BLOG #2
Capote carefully depicts the personalities of secondary characters, such as Al Dewey, Susan Kidwell, Bobby Rupp, Mr. and Mrs. Hickock, Tex and Flo Smith, Willie-Jay and Floyd Wells. Why do you think he does this and what do these detailed portraits add to the book? Which of the secondary characters do you find most memorable and why?
How does the back-and-forth description of events in Holcomb and events surrounding Dick and Perry make the novel more vivid?
Did you feel sympathy for Dick or Perry at any point?
69 Comments:
I think that Capote was so descriptive when he was describing all of the secondary characters because they are all in a ways going to be important in the solving of this mystery. He explains all of there backgrounds, when and where they where when it was happening, and there relations, if any to the Clutter Family. They are important because in most cases, this is a small world and someone knowing someone else, might lead to the conclusion of this case. Sometimes I think being THAT detailed kind of makes the book a little boring at times and I might find myself skimming through chapters but at times it helps to explain things that we need to know but might not be important now. I find Bobby Rupp most memorable because of all that he has gone through. Losing his girl friend and then having being blamed for killing the Clutter family. If that happened to me I don’t know what I would do because it would just be so hard, I would eventually maybe get over it but if only they could get to the bottom of this case so that way he and the rest of the town could sleep easy at night knowing who killed the Clutter family.
The back and forth from the town to Dick and Perry makes it more vivid because then we know all the reactions of all the people and what they all did afterwards. Like Dick and Perry they went to Mexico and hoped they wouldn’t get caught, trying to delete that it even happened. And the town, they were fearful of what was going to happen and if the killer was still around. It seemed like a very stressful time probably.
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Capote does this because it shows how everyone feels about the murder and it show how much the people like or dislike the Clutters. The most interesting character to me is none of them I really don't like anyone except Dick and Perry. It doesn't make the novel vivid I think it makes the novel worse because it confuses me by jumping back and forth. No I don't feel sympathetic for dick and Perry because why should I they killed poeple, but I give them props for not being caught yet.
December 18, 2007 10:25 AM
I think that Capote depicts the personalities of the secondary characters to give more than one perspective on the book, rather than just the victims. He wants us to sympathize with the secondary characters the same way we do with the victims. I think the portraits add an outside look to the book so we can understand what everyone else is feeling, not just the Clutters’.
I find Perry’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Smith the most interesting. They led a very different life than what most people are used to and I think their individualities reflect on Perry in a negative way. For example; Perry’s mother was an alcoholic, so in return of her addiction, Perry became an addict as well. Also, his father’s absentness in his life has taught him to be careful who he trusts and it’s hard for him to find love.
I think the back-and-forth descriptions add more suspense to the novel. Capote will be talking about the murders in one paragraph and in the next will discuss Dick and Perry. I think he leaves the readers on the edge of their seats waiting to read more.
At this point, I don’t feel sorry for Dick or Perry at all. At first I felt sorry for Perry because he seemed to have dealt with a rough childhood, but no one should murder someone because problems in their own life. Dick and Perry are disgusting to me and should have never been let out of prison.
It just adds characters to the book and more people to think that are involved it the story.
Al Dewey is the most memorable to me because he is the detective and is the main character to me for awhile. He has a pretty interesting job for this part.
It makes it more vivid by there being more things going on and so many different things to think about while you read it.
I don’t feel anything for Perry and Dick they killed a whole family.
I find Willie jay the most memorable secondary character because he seems to be a pretty weird character that seems to be half way caring but still is in prison for committing a crime
The back and forth depiction keeps you reading because it leaves you with a feeling of suspense every time capote jumps to a different part like he’ll be explaining the murder and jump to dick and Perry and your still tied to whats happening with the murder so you keep reading to find out about the murder
I feel a little sympathy for dick’s parents but not dick and I feel no sympathy for perry either they killed for some reason whether it’s money or revenge it aint right to kill
I think capote depicts the secondary characters to help give you an idea of what these characters look like as well as the main characters because to Capote they may be just as important. I think they add an extra visual to the book, plus each and every one of them have noticed, seen, heard, or done something that helps with the plot of the story. The most memorable character to me is Susan Kidwell. I guess she stands out to me because in the story it explained real well on how Susan slowly walked to the house, then through it, then upstairs, and then she saw Nancy dead and took off. It just really appealed to me as to how she reacted. The back and fourth moments in the book make the novel more vivid by keeping the reader interested and not too bored. Of course you'll have to be somewhat interested to start with. Which for me is ratehr difficult. Anyhow the back and fourth moving gives you different points of views too, and also clues to what may come next or what could happen. I really do not feel sorry for Dick or Perry at any point. Actually Perry I sometimes feel sorry for but rarely. Reason being is because Perry wanted all the things Dick had like a family and a marriage and he would have appreciated it and Dick doesn't, Dick took and takes it all for granted. Other than that I don't feel sorry for either of them.
I think that Capote uses so much detail because even though these characters are not that important, when it comes down to who murdered the family, but it lets us get to know the kind of people that were friends with the main characters. I think the readers feel more sympathy for the Clutters friends and family then they feel for the Clutters who were murdered. Even though some characters don’t have much to do with the murder, they have a lot to do with the people who were murdered. Their details make us want to know who murdered the loveable family, and why.
I personally find Bobby Rupp to bet he most interesting secondary character. He truly loved Nancy, and was close to the family. He was one of the only characters from Holcomb to have to take a lye detector test, and that had to be so hard. He not only lost the person he loved, he also had to go through all of the questioning after the murder. I think it would be hard to leave home after a tragedy like that took place, and for him to go out into the world that reminds him of Nancy makes him very strong.
I really like how it goes back and forth between the murderers and event in Holcomb. Sometimes Capote gets so wrapped up in detail so it’s nice to go from one point of view to the next. Plus it makes you want to read more. If you’re really into an event, and all of a sudden its Dick and Perry’s turn your going to want to read until you get to the people of Holcomb again. It makes me want to keep reading, and it keeps me interested in the book. I think that if it didn’t go back and forth I would just get bored form all the details.
I did feel bad for Perry once, when he was talking about his nurse Cookie. I felt bad because he really loved this woman, but they weren’t able to be together. It’s sad because I think that if Perry could just find somebody to love he wouldn’t go around committing crimes.
I think Capote depicts secondary characters because it gives us better visuals to picture so we can understand what happened better. I also think he made them because in the end everyone will have an important role in the story. I think they add more visuals for the plot and make it a little more real in a sense. I find that Bobby Rupp is more memorable because he had a connection with Nancy and that made the murder even worse. I think it makes the story more vivid by seeing Dick and Perry and Holcomb because it makes it more real. We get to picture lives dealing with the murders that were close with them and we get to picture the lives of the murderers. We also get to see how they really think and what really went on.
Capote does this because it shows how everyone feels about the murder and it show how much the people like or dislike the Clutters. The most interesting character to me is none of them I really don't like anyone except Dick and Perry. It doesn't make the novel vivid I think it makes the novel worse because it confuses me by jumping back and forth. No I don't feel sympathetic for dick and Perry because why should I they killed poeple, but I give them props for not being caught yet.
I think he depicts the personalities of them so much because then we can get to know all of the characters and then it will make us think if they had something to do with the murders or if they know something else. I think that this adds excitement to the book because then we know about all of the characters and it makes it interesting because this is really who they were in real life.
I find Bobby Rupp most interesting and memorable because he is the last one who saw the family before the murders and a lot of people suspect him of murdering them. I don’t think that he could have done it though because he loved Nancy and the Clutter family and I don’t think he would be someone to do that to a family. I think he is a very loving person and he cares about everyone.
The back-and-forth descriptions make the novel more vivid because we know how everyone feels about the murders and who they think did it and the reasons of why the murder happened. It also tells us how Dick and Perry feel about everything and how they don’t want to get caught and what their all doing to get away from Holcomb.
I felt sympathetic for Dick when he was talking about how he felt bad for his parents because they were old and sick. It makes me feel like he isn’t that bad of a guy and I don’t get why he would murder a family when he cared so much about his. Perry had a hard childhood and that kind of makes me feel sorry for him because he has been through a lot.
None of the small characters really stuck out more then another to me. But i think he goes into so much detail because some how they will help out with solving this crim. I like how he goes back and forth from killers to friends of the victims it shows how they are both handling what happend. When reading I felt sympathy for Perry but none for Dick at all. It seemed to me that Perry was talked in to killing the Clutters. And Perry felt bad about what they had done after it had happened, but Dick just would tell Perry to stop talking about it and didn’t seem to show any emotion.
like the ideas Pumpkin pie;)
The reason why Capote does this is because it shows how everyone feels about the murder, and how much the people liked or disliked the Clutters. The most interesting character to me is Dick and Perry. The novel confuses me because it keeps jumping back and forth. No I don't feel sympathetic for dick and Perry because why should they be able to kill poeple?
i think capote did this to bring out the real character of these people. i feel al dewey because he beileved there was one person who did this all. the back-and-forth realy makes it harder to read. dick and perry get no sympathy from me. they got into this them-selfs
Blog 2
Capote depicts the secondary characters because they where believe all suspicious in the murder of the Clutters’ or somehow believe to be related in the murder. These detailed portraits add to the book because it adds suspense drama to the book. They are also add because the book is non-fiction so Capote it in to give the view points of the towns people and what they thought.
It’s more vivid by going back and forth because it gives thought of the towns’ people and what they believed while it describes what Dick and Perry where doing at that time.
No I don’t feel sorry because they had a choice to kill ’em or not. They planned it out so there was a lot of time to call it off and not do it. They had the time up until they killed them to call it off. Even after hearing that Dick did care for his family and Perry missed Cookie they had a choice not to do it, they did it any way, so again I don’t feel sympathy for them.
I think that he is putting so much detail into describing the secondary characters because they are all somewhat involved with the Clutter Family. I think that he's also putting a lot of detail in to the emotions of the secondary characters to show that they really did care about the family. To the people of Holcomb this is not just another murder. In small towns everyone knows everyone so because it’s not something that happens very often it affects more than just the family of the Clutters. I think that Bobby is the most memorable character because he was more involved with Nancy and that made the murder even harder for him because he was the main suspect for the murder because Mr. Clutter didn’t want him and Nancy together because of the difference in religion.
I think that the way Capote goes back and forth the way he does makes it more interesting because then he’s letting you know what’s going on with both parts of the story. I think it would be more confusing if one section was all about Holcomb and then another all about Dick and Perry because this way we know what’s going on when it happens instead of having it written like it the things that Dick and Perry are doing on their way to Mexico is all in the past.
No I really don’t feel any sympathy towards Dick and Perry because I feel that they didn’t have any sympathy towards the Clutter Family. I don’t know what the clutters did to piss of Dick but it couldn’t have been that bad that they get murdered over it I kind of feel bad for Perry because it seems like he feels guilty over what he did and I don’t think he fully understands what the reason was that he had to do what he did
I think that capote depicted these characters so carefully they are not just characters. They were real living people that capote knew. By giving so many details he gives his characters a new depth. I think he was trying to make them as real to the reader as they were to him. I think he was also trying to showoff how many details he could put in one book.
I think my favorite secondary character is Al Dewey. Because, I think, he is the hero of the book. He is the one man that the whole town is depending on to catch the Clutters’ killers.
The way capote switches back the narrative between the people of Holcomb and Perry and Dick. Heightens the tension of the story. Also, it allows the story to flow smoothly.
. People always say that people are not bad, they just make bad choices. That may be true, but someone who steals things is still a thief, no matter what else they might be. That is why I have never felt any pity for Perry or Dick, even though capote tries to instill it.
vanillaface brings up some interesting insights into Perry's sadness and lost love. I would like to read other students' opinions of his/her statments regarding Perry and Cookie. Good job.
i think that Perry really did love Cookie but i think that he got scared of what could have happend. if he wouldn't have taken off after he had healed then i think that he could be happily married right now and not in the predicament that he is in now
Sorry Gilsonator. This is D Courchaine. I didn't get my blog back up until the end here so i'll post a blog at home!
I think that Perry loved Cookie but he just couldn't be with her and maybe that’s a reason as to why he committed the murders because he couldn't love anyone. I don't think that that's a reasonable reason to just kill people but maybe he couldn't handle it anymore...
Paradoxically, this novel is nonfiction, and I have read fictional novels that were not this creatively written!
Capote does not simply describe the secondary characters, he delves deeper into them than most readers would think necessary--I'm finding his attention to detail to be almost as interesting as the storyline!
I believe Capote is giving such attention to detail for some of the same reasons he did before with the Clutters-to make the reader sympathize with the characters in the novel. If we did not know about Susan Kidwell's relationship to Nancy, or Dewey's family life, we would not care about them as developed characters. At this point in the novel, the Clutter family is dead, and so it's not like we can hear from them now can we? As readers, we need to be aware that the story has moved from simply the Clutter family characters to the people of Holcomb, the investigators, and the murderers. Not to mention, Capote did spend several years in the town, getting to know the people and their stories, and why would he do that unless he planned to incorporate it into his book? There is a reason for everything in writing; nothing is randomly written, and Capote knew this. Obviously, he found the townspeople and their lives after the murders interesting enough to add into his book, and I believe that even though at times it may not make sense, as readers we just need to take it for what it's worth, and wait to see if the details are relevant. Even if it appears that they are not, I still think it adds to the colorful atmosphere of the story. By knowing all of these details, the book seems more realistic than just a newspaper clipping about a murdered family. Readers are able to go further into the lives of those who were killed, and this makes the book seem a lot more human than just a work of editing and a storyline.
Of the many secondary characters in this novel, I am finding Al Dewey the most memorable. Since Capote has included a lot about him in the book, I think that he will come into play more at the end of the novel--whether it be he who solves the case or not, because we are introduced to so much of the character's life, I think he most definetely has a plan for this character. I like how Capote gives us details about Dewey's son even, going as far as to talk about how the kid was "...neither troubled nor troublesome--not a whiner, ever....that morning he'd burst into tears...he felt endangered by it." Here Capote is forcing readers to understand more about Dewey's family, an integral part of him. I find this to be very interesting; it is one of the reasons I find Al Dewey to be so memorable. Furthermore, sympathisizing with the characters is a great way to keep readers hooked, especially at a point in the book when not much is developing.
As for the back-and-forth between Holcomb and Dick&Perry, I absolutely love how Capote is playing on the reader's emotions here. I want to find out what is being uncovered at Holcomb, but also I want to know what happens to Dick and Perry. The aura of suspense at this part is thick with anticipation, and it is every bit as exciting as the first part in the novel. All of the descriptions of situations and events make the story leap off of the page to the point that it is like reading a movie of life.(*Announcer's voice*"And on next week's episode, where are Dick and Perry headed to next? Find out more, on the hit television reality show, In Cold Blood!") I absolutely love all of the details, because it allows the reader to piece together the story on their own, and that tiny sense of understanding makes a huge difference when reading.
Sympathy...as strange as it may seem, yes I do feel sympathy for Dick and Perry. I wish that I knew why they killed the Clutters, however, because if I did, it might change why I feel sympathy for them. I feel bad for Dick, who worries about his family. If I had done something wrong and run away, I too would feel bad about my family being blamed for it. That's simple human nature, and seeing it in a murderer makes him seem more human. Perry--of course I feel sympathy for him. He does not understand what it is inside him that makes him do bad things, and it's not like he doesn't know what he does is wrong- his dream is enough to tell us that. In his dream, he sees that tree with the huge diamonds-but while he knows what will happen, he goes and tries to steal one anyways. I think the diamonds on the tree symbolize wrongs in his life, how every time he sees the oppertunity to do one, he knows full-on the consequences, and does it anyway. I also feel bad for his confusion right now. Perry is a character that does not really know what he wants, and that confusion is another obstacle in his path to a decent life. While I feel for Dick and Perry at this point in the novel, I am not trying to forgive them for killing the family, don't take it that way! I am merely trying to understand them for what they are--human beings, and as such they deserve to be pitied like any other, regardless of what they have done.
I can't wait to read more, because this novel is turning out to be way better than I ever thought it would be-and I had high expectations!
I feel that Truman Capote goes into detail about the character backgrounds and personallities to help put us into a further empathetic state. I find Al Dewey the most memorable because of his persistance to solve the case.
The back and forth between Dick and Perry and Holcomb I feel is intended to help us visualize the events that are occuring simultaneously. I feel it also stresses that Dick and Perry have no conscience whatsoever.
Capote carefully depicts the personalities of secondary characters, such as Al Dewey, Susan Kidwell, Bobby Rupp, Mr. and Mrs. Hickock, Tex and Flo Smith, Willie-Jay and Floyd Wells because he wants us to learn more about all of the possible suspects. He wants us to get a look into the background of all the other characters, see what kind of struggles that they had to go through during childhood. He wants us to probally feel more empathy for the other characters as well as for the clutters. I think that Tex and Flo are the most important because it really shows why Perry can seem very calm at times, yet wants to lash out at almost random moments. It also explains why he thinks how he does and and what his reasoning is for the murders and how he thinks that nothing is his fault.
I think that the back-and-forth description of events in Holcomb and events surrounding Dick and Perry make the novel more vivid because it keeps the novel moving. You are not concentrated on just one part of the story, of just having to hear about the investigation and not knowing where Dick and Perry are, and on the other hand, you don’t just only hear about Dick and Perry, you know more about the investigation. It keeps the readers full of suspense and intrigue.
I did not feel sorry for Dick or Perry at any point during this story. You have to remember, everyone faces adversity; what sets us apart is how we handle it and the decisions we make.
Capote carefully depicts the personalities of the seondary characters because he wants us to get into the story and relate to all of the seconday characters. I think that Al Dewey and Bobby Rupp are the most memorable characters, because Al Dewey is the main detective in the story and he seems like the only person that really cares about solving this case. Also i think Bobby Rupp is memorable because his girlfriend Nancy was murdered and he is getting investigated all the time and he is one of the prime suspects. I did not feel any sympathy for Dick or Perry at any point in the story. Someone who can shoot another human being in the head and not care, they don't deserve any sympathy.
I think that Capote chose to write this way to describe why Perry and Dick were the way they were. I think that if the book would have been just about them and the killings, it would have been harder to emphasize with them. It shows that they are human and that they do have "normal" families. I liked this description of the characters because it helped to bring them back to reality and show they have problems just like anyone else. I also think that this is a good thing because if there was much more detail on how they did the murders themselves, i would not have liked it as much as i do.
I think that if it was just a list of events that happened to Dick and Perry, it would have seemed more like a history book. The simultaneous events make it move faster and more interesting. It is sort of like being in 5 places at once.
I feel sympathy for Perry but not Dick. I think that Perry has had things happen to him that made him lean more toward this lifestyle. I don't like people that use other people to gain things. On the other hand, Perry does have free will, and could have said no, or stopped Dick if he really had wanted to.
Cheezeits , I agree with your response almost 100 percent.
I think that he does this for a number of reasons. One of the reasons is to show the lives of the murders. Capote gives a background on the different people that were connected to the killers. He also tells about the people that live in the town and how they knew the family such as Al Dewey. It adds interest to the book by showing the lives of the people that know the murderers and how they affected their lives. I find Al Dewey most memorable because he is so intent on finding the murderers that his life revolves around the investigation. He talks about it all the time, visits the Clutter home almost everyday, and gets criticism from the town people about it.
The back-and-forth descriptions of events make the novel more vivid by adding suspense. People in Holcomb are scared of murderers coming into their homes. The townspeople are scared to sleep at night. Dick and Perry are living in Mexico, with almost no money, trying to find work. They get sick of Mexico and start to hitchhike back into the U.S. this is vivid because it makes the reader think that they will soon be caught.
No I do not feel any sympathy for Dick or Perry. Capote seems to want the reader to feel sorry for them because of some of the difficult experiences that they had to go through. But then Perry and Dick talk about how they are going to hitchhike, and then kill whoever picks them up. So it is very difficult to feel sorry for two people that have no guilt or sense of moral.
Capote explains the characters in depth so we get to know more of the characters that were part of this whole thing. I remember Al Dewey the best because of the question on the worksheet that we had to answer. It made me read and learn more about him. The back and forth description of the events lets us know about all the characters and what is going on with them. I didnt feel any sympathy for them because no matter what, they killed them so they dont deserve sympathy.
I think that Capote describes the characters to the extent that he does because this allows for the reader to know them extremely well and it allows for them to relate to people in their own life. Describing the characters so vividly also makes the reader feel like they actually know them personally.
I find that Al Dewey interests me the most. I’ve always kind of been intrigued by investigators and to finally learn about their lives is pretty interesting. Al is interesting to me in the way that when he gets home he is nothing like when he is at work. He seems like an ordinary family man and I would not be able to guess that he is an investigator otherwise.
The back and forth descriptions really add to the story because they include more details each and every time. It also makes the story more appealing to the reader because reading about the history of Dick and Perry is really interesting.
I do not feel sympathy for either of them. It is real hard for me to have sympathy for anyone who did what they did.
I agree with you this is the way we ball on the sympathy for Dick and Perry. They dont deserve any sympathy for any reason
I somewhat disagree with the way we ball because even though Dewey seems to care about the Clutter murder, everyone else does too. The people obviously care about the clutter murder case because none of them can sleep. They keep commenting on how They wish they could help more and how there was over 700 tips on the crime. Also the other investigators have not rested because of the case. It only seems like Dewey is the only one because that is what the main focus is on.
i agree with a_giant in my own world. i also think that Capote goes into detail about the killers live's so that the reader will feel some sort of sympathy for them. i also think that the back-and-forth helps us better visualize what is going on in Holcomb, and what is going on with Dick and Perry.
Capote has already made his readers care about the Clutter family. Now he is trying to make us care about the residents in Holcomb. The only way for us to really get to know the people that were the closest to the Clutter's is to delve into details about the these characters. I think Capote is trying to get us to sympathize with characters like Bobby and Susan. Both these cahracters are very memerable to me, because they were very close to Nancy. Capote does a wonderful job on making the reader feel Booby's loss. He says a few times how much Bobby really loved Nancy and could not live without her. I feel so bad for Bobby because, he has never really had anything this tragic happen to him before. Susan on the other hand has had bad things that were very tragic for her. She is devestated with the loss of her best friend. You clearly understand her loss and sympathize with her when she explains what it was like to see all the caskets in a line at the funeral. Capote needs to go into such great detail in order for us to get to know and understand everyones state of mind. After a while you start to think and really feel each characters thoughts and emotions. When he goes into detail, it is also a way for the readers to try and figure out why the killers killed the Clutters'. It gives us a chance to be more than readers, we get to be investigators. It makes us really think about evidence, motives, and personalities. At the same time I love it that capote goes back and forth between Dick and Perry and all the events in Holcomb. it makes it more vived, because we have an insight on what is actually going on.
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I think Capote depicts the personalites of the secondary characters earlier in the book because later in the book they will probably become more important. Al Dewey is probably decribed so detailed because he is going to have a very large part of Dick and Perry being caught. Bobby Rupp and Susan Kidwell are because they were such good friends to Nancy and the rest of the family and maybe they will be influential to the case. Well....i don't know a whole lot about Floyd and the Hickocks so we'll just skip them. I think Flo and Tex were decribed because it shows why Perry is the way he is. It reflected on Perry's life in a negative way. Willie Jay is depicted because he reflects Perry in a positive way. To me Willie Jay is the most memorable secondary character becasue Perry refers back to him many times. The way Perry refers to him makes Willie Jay sound like good man.
You Stay Classy Class!!;)
I think that Capote depicted these characters now in the book because he feels that it will bring my curiosity to the readers. Al Dewey was meant to be the character that can’t sleep or eat because he is so focused at getting to the bottom of this case. He is very determined to know whether or not the killer(s) are still in Kansas or not. His family is suffering as well with him not being home and not spending time with the kids. Susan Kidwell was Nancy best friend. She had coped by becoming friends with Bobby Rupp who was Nancy’s boyfriend. Nancy and Bobby had become good friends, but as time went on Bobby seemed not to over to Nancy’s house and much and when he did Nancy didn’t seem as welcoming as before. I think the reason for this was because the only reason that Bobby really went over to Nancy’s house was to cope about the loss of his girlfriend, and he just wanted to start getting over her death. I think that Mr. and Mrs. Hickock were aware but yet unaware of his doings. They have always thought Dick as a good boy. I think that they knew that Dick had been in trouble before, but nothing like killing a whole family, especially the Clutters. Tex and Flo Smith as well knew that Perry had a bad life growing up and that he didn’t have the best education, like his sisters and brother. Perry had been very mad that he couldn’t go to college like the rest of his family, and I think that was the reason for all the hatred towards people and his family. Floyd Wells to me was a very important character in the book because without him the investigators would have never found out who the real killers were. I think that he made the right decision by telling the authorities at the jail that Dick had been talking about killing the Clutter family, and he followed through with it. I think that Floyd Wells in a way was the most memorable one because he made the turning point in the book with the investigators finding out who the murderers were. At the same time, however, I feel like he should’ve never told Dick about where the Clutter’s live, the safe they had, and where there house was located. To me it kind of seemed like he set up the murder himself.
I think that the novel became more lively after the back and forth descriptions because it showed how Dick and Perry reacted when they would find out new leadings to them being caught, and sometimes freaked out about it. It also made it more interesting that it showed how everyone even Mrs. Hartman, was coping with the continuing investigation.
I don’t think that Capote’s description of the secondary characters is even important. I think he is just explaining these characters like he has been doing every character. Not as extensive but still more than we need to know. I think that’s just how he decided to write the book because he wanted to make it sound more nonfiction. In my opinion I think the most memorable secondary character is defiantly Alvin Dewey. He is the one that is investigating the crime. I don’t even think he should be considered a secondary character. He seems pretty important to me. He is by far more important than any of the other secondary characters listed here. I like how he writes the book, makes it a lot more interesting and it shows what Dick and Perry were doing while people back in Kansas were trying to figure out the Holcomb tragedy. I feel sympathy for Dick and Perry because they seem like normal people and they obviously had some type of reason to do it. I’m not saying what they did was wrong, I’m just saying there’s at least two sides to every story. I think when we find out why they did it we can all sympathize in some way or another.
Do you agree with strawberry's comment about Capote purposely sharing and elaborating on Perry and Dick's sad stories to provoke sympathy from the reader?
Good job.
I think Capote tells us about the personalities of the secondary characters because they will come back later in the story to become an important parts in solving the Clutter mystery. These were people who knew and were with the Clutter family up until their deaths. One of these characters will say something to the detectives to have a break through in the case that might lead to Dick and Perry's arrests.
The secondary character that is most memorable to me is Al Dewey. Capote tells how he and his whole family are struggling during this case and are up constantly getting phone calls. I think that Al Dewey is the most important piece of the puzzle that will put all the details together and arrest the killers.
The back-and-forth description of events lets us know how the killers are dealing with the murder. Also this tells us how the friends of the Clutter family is responding to their deaths. Capote shows how both the friends and murders are struggling with what is going on.
I don't feel sympathy for neither Dick or Perry because they chose to kill the Clutter's. Dick and Perry will have to pay for their consequences.
Courchaine i really enjoyed your post. It was very insightful. They way you described everything was just fantastic. Also i like your picture. I hope the boy in your picture is not the butt of any jokes because he is larger than everyone else.
You Stay Classy Class!! ;)
Well 1st off ALLAH i don't think your very cool when you say stay classy class...I find it quite rude! After reading your novel of a blog i agree with you that Al Dewey is descirbed the way he is, beacuse I aslo think he has a vital role with Dick and Perry being caught.
Capote carefully depicts the personalities of secondary characters because he wants us to relate to them and understand them. He also probably brings them up earlier in the book and explains them because they will be the key to how the crime unfolds. Finally he talks about their location and what they were doing when the Clutter family was murdered because that way we can foreshadow what will happen in the book. The most memorable character in the book to me is Al Dewey and Bobby Rupp. The reason he is interesting to me because he is living and breathing this crime scene and wont stop till he finds out who killed them. He keeps looking at the evidences, photos, and Nancy’s diary to find clues from the crime scene to get hints and catch Perry and Dick. Bobby Rupp is interesting to me because he is the last one to see the Clutter family and had a good relationship with them. Though when the people find out about the murder they start pointing fingers and accuse Bobby for killing the family. So I think he was memorable just because he stuck up with everyones attitude.
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I think that Capote depicts the personalities of the characters so that we get to know the people in the book better. The better the author does discribing the characters the more you want to read the book because you get to know the characters better. I will probaly remember Al Dewey the best because we had the most questions about him so far while we were reading the book and answering questions. The events with Dick and Perry made the novel more vivid because then it was described and detailes better so the readers could understand it better. I dont have any sympathy for Dick or Perry because they were the ones who chose to kill the Clutter family.
I think Capote depicts secondary characters because all of them had to somewhat had to do with the Clutter family even if it was just knowing them from church, school, were a boyfirend of, or didn't even like them.They all had something to do with them. They were all asked about the murder.
The most memorable charcater to me was Bobby Rupp, because he was the last perosn to see the Clutter's/Nancy alive. He was asked abunch a different question dealing with the murder. He also knew the Clutter faimly and knew what they were about.
I think descriptions of events in Holcomb we very vivid because it shows how the town really reacted to this type of thing.
I kinda felt sorry but not to a great extent. I felt sorry that now one really understood where they were coming from. It kinda seems to me that they were misunderstood.
I agree with "lin" when they stated that Capote really makes us feel like we are actually there, and feels their sympathy. Also, i agree that Capote needs to go into detail in order for us to understand what each character is going through, and i think he does a good job at it
About the whole murderer sympathy thing, I think it's pretty obvious Capote wants us to sympathize with them. He became friends with Perry while researching for the book. He for some reason felt close to him and therefore wants us to feel just as close. So I do agree with Strawberry.
I think he does this so that you become more involved in the story and you learn more about who the Clutter's friends were and what they were doing during the murders. Personally I think that Bobby Rupp is the most memorable secondary character because he is personally involved with Clutters and shows up the most out of the other characters in the part of the book where it tells of the Clutter's last days.
The back-and-forth description I think makes the novel easier to read because you know who is talking and this allows you to have better comprehension of the novel. It also allows you to know what Dick and Perry are doing while the FBI in Holcomb are investigating the murders and it helps you understand more about the characters if there are fewer of them talking at the same point in the book.
Yes, I have to say that I do feel sympathy for both Perry and Dick because Dick feels bad that his father is going to try and repay the checks that bounced because of Dick's con on the Jewel and Clothing store. I also feel sympathy for Perry because he has had some tragic events in his life such as the motorcycle accident.
I think Capote depicts the secondary characters because they will sooner or later all have their little part or major contribution to solving this murder. It also gives a different perspective of the book not only from one person. I find Bobby Rupp the most memorable secondary character because he is the last person to see the Clutter family and a lot of people suspect him of being the murderer. But I don’t think he could have done it because he was such good friends with the clutter family and loved Nancy to death and with such passion for a family it would almost to be impossible to somehow build up enough anger and never show it then suddenly murder the whole family. The back and forth events surrounding Perry and Dick make the book more vivid by seeing the murder from many different points of view. They also mix in some of Dick and Perry’s thoughts about getting caught and whats going on away from Holcomb. I never really felt sympathy for either Dick or Perry because they murdered an entire family and I would feel nothing positive for them if they murdered someone or a family that I was close to.
I think that Capote described the secondary characters so much because some of these characters are being accused of murdering the Clutter family. I think it makes the story more interesting, especially if there are things that these people are trying to hide. I think that Bobby Rupp is the most memorable character because it was obvious that he cared a lot about Nancy, yet he is being accused of murdering this family.
Going back and forth from Dick and Perry to Holcomb makes the story more vivid because you can see the reaction from all of the people the town. Then you go back to Dick and Perry and you see their reaction about the whole thing and they act like nothing happened.
At the beginning I did sort of feel sorry for Perry because it seemed like he dealt with a lot throughout his life. However, now I don’t because they brutally murdered a family.
I think that Capote is intricately detailing all of these secondary characters so we can really feel for the characters. I think that Capote wants everyone to feel connected or have something in common with each character. I think that the immense detail also shows the relationships between people and others. For example, if we didn't know about the Dewey's family life, we wouldn't sympathize for them as much as we should. Just knowing almost everything in thir personality should let our hearts go out to them even more. I think that we should also feel for Bobby on his loss of Nancy. He loved her so much and it makes me feel for him because he said that he would never love anyone anymore. Now in the book, the main focus isn't on the Clutter family but is mainly on the townspeople, the investigators and anyone whom the Clutter family touched. The Clutter's are dead and no one can do anything about it, so the focus is now on who killed them. I believe that everything in this story is written for an important significance. There is nothing that I read and then ask myself "why did Capote write this?"
I think that the most memorable of the secondary characters is Bobby Rupp. I feel so bad for him on his loss of Nancy. I feel so bad for him because he was said to have killed the Clutter's and I know that how his personality is described, he would never do such a thing in his heart. I can tell that he is really hurting inside and I don't think that he will honestly ever get over Nancy's death. I believe that they really loved eachother and now Bobby has no one to love. Of course Nancy is dead, so she doesn't have to worry about loving Bobby except in 'heaven' but Bobby is alive and he has no one to love. He said that he will never love anyone again. Bobby really loved Nancy and he was also really close with the Clutter family. He even took a lie detector test to clear himself from being a 'murderer' of the Clutter family. I think that Nancy made Bobby stronger because he left home for a while and I don't honestly know if I could ever do that.
The back-and-forth descriptions make the book more vivid because it really gives a description of what the people are talking about and suspecting about the killers. The killers are talking about and questioning if they are suspected. I thought that one of the most interesting things in the story is how the guy in jail says that he knows that it was Dick and Perry who are the killers.
I don't feel sympathy for Dick ior Perry at all. The thing that really made me the most mad at Perry is how he doesn't even appriciate the letter that he sister writes. She took all of the time to write this six page letter and he doesn't even care. She put a lot of time and effort into the letter telling about her kids and about how much his father cares, and he pretty much just blows it off. That was a little disappointing seeing that he doesn't even have a care in his heart, because I thought that he had something in his heart. I thought that he had some soft spot but apparently not.
This book is getting even better and better. Before this weekend, I had only 60 pages read and now I am on page 170. I didn't honestly think that this book was going to be that good and I didn't think that I was going to be hooked, but it has turned out otherwise. I love this book and don't think that I will be able to put it down!!!
I really think that he did this because every one of these characters is a part of the case. So to fully understand how it is solved and to be able to relate to the people he depicts their personality in depth.
Al Dewey because to tell you the truth i dont care about the other people unless they have a major part in solving the case. So Al is my most memorable because i pay attention and am up to date on his new leads even though he didnt find 1 major clue yet.
The back-and-forth description has been quite annoying. I enjoy the book but it would be even better if they wounldnt be switching back n forth all the time.
I felt sympathy for Perry because his parents were seperated from eachother when he was young. So he never had a mom and dad to be there for most of his life. His dad loved Perry the most out of all his children and that was the man he never saw for some time in his life and they became very close until one moment.
i agree with A_GiantInMyOwnMind when they say that about capote that is so right on what you are saying. Nice thinking.
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I disagree with airgoodmans sympathy for for dick and perry because they slaughtered and entire family he should have no sympathy for them at all if they killed his family im sure he wouldnt have sympaty for them
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I agree with Optimus Prime that we feel sorry for Perry and Dick. I think Capote writes that way because he wants us to feel how he felt when he was talking to them in jail.
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I think that he did the very detailed explanations because if you are going to solve a murder you need to know everything. Also maybe he wants you to relate to the characters as well. The secondary character that i find most memorable is boobby rupp because i feel that i can relate to him. I think the back and forth in the novel makes it vivid because there is alot of suspense going on. I dont feel sympathetic for dick and perry because i think it is sweet that what the did.
I agree with whipping boy, if you kill or steal, you still commited a crime and you don't deserve any sympathey. Capote does try and instill some kind of sympathy in us, but Dick and Perry don't deserve it. They are real people and they deserve to be as real to the reader as they were to Capote. I think it is great way to honor the people who helped relay details to Capote.
I believe that Capote depicts the personalities of the secondary characters in such depth because he wants to make sure that he captures and accurately portrays the emotions and opinions of everyone who was involved in the investigation or had personally known the Clutter family. These detailed portraits are meant to ensure that all of the facts of Capote’s exploration into the events of these proceedings are truthfully divulged to the readers so that there is no question as to whether or not the book was based on a true story. However, by stating and delving into the fine points of every aspect of the secondary characters’ connections to the Clutter family, Capote often turned sections of the book into extremely boring accounts that are tedious to read. Out of these many people, the character that I found most memorable would have to be Bobby Rupp because of how affected he was by the killings of the Clutter family and due to the subsequent examination of him by the authorities as one of the primary suspects in their murders. I believe that the back-and-forth description of events in Holcomb and events surrounding Dick and Perry make the novel more vivid because it offers periodic updates on whether or not the FBI have any valid leads on who the killers really are and because it shows you how both the citizens of Holcomb and the killers themselves have been changed or affected by the slaying of the Clutters. Throughout the book thus far, I have uncovered absolutely no reason to feel any sympathy whatsoever for Dick Hickock. However, I do have a limited quantity of compassion for Perry Smith because he had such a traumatic life and since he is actually showing remorse for killing the Clutter family.
I’d have to disagree with Acer on their opinion of Bobby being the most memorable character. I don’t know how he can be the most memorable when so many other interesting characters are mentioned and he is such a minor character in the story.
I agree with airgoodman with the back-and-forth description of the events because it does make the book more interesting to read. It alos makes it easier to understand
I think that Lin has a great point with us becoming investigators ourselves. It is a great feeling because you can try to find out in your mind what Perry and Dick's motives are and it really makes you think. It also makes you think of how their personalities may have an effect on their motives. Great thought, Lin! It really made me of what it may have felt like to be an investigator in this case.
I disagree with peter thome's comment on disagreeing with me. I'm just saying that Capote did have sympathy for Dick and Perry, mostly Perry because he became friends with them while interviewing them.
I disagree with Peter Thome 2 because how do you know that perry and dick killed the family? it never said they did.
He adds in all these other characters because they are either the suspects or people that knew the family and could possibly help in solving the mystery. I think its easiest to remember Bobby Rupp because he was with the family that night before the murders. He's the only one of the characters that are listed that I know who they are so for me he's the easiest to remember. I personally think that the back and forth description of events is very confusing and i dont like it at all. I always forget what was happening than so I would like this book better and it would be easier to understand if he didn't use this technique. Not at all. How could i have any sympathy for someone that slaughtered four people for no apparent reason.
Capote’s style of writing is to pay attention to very minor details in both events and characters. I think Capote carefully depicts the personalities of all the secondary characters to allow us a better understanding of who they are and their relationships to the Clutter family. Capote reveals to us that Nancy had a very close relationship to Susan Kidwell. I think Capote explains the innocence of Susan and the close relationship she had towards Nancy so it’s obvious to us that Susan would never be considered a suspect. I think Capote also explains the relationship between Bobby and Nancy, and the whole Clutter family for that matter, describes him as such a kind, well known person, and lets it be very well known that he was the last person to see the Clutter family alive to make the story line more interesting to us. I think that all these descriptions of Bobby and knowing that he was the last person to see them alive makes us think of him as a possible suspect as well, making the story more interesting.
The secondary character that I find the most memorable is Al Dewey. I find him the most memorable because every one relied on him to find out who did this horrible act to the Clutter family. He put all his time and dedication towards this case out of sincerity towards the Clutter family and the town because he wanted to get rid of all the worry and fear surrounding Holcomb by discovering who the murderers were. Al Dewey is easy for me to remember because Capote lets it be known that Dewey was greatly stressed by not knowing who the murderers were, and not having any leads or clues to base the discovery of suspects off of. I find it easy to sympathize towards Al Dewey because he is highly relied on, finding the murderers is a huge job to take care of. Also, this case has taken a huge toll on Dewey’s family, causing a great amount of stress on both him and his wife.
The back and forth descriptions of events between Holcomb and the events surrounding Perry and Dick do make the novel more vivid. I think this is so because we discover the reactions of all the members of Holcomb. Also, in Holcomb we learn how close the detectives are getting towards finding the murderers and clues they are beginning to discover from the murder case. I find the back and forth method interesting to the story because we are getting both an understanding of the struggles the detectives are facing in finding the murderers and the struggles Dick and Perry are facing in running away from their possible future consequences.
I gained a minor sense of sympathy towards Dick when he mentioned his worry towards the whereabouts of his family and the situations they are facing. He is worried about his father’s sickness, which is somewhat heartwarming. This shows that there really is a considerate side of Dick, even though he performed such an unremorseful and horrible action towards the Clutter family. This allows us to know that Dick can actually find a place in his heart to care and love somebody enough to worry about them
I think Capote did a good job with the description of all the secondary characters. He explains all of their backgrounds and relations with Clutter family. These secondary characters are very important because it adds more to the story. It also gives us another perspective on the Clutters and their opinions on the murders. I sometimes dont like all the details though because Capote veers off and gets into other things that aren't important to the story. But also it helps explain some parts of the story with more detail.
I feel that Bobby Rupp was the most memorable of all the secondary characters because he lost his girlfriend and even worse was a suspect of the murder. He had to go through such emotional times after the murders from everything that was going on.
I think that when Capote was moving back and forth between what the characters were doing was a good idea that kept us informed of everything that was going on. Like with Dick and Perry and also with Bobby. The town was also included in that.
I think that the main reason he goes into so much detail about secondary characters is because I think some of them will have a big role in solving the case. I personally don’t like what the detailed explanations of secondary characters add to the book. It makes the book allot longer and a little bit confusing because it makes those characters seem much more important than they really are. I find Bobby Rupp the most memorable character because I can relate to him the most because he is my age. The back and forth events that happen in the book make it much more interesting because it allows you to know what everyone is thinking at one time. It also makes you think longer about a certain event, while you read about something else that happens. There are many times in the book when I have felt sympathy for Perry and Dick. I think the main reason is because they are talked about so much in the novel, and the book is written so you do feel sorry for them.
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