Section 1: Basic Information
Summary: The thrilling nonfiction true crime story by Truman Capote opens with a description of everyday citizen Herbert Clutter in the year 1959. This Mr. Clutter goes about his business inspecting the ranch that he owns. This seemingly harmless and unremarkable detail opens the reader into the tone of Holcomb and its ensuing crime story. The action intensifies as the plot opens to Hickock and Smith traversing the state with weaponry in hand to nowhere else but the Clutter residence. They are ready to murder and are coming for the Clutters with a vengeance. After the unfortunate tragedy, the bodies of the Clutters are discovered by none other than Nancy Kidwell, who is a pivotal witness to the story. The police in the town go into a frenzy attempting to identify the committors of the crime. They interview one suspect after another including Bobby Rupp who only passes because of his results during a lie detector test. The investigation branches off and seemingly does not come to a conclusion. The murderers themselves travel to Mexico to escape their wrongdoings. They go on a jaunt until they reach Las Vegas, where one small mishap causes a citizen to recognize their license plate number and report them to the authorities. From there, their chances of not being caught become zero. The committors of the crime are sentenced to a speedy death. The tragedy affects the townspeople deeply.
Setting: In the novel In Cold Blood, Holcomb is the center of the whirlwind of tragedies and mysteries that surround it during the case. Most importantly, Holcomb is part of the heartland of the United States. It immediately takes upon the identify of the land of the free and the home of the brave. It is quintessential small town America. The brutal crime which is the subject matter of the novel juxtaposed with the seemingly unremarkable and harmless case of Holcomb creates a disparity. By choosing Holcomb for the setting of the murder Truman Capote established without hesitation that even someplace as harmless in America is not safe. The crime took place in a setting where locks were never used, moving the fear of harm to a small town in the United States.
Genre: Truman Capote's In Cold Blood is written in a novelistic style. It is complete with dialogue and often read as if written as a fiction novel. It is descriptive and utilizes figurative language. The genre is what Truman Capote himself referred to as New Journalism in the style of a nonfiction novel.
Background Information: Truman Capote completed In Cold Blood as the last in a series of his great and notable works including Other Voices. The novel was originally released to be read in four different sections in the year 1965 and the novel took approximately six years to fully complete. It is said that In Cold Blood was Truman Capote's greatest work and he never accomplished anything of the substance after it was published.
Background Information: Truman Capote completed In Cold Blood as the last in a series of his great and notable works including Other Voices. The novel was originally released to be read in four different sections in the year 1965 and the novel took approximately six years to fully complete. It is said that In Cold Blood was Truman Capote's greatest work and he never accomplished anything of the substance after it was published.
Author: Truman Capote was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was the son of Lillie Mae Faulk and salesman Archulus Persons. His parents divorced when he was at a comparatively young age. From early in his career, Truman Capote was one of America's most trailblazing and remarkable new authors who combined his literary insight with an undeniable ability to capture any amount of events surrounding a small town America.
In regards to In Cold Blood, Truman Capote learned about the case in 1959 and followed its events by interviewing every person and witness involved until the execution of Hickock and Smith in 1965. When In Cold Blood was published in 1966, he achieved instant recognition and acclaim both critically and commerically.
In regards to In Cold Blood, Truman Capote learned about the case in 1959 and followed its events by interviewing every person and witness involved until the execution of Hickock and Smith in 1965. When In Cold Blood was published in 1966, he achieved instant recognition and acclaim both critically and commerically.
Truman Capote was known most for his longstanding disputes with public figures such as Gore Vidal and Jackie Onassis. He was known for being opinionated. He was friends with many well-known individuals like Audrey Hepburn, Harper Lee, and Marilyn Monroe.
In regards to his personal life, Truman Capote found a lover in Newton Arvin who he dedicated Other Voices to. Newton Arvin won the National Book Award for his Herman Melville biography in 1951. Capote died in 1984 at the age of 59 due to liver cancer.
In regards to his personal life, Truman Capote found a lover in Newton Arvin who he dedicated Other Voices to. Newton Arvin won the National Book Award for his Herman Melville biography in 1951. Capote died in 1984 at the age of 59 due to liver cancer.
Characters:
1. Perry Edward Smith: Perry Smith is an unlikely committor of crimes. He has a fascination with reading and consumes healthy amounts of works at any given time. He considered himself an educated individual. It is possible that the appalling environments he was accustomed to during his childhood are the reason for his adulthood demise and descent into being a criminal.
1. Perry Edward Smith: Perry Smith is an unlikely committor of crimes. He has a fascination with reading and consumes healthy amounts of works at any given time. He considered himself an educated individual. It is possible that the appalling environments he was accustomed to during his childhood are the reason for his adulthood demise and descent into being a criminal.
2. Richard Eugene Hickock: The other perpetrator of the murder. He is ruthless and cold-blooded. He has a tendency to prey upon people that do not deserve it. He was in the business of dealing unsound and invalid checks. He was arrested and jailed for the crime. During the conclusion of the story he turns in Perry Smith instead of confessing to the crime himself initially.
3. Herbert Clutter: Herbert Clutter was the head of the Clutters. He was the devoted and hardworking leader who gave all of his time to his ranch. He takes pride in his property called the River Valley Farm. He is busy and had a reputation in the town as being a wealthy man because of his business dealings. He was notable because he led on the Federal Credit Board under President Eisenhower during the time period.
4. Bonnie Clutter: Bonnie Clutter was known for being prone to illness. She was weak and fatigued most of the time in the novel. She was often confined to resting and could not be as hardworking as her counterpart Herbert Clutter. She was in many ways a foil to Herbert Clutter and his ruthless determination to achieve the American Dream.
5. Nancy Clutter: Nancy Clutter was the eldest daughter of Herbert and Bonnie Clutter. She was known to the entire town for being an involved member of the community. She was a member of various organizations and gave her time to volunteering with community service. She was an excellent student. She had a comparatively secretive relationship with Bobby Rupp.
6. Kenyon Clutter: Kenyon Clutter was the youngest son of Herbert and Bonnie Clutter at the age of 15. He loved to build and create objects and was very intelligent. Kenyon was a tall boy with a skinny build, preventing him from engaging in any sports. He was an awkward teenager, who was naiive and not yet fully matured. Kenyon mostly spent his time alone tinkering with his tools and creations.