Bridge motifs have connected the many characters in the story, as different as they may be. One such motif that spoke out to me were the dreams/goals/aspirations that were mentioned by Capote as a means of helping the reader understand the characters to a deeper degree. I would like to focus on the dreams of Perry.
Perry's dream revealed a lot about his past. He had always been wanting something, as symbolized in the text, "...I want the diamonds more than I'm afraid of the snake" (92). The diamonds symbolized the love and the understanding that Perry had always yearned for, since no one, reaching as far back as his childhood in the orphanage, loved him. The torturous nights of beatings, his negligent father, and other hurtful people, have turned Perry into a normal man into an erratic fiend. The Parrot-avenger was a symbol for this violent behavior of Perry, one who causes others to suffer in order to alleviate Perry's pain.
The mention of Perry's dreams for his future certainly improved his image, as Capote wrote about his love life. He no longer seems like an insane murderer, but merely a hopeless romantic who hopes that finding his soulmate will bring him the love that he had wanted. It was also evident that he had thought deeply about this "soulmate," listing criteria such as "gently spoken" and "a very intellectual type" (98). This insight makes Perry seem more human, and more understandable. Capote's aim is to make readers see Perry with the same eyes that they use to see a normal man.