nancy's best friend. When she saw Nancy's body, her emotions can be summed up as such, "Nancy Ewalt says I did - screamed and screamed. I can only remember...and Nancy. And running" (60). In a town of very few people, it was unlikely that Susan had many friends like Nancy, who was truly one of a kind. She and Nancy were inseparable, and it had been that way for years. Then, after that night, her life also "ended."

I'd like to reply to the question about sympathy. And truthfully this post won't be very much book related, but more movie related. I personally believe that Truman Capote truly deserves sympathy from others; more sympathy than he actually received while writing In Cold Blood. Truman Capote spent six full years out of his life writing this new "non-fiction novel". This later resulted in him becoming the most famous writer of all time. But he suffered mentally due to the stress that the book caused him. Capote spent much of the first four years visiting Perry in the jail, having him tell all about what went at the murder and how this affected him mentally. Going and seeing Perry and all the others on death row would have a profound effect on his brain and his view of people. If any person would be stuck doing that same exact thing, they would end up with the same thing Capote did - have a psychotic breakdown. Capote went crazy; he was only alive due to the help of his friends. Then, near the end of his breakdown period, he went back to Kansas to see the hanging of his dear 'friend' Perry. Writing this specific book ate up six years of his life and many mental issues appeared from his experiences in dealing with the murderers of the Clutter family. This in turn lead to Capote never being able to finish another book and dying at a young age due to alcohol abuse. And this is why Capote should be sympathized with because though he wrote one of the most amazing books in American history, it caused the writer himself much trouble and sorrow for the rest of his life.

Where is the reporter visible?

The reporter side of Capote of In Cold Blood is visible throughout the entire Part 1 of the book. While Capote elaborates with his own thoughts the emotions experienced by the Clutters and Dick and Perry on the day of the murder, Capote sticks to the facts when he tells the story. I think that in some spots of Part 1 specifically with the Clutters Capote is receiving his facts and information from interviews of the people that interacted with the Clutters the day before their deaths. I first thought of this idea from the movie Capote when he interviews Nancy’s friends. Some of the friends of the Clutter’s that Capote gives dialogue to already have a feeling that the Clutter’s are dead. Such as when Mrs. Ashida says to Mr. Clutter, “I can’t imagine you afraid. No matter what happened, you’d talk your way out”(page 36). Generally, in a normal conversation a person would not use the phrase “no matter what happened” unless they were anxious about something happening or if something had already happened. The fact Mrs. Ashida already knows something is going to happen to Mr. Clutter relates to Capote’s interview with Mrs. Ashida and shows his reporting mind after the Clutter’s murder. Also, part of Capote's reporting side is found in him leaving out how the murder itself played out. According to the movie Capote, Capote had finished the first two parts of In Cold Blood before he got Perry's confession. Instead of making up details of the murder, Capote allows the reader to imagine what happened in the small amount of time that the Clutters interacted with Dick and Perry. This is just as much information everyone, including Capote as a factual reporter, knew about how the murder had gone.

I wanted to comment on the writing techniques that I found that Capote used to really guide the reader into the initial suspense and sympathy. I found that Capote used an interesting tool, Parallel scenes. In this part of the narrative, Capote used the short chapter lengths to their full effect. for example, it is used when he goes from present time of the Clutters before the murder to when the chapters come quicker, like brief, alternating glances as Dick and Perry near the River Valley Farm. This heightens the sense of simultaneity. It is as if the mind's eye were quickly toggling back and forth between a view of the Clutter home and one of the approaching black Cadillac. Capote presents the description of the brutal killings of the Clutter family in a journalistic style, and is able to exclude his point of view on the event. Also he takes on a reporters voice as well, this is where he tells factual details of each character and the murder verses a storytellers point of view where he gives description to the setting and the different emotions of not only the Clutters but the inhabitants of Holcomb as well. Capote also used the skill called 'double vision'. Double vision gives the reader another take on something the author already touched on before. An example of double vision was when Capote gave us two views of Holcomb, the majestic side and empty, ghost town- like view.

In the book, In Cold Blood, Capote uses many different strategies to give the effect the suspense. In any thriller, the aspect of suspense must be present in order to keep the reader interested. In my opinion, the best way to achieve such a concept is to keep the reader guessing. Capote accomplishes this by jumping around in his writing. As the story progresses, so does the rapidity of the changing topics. Even towards the beginning, in describing the characters, the story rapidly changes subjects. Capote switches between describing a character, to describing a past event. More often than not, this past event tangent, has nothing to do with the original story at all. This effect I believe is to keep the reader guessing. If you can keep the reader on their toes, the story will have a greater effect. By changing the subject rapidly, you add suspense. For an example, when Capote begins to describe Perry, he suddenly switches to a 5 paragraph side story beginning with how Perry looks at himself in the mirror. Keeping in mind that the chapter was supposed to be about how they were fixing their car, or something of that sort. This strategy shows that rapidly changing topics, keeps the reader on their toes, adding to the suspense.

Capote uses the strategy of double vision when writing, This meaning, at first he will take a general look at things. Like a first glance, he merely describes what the public sees. No imperfections, just a simple, widely believed, description of a place. In the exposition, he describes the village of Holcomb, saying, “The land is flat, and the views are awesomely extensive; horses, herds of cattle, a white cluster of grain elevators rising as gracefully as Greek temples are visible long before a traveler reaches them” (3). The serene tone he uses makes Holcomb seem tranquil, and a very easy going town. Then, his view focuses in on the smaller details. Descriptions of abandoned, old, and dull houses are written about. The earlier description before was somewhat like a camouflage to what actually exists in Holcomb. It might not be the greatest place after all. A second time this occurs is when describing the family members of the Clutter family; in particular, Bonnie. She, at first, seems like the perfect housewife and mother. Always polite and put together, she reinforces the respectful regard of the clutter family. But the reader soon finds out she suffers from a terrible illness, causing her to act irrational and depressed. Everyone knows of this, and it saddens them to know she must go through the changes from her “old self”, to the one tampered with by her illness. They do not view her as flawless, but as an individual for whom they feel sorry. Double vision works effectively mainly it is how human beings think. First, we see the general and overall picture, before we begin analyzing the smaller details.

WHAT PATTERNS AND REPETITIONS DO YOU NOTICE?

After reading “Part One: The Last to See Them Alive” of In Cold Blood I couldn’t help, but notice the style of how Capote transfers scenes between the Clutter family and Perry and Dick. After the last sort of action has already been played out, Capote adds a small insignificant detail or a quotation from the bible that could have been done without. While these quotations make some sort of sense in their own context, they make more sense when talking about Part 1’s theme, what “ended six human lives” (Page 5). One of the first of these repeated biblical phrases is found in Mrs. Clutter’s bookmark. Capote state that her silk bookmark had the line, “Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is”(Page 30) embroidered into it. By itself, this is just a description of Mrs. Clutter’s bookmark, but by showing us this small detail Capote is telling me, the reader, and Mrs. Clutter to heed, and warning Mrs. Clutter of her impending death. Another quotation that jumped of the page to me was when Mrs. Ashida said to Mr. Clutter, “I can’t imagine you afraid. No matter what happened, you’d talk your way out”(page 36). This quotation by itself makes sense in its context of Mrs. Ashida admiring Mr. Clutter, but again it is on a deeper level is an irony to the reader that knows Mr. Clutter is not going to be able to talk his way out of his death. This irony is a continued motif that Capote uses to foreshadow the deaths of the Clutters.

Truman Capote omits the murder scene leaving the horrendous details to the readers’ imagination. The story quickly moves from a peaceful night at the Clutter’s house with Mr. Clutter, Nancy, Kenyon and Bobby Rupp, Nancy’s boyfriend, watching television while Mrs. Clutter is sleeping upstairs, to the grisly discovery of the bodies the next morning. All the members of the Clutter family are found dead with their hands and feet bound. They have all been shot at close range. Kenyon’s and Mrs. Clutter’s mouths had been taped shut. In addition, Mr. Clutter’s throat has also been slashed. Eerily, Mrs. Clutter eyes were found to be wide open. The reader cannot help but imagine the horror that Mrs. Clutter must have experienced as she was tied and bound by her murderer, and then watch as the gun was aimed at her. The torment and suffering the Clutter family must have endured begin to play around in the reader’s mind. The reader wonders if any of the Clutter family had put up a fight, in particular Mr. Clutter. Or perhaps the family thought they were merely being robbed and therefore were better off not to resist. Earlier in the chapter, Capote had taken the reader inside the Clutter’s life and had made the reader care for this kind and caring family. The reader came to know each member of the family. Mr. Clutter was a kind, gentle, but strong man who loved his family very much. Mrs. Clutter suffered from depression and spent much of her time in bed. Nancy was the “town darling” (7) and was loved by all. She frequently put other’s needs before her own. Kenyon was a somewhat quiet young boy of 15 years old. Having gotten to know and care for each of the murder victims makes the reader wonder all the more what happened to them in their final moments of life.

After reading this first section, I have great sympathy for the Clutter family and the members of Holcomb. Capote studied all the different townspeople of Holcomb including the Clutter family themselves. We learn the histories of various people in Holcomb from the Clutters themselves to the school children to people that have recently moved in and even the one Japanese family in the neighborhood. We even learn about Babe, the Clutters horse. We also learn the somewhat "flaws" of each of these characters such as Herb Clutter's refusal to carry cash and to carry a check book around instead or Bonnie Clutters illness. We really see how Capote captures the essence of the different townspeople in Holcomb. The different characters' reactions to the murder of the Clutter's family is something I also found interesting. The impact the murders have caused some people leave Holcomb in fear, show how some people are personally impacted by the death of the Clutters and how others just move on with life as if the murder never happened. Capote's also really focuses on the two murderers: Perry Smith and Dick Hickock. Capote studies these two characters without placing judgement on either of them. Capote studies these two characters like he does with the rest of the characters in the book and we also learn of their "flaws". Capote looks into their histories to see if any events in their lives have caused them to act in the way that they did.

Truman Capote is truly making his best attempt at creating an uncomfortable image of the murder. While this may cause readers to think back to Hitchcock or Poe, Capote has a unique method in achieving this goal. He emphasizes certain aspects of the setting and the characters.
For one thing, his description of Holcomb gave a chilling, eerie atmosphere. I felt this way because I, like all other readers, know what the book is about, and what will inevitably happen in the town. However, Capote's description of the town made it seem very calm and innocent. As one reads on, the thought of such a brutal murder occuring there became increasingly sickening. The landscape is very rural, as Capote describes the local culture, "The local accent is barbed with a prairie twang" (3) This creates a level of uneasiness in the reader, because these people seem too simple, too peaceful to comtemplate a hideous crime. Such an effect would be impossible had readers been given a bland, ordinary description of Holcomb. Instead, the image is created that in a seemingly innocent town, four people of a prominent and righteous family were killed by short-range shotgun blasts for reasons not disclosed until much later.
The other aspect of Capote's attempt of creating uncomfortability lies in his sympathy for Perry. Perry was the description of an intelligent and compassionate human being. He is not only an avid reader (pg 14), but is a dedicated tutor to Dick (pg 23). Above all, he enjoys playing the guitar and singing. All of this background information carries little importance in itself, but this was all meant to make the reader conceive one thought: This is not a man who would shoot four people in the face with a shotgun. However, I knew, and all who read the book knew, that despite what they had hoped, Perry was indeed the same man who had pulled the trigger four times on the fateful night. It is one of the most difficult facts to have to accept, and as a result, one cannot help but feel astonished and uncomfortable.

Instead of focusing this one blog entry one one theme I am going to add in some all around questions and comments that I have about this section. Firstly, on page 64 of the book they talk about how the sherriffs and the two men from the town find Kenyon. Larry Hendricks (the teacher from the town) talks about how Kenyon's head was lying under pillows. Larry assumes that this is "to make an easier target". This idea also relates to the circumstances of Mr. Clutter. Larry Hendricks describes his state by saying, "He was sprawled in front of the furnace. On a big cardboard box that look as though it had been laid there specially. A mattress box" (65). Normally, from hearing only about the murders, the first claim would seem reasonable and the second we may have dismissed. But in a way, I would like to do the opposite. This is because in the movie, Perry tells Capote how they tied Mr. Clutter to the steampipe but as Perry saw that this "gentle man" was uncomfortable, they untied him and as Larry Hendricks says the box was there "purposely", to lessen the pain of Mr. Clutter. Ironic, doesn't it seem. But the interesting thing about having the perspective of Perry, which we will probably see more of later in the book, you are able to see a bit more of the "whys". Although these small details in no means erase the awful actions of the murders, but they do prove that there is more than what is seen. Delving into Kenyon's state I honestly cannot say one way or the other. Whether he was put that way "as an easier target" or "to make him more comfortable" is not expressed, at least not yet.

Going to one of my next topics of disscussion, I would like to bring up a quote from page 63. The last sentence of the first paragraph on page really hit me hard. This sentence reads, "I remember the sherriff searched around to see if he could find the discharged cartridge. But whoever had done it was too much smart and cool to have left behind any clues like that" (63). This statement angered me. This is because out of first reaction I saw the word "cool", and from the general meaning of the word, took the sentence to give some kind of credit or admiration to the murderers from someone who was seeing the awful evidence of their murder. But as I think about it, I am beginning to think that maybe the "cool" was not referring to a comment of their personalities, but a reference to their intelligence. Maybe the "cool" implies their impressive attention to detail or the notion that these two men know how to get their way and remain unknown. I am still unsure of this word's true meaning in this context, which still bothers me slightly.

While reading Part 1 of In Cold Blood, it seemed as if Capote attempted to take the reader's mind off of the murder in certain parts. He did this by describing certain settings, or certain individuals. Then, he would add in lines which reminded the reader of the murder, and other aspects of the novel. In one part, Capote describes Mr. Clutter’s walk through the woods on his last day. He writes, “Passing through the orchard, Mr. Clutter proceeded along beside the river, which was shallow here and strewn with Islands - midstream beaches of soft sand, to which...picnic baskets have been carted, family afternoons whiled away waiting for a twitch at the end of a fishline” (13). He sets a peaceful setting, distracting the reader from the gruesome event which will occur later in the section. Then, in order to refocus the reader, he describes hunters entering the land. This would be seemingly insignificant, but he added in a small detail about the dog. He says, “Though he was a good sentry, alert, even ready to raise Cain, his valor had one flaw: let him glimpse a gun as he did now, for the intruders were armed- and his head dropped, his tail turned in” (13). By including terms such as: Gun, intruders, and armed, at least for myself, my focus returned the murder. Capote uses this strategy again when he writes regarding a conversation Mr.Clutter’s neighbor and he had previous to the crime. The neighbor says, “I can’t imagine you afraid. No matter what happened, you’d talk your way out of it” (36). Again, the conversation previous to this quote contained nothing pertaining to the murder. However, this final line refocused the reader, and reminded them of the murder. This is because not only was Mr. Clutter unable to talk his way out of something, but we can also imagine him afraid as he is about to be killed.

In the first section that we read of In Cold Blood, i found it interesting on how Truman Capote painted a very descriptive setting of Holcomb. It was apparent that Holcomb was a small city in Kansas and had many majestic features. Capote really sets the scene for his audience. In the book, Holcomb is described to the readers as a slow-moving, small town in the middle of Kansas with most inhabitants living in the town for generations upon generations. We can vividly imagine the town's low-rise buildings and the fields of dry grass rampant throughout the village which are described by Capote. Capote's attention to detail is clear and is not only limited to the description of the town but expands to the description of different towns and settings mentioned in the story. For example, Truman describes the buildings in Holcomb and tries to to understand the history, " nearby is another building with an irrelevant sign, this one in flaking gold on the dirty window- Holcomb bank. the bank closed in 1933, and its former counting rooms have been converted into apartments." (pg 4) It is through Capote's description of Holcomb that really places the reader into the shoes of the townspeople in Holcomb. Also I noticed later in this section, It seemed to me that Capote tone wasn't just describing this city but it was as if he was advertising it. "Look all over the world, and you won't find friendlier people or fresher air or sweeter drinking water...Swell schools with every kind f sport. We even have Junior college." Why Capote would want to focus a good portion of this section on the 'wonderful and tranquil' setting of Holcomb?

I feel that many patterns occur in this first section. Obvious ones are talking about the lives of Perry and Dick and the Clutters before the killing. This pattern makes you feel sympathy for teh Clutters and a luttle bit of rage but understanding toward Perry and Dick. The understanding is more towards there life style and how they do things. This pattern allows us as raeders to become more familiar with the victims and instigators of this real live event. Another possible pattern that is quite obvious is the alternating chapters about the Clutters and Dick and Perry. I think teh purpose of this pattern is to match what is going on with the Clutters to what is going on with DIck and Perry. The events in each chapter set are occuring at the same time. By doing this the reader understands what each set of peoples lives are like in real time.
In the book there is a quote that reads : "I can't imagine you afraid. No matter what happened, you'd talk your way out of it." This is being said to Mr. Clutter. I think this quote represents dramatic irony becuase we know that Mr. Clutter will be put in a situation that he isn't going to be able to talk is way out of nor will he try to talk his way out of it.

Throughout my reading of In Cold Blood I have coem to have sympathy for many characters. At this point my sympathy reaches out to each member of the clutter family for different reasons. I have sympathy for Nancy because she was always booking her schedule so tightyl just so she could help out as many people as possible. Jolene, one fo the girls Nancy had helped bake a pie said, " Godness, no. I just love her to death. Well, everybody does. There isn't anybody like Nancy. Do you know what Mrs. Stringler says?" said JOlened, naming her home economics teacher. "One day she told teh class, 'Nancy Clutter is always in a hurry but she always has time. And that's one definition of a lady. ' " I sympathize with Bonnie not just because she was killed for no reason but because she had so many problems that prevented her from doing what she wanted. In the book Bonnie said, "Wilma, " she said, "I've been listening to you, WIlma. All of you. LAughing. HAving a good time. I'm missing out on everything. The best years, the children -everything. A little while, and even Kenyon will be grown up- a man. And how will he remember me? As a kind of ghost, WIlma". The sympathy I have for MR. Clutter is just like that of Nancy's. He's a great person who probably didn't deserve to die. Mr. CLutter acted as the chairman of a 4-H club. There moto was "we learn to do by doing". In a conversation between Nancy and Kenyon, I feel really bad. It read' "It would thrill me to pieces to hear him say ' Aunt Nancy.' Or ' Uncle Kenyon.' WOuldn't you ike to hear him say that? I mean, don't you love being an uncle?" In a way this could also be dramatic irony becuase we know that Nancy and Kenyon will never be called uncle and aunt by their nephew because they will not be living much longer. This dramatic irony makes it all the more sad.

Throughout the entirety of the beginning of the novel, Capote foreshadows the soon to come murder. It seems as though as the story goes on, the use of foreshadowing increases, adding dramatic effect. When Capote would describe a character in the story, a pattern began to emerge. Towards the last few sentences of the final paragraph, Capote would foreshadow future events. He wrote sentences such as, “Then, touching the brim of his cap, he headed for home and the day’s work, unaware that it would be his last” (13) and, “’Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is’” (31). These sentences not only ended the paragraph but the section. The following sentences were regarding a completely different topic. By doing this, the reader gets an image or begins to ponder what might happen next. This effect draws the reader in, and adds an element of suspense to the story. These quotes, however, were not limited to the end of chapters. Foreshadowing quotes often appeared in the middle of chapters such as, “He had sworn… that he would never set foot within its boundaries again. Well, it wasn’t for long” (14). Talking about Perry, the reader gets the idea that he will be entering Kansas soon, and not for a good reason. A few pages later, Nancy is on the phone with Susan, “’It isn’t mother, it can’t be Kenyon. Kenyon wouldn’t dare…’” (21). This quote is suggesting that Nancy is uncertain whether Kenyon is (smoking) or not. By not ending her last sentence, she leaves it open to infer that she will find out who is truly smoking later on in the story. By foreshadowing events, it keeps the reader both guessing and intrigued, adding a significantly greater effect to the story.

Liam Green

ARE CAPOTE OR HIS FEELING OR OPINIONS APPARENT?

 

After reading Part I of “In Cold Blood”, it is apparent to me that the author, Truman Capote’s feelings and opinions are expressed in his writings.  This is made clear through his tone while describing characters in comparison to his tone in talking about others.  This is displayed especially when Capote writes about one of the murderers, Perry.  Through his tone, which is ‘Pro-Perry’ compared to when he is writing about Dick, Perry’s friend, and partner in crime it is clear that Capote sympathizes with Perry. Such examples of Capote’s feelings concerning Perry are found on page  22, where it writes, “Said Perry. A dictionary Buff… he had been intent on improving his companion’s grammar and expanding his vocabulary,”, on page 48 when Capote tells us that Perry, “knew the lyrics of some two hundred hymns and ballads” as it is also seen on page 53 when he describes the pain that Perry felt in his legs in a way calling the reader to sympathize with Perry. 

Liam Green

WHAT PATTERNS AND REPETITIONS DO YOU NOTICE?

 

Through the first part of Truman Capote’s, “In Cold Blood”, The Last To See Them Alive.  There are definite patterns and repetitions that I noticed through the writing.  One of these patterns, is how Capote writes a paragraph on the Clutter Family, a member of the Clutter family, or a friend of the Clutter family, and then switches to talk about Dick and Perry in the next, switching back and forth continuously.  I believe that this somewhat confusing format, or style of storytelling is done in order to almost try to convey the confusion that the actual murder of the Clutter family actually caused the town of Holcomb.  Another pattern in which I noticed is the, “double-tone” of Capote.  In the story he often makes things sound so very splendid for the Clutters, and the people of Holcomb, as well as for Dick and Perry, before informing us otherwise.  This shows the ‘storyteller’ aspect of Truman Capote in writing this book, rather than the ‘reporter’ aspect he also includes in the ‘nonfiction novel’.  An example of this is when in the exposition, he informs us that Perry likes Root Beer, plays guitar, is a ‘dictionary buff’, and that he enjoys singing hymns, all before he gives us the information that he has killed people for no particular reason and is addicted to pain-killers.

Liam Green

WHAT CHARACTERS DO YOU SYMPATHIZE WITH? WHY?

 

Through page 74 of Truman Capote’s ‘nonfiction novel’, “In Cold Blood”, Capote introduces the members of the Clutter family in a way that attempts to make his audience sympathize with them.  One example of this is found on page 10 when Capote informs us of how respected Mr. Clutter was as an employer. It writes, “he was known for his equanimity, his charitableness, and the fact that he paid good wages and distributed frequent bonuses; the men who worked for him… had small reason to complain.”  People respect an employer who is selfless and offers the best for his workers, and therefore the reader will sympathize for him and hope only the best for him.  We also sympathize with Nancy, because she is summarized as a good-hearted girl who makes those she is with feel good, and because she strives to help others.  For example, on page 18, it says, “she felt it her duty to be available when younger girls came to her wanting help with their cooking, their sewing, or their music lessons.”  We also sympathize for Kenyon, who it says doesn’t have any close friends now that his old friend had found a girl, and who still mourned his dead horse ‘Skeeter’ after a year.  

Throughout the first section of the book, the voice of the storyteller and reporter are sort of interchangeabley present. As he talks about Holcomb and describes the town and describes the Clutters he uses his storyteller voice with the great detail he goes into describing the, at the time, tranquil mood. However, because it is a nonfiction novel and you know he did a lot of research on the subject, it is also somewhat of a reporters voice. He uses the information he gathered from the book to describe the people and the scene even though he puts it in a storytellers tone. Throughtout the section you can also tell that he has his own personal opinions when telling all this information. Since he wants to have these sympathetic effects on the reader and at first happy then sad moods, you know that he himself felt this way about the situation. If he hadn't, he would have interpreted his own story in a different way which would completely alter these moods and effects in the book. Also, the certain things that he emphasizes throughout the section are things that you can tell that he has personal opinions on. He emphasizes these things to impose a deeper feeling of whatever it is that he intends on imposing on the reader. This, I believe, increases the effect the book has on its reader.

The way in which Capote leads the story up to the murder, truly adds a greater effect to the brutality of the murders. A small quiet town, there lives a modest good-hearted family. Sure they have their problems, but show me a family that doesn’t. Herb is a caring man who loves his family and his community. The story gives an example of him simply allowing out of state hunters to hunt on his property free of charge. In Cold Blood also tells of him keeping his college-bound children in the local school, based on pride. His daughter, Nancy, is a young saint. Nancy simply has so much love for everything around her; she cannot fit it all into one day. With Bonnie, it is a little more complicated. The story starts off describing her as a crazy woman who suffers from extreme anxiety. However, later into the story the reader finds out there is more to her personality than what is originally described. The reader later sees another side of Bonnie when she talks about her shoe box containing small cheap trinkets. A true compassionate and gentle side is shown. These series of descriptions leading up to the murders make the crime seem much worse. By adding a personality to the victim, a bond or connection is formed with the reader, making it harder to mentally digest and process.

Capote chooses to include select, extra information so the reader will sympathize with certain characters. At the beginning of the story, the reader is introduced to the Clutters. Through the use of dramatic irony, we know beforehand they will be murdered by two individuals. However, the story begins while they are alive. Future plans of theirs are described. Capote writes regarding the one of the two daughters who live out town and their plans to visit the family: "She and her family were expected within the fortnight, for her parents planned a sizable Thanksgiving reunion of the Clutter clan..." (6). As the reader knows, these plans will never occur and we feel sorry for the characters being unaware. They are clueless, and have no idea that their last day of life is upon them. Secondly, Capote includes personal information about each character, even though it is not necessary to the story line. He includes a quote the young girl in the neighborhood uses to describe Nancy Clutter. She says, "I just love her to death. Well, everybody does. There isn't anybody like Nancy" (25). The reader believes Nancy to be a good person, and not deserving to die in the manner she did. On other occasions, she is described to get good grades, be a respectable daughter, and help out neighborhood children with their endeavors. Therefore, a fondness of Nancy grows, and her death is not looked forward to. With other characters as well, Capote successfully builds up this sympathy. Mrs. Clutter has an illness which causes her to act outlandish on certain occasions. Other than that, when she is her "old self", she is a polite and well mannered woman. Not only does the reader feel bad that she must suffer from this uncomfortable lifestyle, but on days where she is compassionate and 'normal', respect grows for her. Again, the reader becomes attached to this kindhearted woman, whom they know in the end will be murdered.

One thing that Mr. Breisch pointed out in class was that Capote wrote, "four shotgun blasts that, all told, ended six human lives"(5). He then asked us the question, what did Capote mean when he wrote that? Well, I believe that Capote meant that the killing had basically ended Perry and Dick's lives as well. Perry and Dick slaughtered the Clutters in their own home. They were caught, tried, and eventually died, spending most of their lives after the murders in jail, awaiting death. Even though the murders may have ended the lives of those six people, it negatively effected the lives of the many people of Holcomb, and the many relatives of the Clutters, includng the two daughters Eveanna and Beverly. What about the two girls, Nancy Ewalt and Susan Kidwell, who first discovered Nancy CLutter's corpse, "I don't remember screaming. Nancy Ewalt says I did-screamed and screamed. I only remember Nancy's teddy bear staring at me. And Nancy. And Running..."(60). Upon discovering Nancy, the girls ran out to Mr. Ealt, who was waiting with the car. The two girls will have the image of what they saw that day burned into their minds. There is also the undersheriff, Wendle, who discovered Kenyon's body. And the other police officers, and Mr. Ewalt, who discovered the CLutter parents, the Mrs. in her bedroom and Mr. in the furnace room. Six lives ended, untold numbers ruined and scarred for life.

In this story, the wording is everything. Capote specifically uses certain words or phrases to make an impact on the reader. He is able to do this through his created category of writing called "non-fiction novels". Writing a non-fiction novel allows him to tell the facts and outline real life events while basing these events on empasized emotions or embellished wording. This artistic license allows him not to change the story, but to make a much stronger emotional connection to the reader than just relaying the facts would ever allow. An example of this comes from the first "book" of the story when Capote writes that Mrs. Ashida (a friend of Mr. Clutter's) says to Mr. Clutter, "Just nothing scares you...I can't imagine you afraid. No matter what happened, you'd talk your way out of it" (36). This quote gives more to the story than just facts. This quote seems like a quote that would not have been easy to gain from investigation after the murder and the wording is so "perfect" (by that I mean so ironically fitting), leading me to believe that this is not a real quote but a detail to the story that Capote added because he believed it would represent a person behind the title of the victim. A quote like this gives Mr. Clutter a lovable character and is so affecting to the reader because there is this dark humor behind the words. The dark humor is supposed to feel unsettling to the reader, but more importantly its purpose is to show the emotional side of this story. A non-fiction novel allows the reader to see both sides and choose their own opinions. Non-fiction novels also allow the author to show the "human side" of the "bad guys" (if there is one), which ultimately makes the reader think and question what they "know" or "see". *I put those two words in quotation marks because what is "known" is many times only representative of a popular belief and what is "seen" is not always the complete truth.

Capote foreshadows a lot in this first section when describing the current activities of the clutters and Dick and Perry. He talks about how Mr. Clutter is meeting an insurance agent and making a big deposit showing how Mr. Clutter had big plans for his family making the eventual death even more depressing. The foreshadowing factor in this is that this possibly happy plan for the Clutters family is spited by the grim mood and the fact they are not going to be around to go through with this plan. Their happiness will come to an abrupt end. He foreshadows an eventual crime by Dick and Perry a great deal in this section. He tells that they go and buy rubber gloves, stockings for their heads, and rope. Dick tells Perry they won't need these things because no witnesses will survive. This sets up an obvious murder by the two. Although it doesn't say who they are going to kill, the context of the book implies that a nasty murder of the Clutters is going to take place. Also in this section Capote does not make it apparent what exactly is going to happen. He tells that these two men are PLANNING a murder but you don't no at all what will happen, and up until they drive up to the Clutter house you have no idea if they will even go through with the plan at all. He doesn't say who will die or how they'll die. He only gives away that these two men are planning to commit a terrible crime very soon and that they are trying to mentally prepare themselves to go through with it.

One thing that caught my eye while reading this first section of the book was that Capote would describe the best things first, the stuff that you would on a travel brochure, enticng a person to come and see whatever is being described. Next he would describe something that is good, but not so great. Something that is nice for people who are near it, but not something people would travel to see. Then he describes the worst last. It seems as though he is going in the opposite order of a way to write a paper, saving the best for last. In the very beginning of the book this pattern is shown, when Capote is describing Kansas, "some seventy miles east of the Colorado Border, the countryside, with its hard blue skies and desert-clear air, has an atmosphere that is rather more Far West...The land is flat, and the view are awsomely extensive...a white cluster of grain elevators rising gracefully as Greek temples...Holcomb, too, can be seen from great distances, not that there is much to see...after rain, or snow, the unnamed, unpaved streets turn from the thickest dust to the direst mud."(1). He describes it as though he is looking at a picture of Kansas country side from Google-Earth, far above the ground; but when he starts to zoom in, he sees the town of Holcomb, and it sticks out, almost as an eye soar; and the closer he zooms in, the worse it becomes, getting duller, dirtier, worse. The description became gradually worse, going from Greek temples in wide open plains, to muddy streets and dull buildings. 

Capote successfully employs foreshadowing to give the reader a heightened sense of the impending doom that is to follow. In describing the innocent daily activities of the Cutler family, Capote constantly reminds the reader that this is the Clutter family’s last day. Herb Clutter takes out a life insurance policy for forty thousand dollars, as he contemplates his own mortality. The life insurance agent jokingly comments to Mr. Clutter that from what the medical report says, Mr. Clutter has a least a couple more weeks to live. Mrs. Ashida, a Japanese woman who Herb Clutter has befriended, comments to Mr. Clutter that she cannot imagine him afraid of anything. She tells him, “No matter what happened, you’d talk your way out of it” (36). On the bedside table next to Bonnie Clutter’s bed is a Bible in which a bookmark is laying. Embroidered on the bookmark are the cautionary words, “Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is” (30). Capote describes how Nancy lays out her red dress for church the next day, and then he interjects, “It was the dress in which she was to be buried” (56). In constantly reminding the reader of the murders to come, Capote makes the reader all the more absorbed in the details of the Clutters’ lives as one develops great empathy for this kind, caring family that the reader knows is going to meet a tragic end.

Nancy is revealed to be a remarkable young girl, which makes her death all the more tragic. She is adored and admired by all those in her community. Capote lets the reader know that Nancy was the “town darling”(7). Nancy’s boyfriend, Bobby Rupp, says of her, “she just made everybody feel good about themselves” (50). Within the Clutter family, Nancy bears much of the burden of her mother’s mental illness, including taking care of the household chores and making the family meals. In spite of her busy schedule and accomplishments, including being a straight A student, class president, and leader of the 4-H club, Nancy is a modest young lady who always makes time for others. As Truman Capote says of Nancy, “She felt it her duty to be available when younger girls came to her wanting help with their cooking, their sewing, or their music lessons-or, as often happened, to confide” (18). She is a loving person who adores her family and dotes on her nephew. At sixteen years old, Nancy’s life is full of promise. To see her life horrendously cut short is heartbreaking.

In my opinion, the reader should sympathize with the Clutter family, and not with Perry or Dick. Based on what we have read, all we know is that Perry and Dick, the 2 murderers, slaughtered 4 innocent farm people out of greed. This first section is divided between Capote writing about the Clutters and Holcomb, and Capote writing about Perry and Dick's journey to the Clutter residence, with most of the 74 pages concentrating on the Clutters. This first section of the book goes with describing, in great detail, the 4 Clutter famly members that still reside at the River Valley Farm. They describe Mr. Clutter, and most of his achievements, Mrs. Clutter, who suffered with "little spells"(7), and the 2 children, Nancy as a kind of perfect daughter, and Kenyon, a timid, intelligent, yet somewhat curious son. He goes into great detail writing about the Clutter house, the farm and all of its animals, and the quant little town of Holcomb, Kansas. He describes the Clutter's dog, Teddy, and how he had one flaw, "Let him glimpse a gun, as he did now-for the intruders were armed, and his head dropped, his tail turned in"(13) He described the horse, Babe, and how the kids would always ride around on her. He told the history of Holcomb, also known as Garden City, and how it got the name Holcomb.  The way that Capote describes the Clutters makes the reader want to sympathize with the Methodist family, making the reader almost wonder why someone would do such a thing to such a nice family. This first section is divided between Capote writing about the Clutters and Holcomb, and Capote writing about Perry and Dick's journey to the Clutter residence, with most of the 74 pages concentrating on the Clutters. 

(This post is based on the content of the story of pgs 3-22) Truman Capote deems In Cold Blood a "non-fiction novel." There is clearly a voice in the story that shows sympathy and a tendency to build suspense through the "holes" in the plot. While it is evident that Capote is trying to stir up sympathy for the Clutters, he also wants the reader to feel likewise for Perry Smith. On the topic of the Clutters, Capote emphasizes the positives about them, which range from Mr. Clutter's being "the community's most widely known citizen" (6) to Nancy's many achievements (All listed on Page 18). He leaves very little room for flaws, such as Mr. Clutter's mangled finger and Kenyon's recent excessive smoking. By leaving out information, Capote suggests that he sympathizes with the Clutters, but at the same time creates an emptiness in the story that the reader must fill with his/her imagination. He repeats this pattern several times, which, in my experience, has led my mind to ponder these "holes" quite extensively. The other main topic that Capote discusses is that of the murderers: Dick and Perry. Dick was, at this point, late for a meeting with Perry. The fact the Capote begins their story with Perry waiting on Dick shows his sympathy for Perry. Dick was "totally masculine" (16) in the eyes of Perry, but his literalmindedness shows a lack of understanding of complex material. This, Perry understands, as Capote curries sympathy for him by mentioning his books, his musicianship, his poems, etc. It certainly made me feel that while Dick may have been an uncivilized brute (based on Capote's description), Perry seemed quite serene and decently intelligent. Although Capote did not directly show a bias towards these men, it remains clear that the reader tends to sympathize with Perry. The suspense of the murderers' point of view lies in the amount of information given to answer the 6 essential questions (who, what, etc). Two of the most important ones are left unanswered: Why and How. Then, Capote switches back to the Clutters' view. This creates an enormous gap in the story, and the reader must read on if he/she hopes to fill it.

One main question in the novel In Cold Blood, is why is Mr. Clutter investing in a life insurance policy for himself? He is still at a generally young age. I can understand that Mrs. Clutter would have a life insurance policy due to her deteriorating condition, "She was "nervous," she suffered from "little spells" - such were the sheltering expressions used by those close to her...everyone knew she had been an on-and-off psychiatric patient the last half-dozen years...The source of her misery...it was physical - a matter of misplaced vertebrae. Of course she must undergo an operation" (7). This quotation shows the bad condition his wife was in; she needed a serious operation. So why would he be getting an "examination for an [life] insurance policy" (5)? Mr. Clutter was in tip-top shape and he was nowhere near close to expiring. The novel relates, "[Mr. Clutter] touched neither coffee or tea...The truth was he was opposed to all stimulants, however gentle. He did not smoke, and of course he did not drink" (10). Mr. Clutter had nothing to do with anything that could accelerate the arrival of death. Mr. Clutter was practically perfect. So my question to the class is why? Why did Mr. Clutter invest in a pricey life insurance policy for himself even though he was nowhere close to dying of natural causes? If you could help me answer this, it would be greatly appreciated; it has been bothering me for a while. :)

In the nonfiction novel In Cold Blood, there are many examples of double vision, or two opposing views of the same person, place, thing - noun. My main example in this post is in the very beginning of the story, Truman Capote describes the quaint little Kansas town as a happy, peaceful place to live, "The village of Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas...with its hard blue skies and desert-clear air...and the views are awesomely extensive" (3). Capote is describing this picturesque mass of land of which everyone should want to live, but this is only leading up to the terrible happenings that are about to occur later. The murders of the entire Clutter family in mid-November of 1959. Using this idea of 'double vision,' Capote explains the not-so-nice things about the town, "At one end of the town stands a stark old stucco structure, the roof of which supports an electric sign - DANCE - but the dancing has ceased and the advertisement has been dark for several years. Nearby is another building with an irrelevant sign, this one in flaking gold on a dirty window - HOLCOMB BANK. The bank closed in 1933...Holcomb School, a good-looking establishment, which reveals a circumstance that the appearance of the community otherwise camouflages" (3-4). This quotation shows the true side of Holcomb that the natives know; the old abandoned town in extremely rural Kansas, which is filled with wealthy farmers on their extensive farms. This double vision that Capote uses throughout his book is able to show multiple sides which may lead to having both sides towards the end when the murder is being discussed with the murderers.

In the book, Capote sets us up to sympathize for the Clutter family. He makes this known at the beginning of the story when he first describes Holcomb in a positive way. He shows that pride in the town and the beauty. As it goes on, the mood starts to change and it gets more negative. This sets up the reader to feel depressed which leaves them vulnerable to sympathetic feelings for the reader. He does the same with the family themselves. Since they are to be brutally murdered later on in the story, Capote sets you up for this by describing them as a whole and individually. Showing Nancy's perfection and Mr. Clutters success only builds the disappointment and grief from the murder. When Capote tells about Mrs. Clutter, it gives you a lot of sympathy for her. The way she feels very unneeded by her family because of the families efficiency without her. Also being sick plays a big part in this sympathy. Since Mrs. Clutter is already depressed, it builds up a grim and sad mood that circulates throughout the whole book from the very beginning, to the murder, to the end. Capote creates this sympathetic effect to make the murder predictable and apparent but at the same time incredibly sad and horrifying. This makes the reader increasingly upset and sick to their stomach from the crime. I believe this is what Capote is aiming for in the books effect on the reader.

I believe that the beginning of the book is meant to make the reader feel compassion towards Mr. Clutter. I feel that because we as readers understand the dramatic irony; we know that an innocent man is going to be murdered, we consequently feel more compassion for each little detail of personality that Truman Capote shows us. By this I mean that I think all of the compliments or just commentary on Mr. Clutter have such a strong impact because of the fact that people know of this story, that the murder is not a surprise. I believe that Capote did this on purpose. That trait is definitely one of an author. This is because authors want to tell a story, but more importantly they want the reader to be affected by their story. By adding details about Mr. Clutter that show him as kind and good-hearted, the reader is more invested in the story and more resentful of their knowledge of the upcoming murder. One example of this is on page 10 when Capote speaks of someone criticizing Mr. Clutter for being strict with his rules because they represent his values. The book states about this criticism, "It was perhaps the only criticism ever made of Mr. Clutter as an employer. Otherwise, he was known for his equanimity, his charitableness, and the fact that he paid good wages and distributed frequent bonuses; the men who worked for him-and there were sometimes as many as eighteen-had small reason to complain" (10). This quote is intented to masquerade as a simple, matter-of-fact, no "depth behind it" statement, but Capote wants us to identify the "trick" in his writing. Capote wants us to realize the irony of the situation; the fact that the reader knows more but cannot do anything to help the character that we begin to empathize with.

Truman Capote said that "In Cold Blood" was going to be a nonfiction novel. This nonfiction novel is filled with storytellers voice and reptorter's voice. On the very first page in the very first paragrap aptore uses a storyteller voice. He's giving us an exposition on the setting of the story. As the storyteller, he is setting us up for what we know will evetnually come. Capote is making the tone calm, trangquil, and majestic in this exposition. As we progress in paragraphs the truth whether ugly or pretty is told. Capote does this a lot throughout the reading I've done so far. On page 32, the begining of the new chapter, Capote uses his storyteller voice. I notice the storyteller voice comes out when describing the setting. This may be a pattern that involves the setting and tone where captore starts off describing something as if it were perfect and then moves on to subjects that have flaws or problems.