BLOG #3
Capote seems to paint Perry in a more sympathetic light than Dick. He seems sensitive and even kind at points. Did you sympathize with Dick more than Perry at any point? Or did you not buy any of the kind characterizations?
Does In Cold Blood have a protagonist? Is it Herb Clutter? Dewey? Perry? Explain.
Rate In Cold Blood by Truman Capote on a scale of one to five. Explain your reasoning.
posted by Gilsonator @ 11:29 AM
84 Comments
84 Comments:
I think that I sympathized with Perry more at some points because it kinda seemed like Dick was conning perry into doing this with him. I don't think the story really has a protagonist. It just skips around from person to person, kind of telling about each of them. So far I give the book a five, yes that's 5. i enjoy it very much
I think i sympathize with perry more than Dick because it seems he has a sick feeling in his stomach about klling those people and it didn't seem to bother dickat all.
Missing Blog #2:
dustin courchaine
rush of fools
dump
I bet!
....50cals
errwhatever
If you have already posted and I may missed your blog, please let me know. Please work on Blog #2 before starting on Blog #3 and e-mail me once they are posted.
Yes, I do think that I sympathized with Perry at one point. But then I realized that he is human and he knew what he was doing was wrong.
No, I really don't think the book has a protagonist because the book talks about all the characters lives and not just one main character's life.
I actually really like the book so I think I'd rate it a 3.8 because at times it really got boring and too descriptive. Yet, it caught my attention at many times and became intriguing.
This comment has been removed by the author.
I only sympathized with dick more than perry once and it was when he said he was worried about what would happen to his parents when all of the checks bounced. Otherwise I think that dick is a disgusting pedofile that doesn’t have much of a soul to to be hurt
I think in the beginnig herb is the protagonist because he seems to be a good person and the only main character that is portrayed in a positive light and as for the rest of the book I don’t think there is a protagonist because they don’t focus on one character long enough.
I would rate the book so far a 3 because I don’t love reading the book but I can sit down and read it for more than 5 mins but I wouldn’t read it if it wasn’t a school assignment
I don't sympathize with Dick at all. I do however, sympathize with Perry a little. Other than that i don't believe in too many of their kind characterizations. I think if they were truely sorry they wouldn't have done it in the first place.
I dont think there is one true main character. Everybody gets the same amount of conversation time sort of and they all have descent or important roles.
I would rate this book a 2. 2 because i am not interested in it very much at all. I don't like the way the writing is so descriptive and some details seem really unimportant to me and seem unrelated to the story so the book loses my interest even more.
i sympathize with Perry more than Dick because Perry seems to regrete what he did more than Dick did. it seems like now that the deed is done that Perry wants to wish it away or have nothing to do with it. i don't think that he really realized what he was doing until it was done... and then it was to late. i also think that if Perry could change what happened he probably would. it seems that Perry has more of a heart than Dick. also i would like to add that the only reason i think that Perry got involved in this murder is because he told Dick that he killed a black guy just because he felt like it. but later on he confessed that he didn't really kill him and if the guy was dead it wasn't his doing. Dick believed the story and automatically had respect for Perry even though the respect he had for him was based on a lie.
i don't think that in cold blood has a protagonist. each person plays an important role in the book but some more than others.
i would rate the book a 5 because it really draws me in and keeps me interested
I didn't symoathize with Perry at all. It makes me upset how much Truman symoathize for Perry. This book does have a protagonist this would be Perry but i dont think intentionally. Truman Capote talks more highly of him and makes it seem like Dick is the bad guy when they did the same thing. I would rate this book at a 4 because of how much it goes in detail when not needed such as in Persons Unknown. And I would like the book better if Truman Capote did not symoathize so much in his writing.
lyssa_3 you're right about Perry being only human and that he knows what he did was wrong. i think he also needs to realizes that everyone makes mistakes but its how you handle the consequences that is important. because of what he did he's going to be running away from everyone for the rest of his life... and weather he likes it or not he is now stuck with Dick till one of them dies. he is also never going to be able to have a true relationship with anyone because of what could happen if they find out his past. the term " your past has a way of coming back to haunt you" well Perry's past is for sure going to haunt him for the rest of his life.
It does seem as though Capote paints a more sympathetic story for Perry. I did tend to feel sorrier for Perry because Capote talks more about his life and his background. When he was writing about Dick, especially in Mexico, he made Dick seem more like a guy who wants to get in girls pants. One of the only times that I have ever felt bad for Dick was the part where he talks about all the bad checks he writes and how his parents are ashamed of him. It made me realize and kind of feel like he really does care about his parents and what they think of him, maybe he isn’t as black-hearted as everyone thinks he is. I also sympathize more with Perry because it seems like he has a bad feeling in his gut about killing those people which makes me wonder if Dick killed anyone or not because he didn’t really care about the family or whether or not they were dead of alive or not.
I don’t think that In Cold Blood has a protagonist because he just kind of skips around to each character and it doesn’t really have any main focus on any one person. They all get there time to speak about how they felt and dealt with the situation at hand.
I rate In Cold Blood a 4 only because while reading Persons Unknown I did get really bored and kind of lost the will to keep reading because nothing was really catching my attention and making me want to keep reading further. But otherwise I really like this book and have been keeping up with my reading. Sometimes how much detail he goes into really makes me want to skim.
Kellster, I have to wonder on your opinion on the book. Don't you need details to understand the story and try to picture it in your mind? For me, I always need a visual and especially for a murder investigation, you do need all the right facts and descriptions. Because in the end you could miss something very important and not get the point of the book at all. I also have to comment on the Dick and Perry sympathetic part of your blog. How can you feel sorry for something that you haven't even done yet? Don't you feel sorry afterwards and not before? Your statement just really doesn't make sense to me.
I did not buy any of the kind characterizations that the author made about Perry. I don't think if you can kill a family you can be a kind person in any way. I think that the protagonist in "In Cold Blood" is Perry because he has been a character since the beginning of the book and he still is. Herb Clutter can't be the protagonist because he is no longer talked about in this book and Dewey can't be either because he wasn't even mentioned in the book until the later chapters of it. I would rate this book a two because there are only two good parts in this whole entire book, when it talks about the crime scene and when they describe the murder. To me those are the only good parts of the book so I can't rate the book very high. If more of the chapters were like those two chapters than I would be able to rate this book around a four or five.
The only time I sympathized with Dick more than Perry was when Capote described Dick as worried about his parents. I think it makes Dick seem more human than Perry. Perry is a monster, even though he comes off as being caring, I think he has a horrible temper and doesn’t know how to control it.
I think the protagonist of In Cold Blood is Alvin Dewey. He is trying to solve the murder and bring the Clutter family justice. Dewey is the one who is moving the story along. Perry is just trying not to get caught, and Herb Clutter is dead so I don’t think either of them are the protagonists.
On a scale of one to five, I would rate this book as a three. I think Capote looses track too much, and that can get confusing at times. I think the story of the murders is intriguing, but the book would be better if it was written in first person with less useless details.
I agree with lyssa_3 when she wrote, “But then I realized that he is human and he knew what he was doing was wrong” talking about Perry. Yes, Perry had a rough life, and it’s too bad that 2 of his siblings and his mother died, but killing innocent people is sick no matter who you are or what background you come from.
I sympathizeed with Perry more then dick at some points, because it seemed like Dick was tricking perry into doing this with him. I don't think the story really has a protagonist.It just keeps skiping around from person to person , like talking about each of them. I am going to give the book a 2.I gave it a 2 because I am not interested at all in this book. The way it jumps around it makes it so confusing.
I didn’t really sympathize with Dick more than Perry because I think they both had something to do with the murders and they both seem like they were good guys but something wasn’t right that they killed a family. It also talks about how Perry felt bad after the murder and had doubts about it and everything and Dick just told him to shut up and the murders didn’t even really bother him so that makes me sympathize with Perry more than Dick.
I think that Perry and Dick are both the protagonists because the book is mostly about them and how they murdered the family. It talks about how their life was when they were little and how things have changed and they started doing bad things and that led up to the murder. Dick and Perry are definitely not the hero’s in this book but I think they are the main characters and everyone wants to learn more about them and how they did everything. Even though the novel talks about what each person’s reaction is to everything and what they are doing, I think that it’s more interesting when Capote is talking about Dick or Perry.
I rate the book a four because I think that it’s a really good book and it has a lot of suspense. Even though we knew the two guys that killed the family, we didn’t know how they did it or who actually did it. I like the book because it’s an action book and I like reading about how the detectives find out who committed the crime. Some parts of the book are kind of boring and too descriptive but over all I think it’s a good book and I like reading it.
I honestly don’t feel more sympathy for Perry. He wasn’t conned into killing a family, he just did it. He wasn’t forced to do anything, and that’s the main reason why I don’t feel sorry for him. I can say that I like Perry more than I like Dick. Dick, I think, was the brains of the operation, but Perry still followed along with it. I could never feel bad for a person who killed four people for personal power and control.
I don’t think there is one main character in the book. There are so many people involved, and the book jumps from one point of view to the next. I don’t think there are really any characters in the book that I wouldn’t consider a major part of the story.
On a scale from 1-5 I would give the book a 4. I didn’t like the beginning at all. I was really excited to read In Cold Blood, but the beginning was just boring. I just started to really get into the book.
I would have to agree with cerradofreak because he does seem like a really big pedofile. He always is going for little girls and most people dont really like that kind of stuff so i'm not sure who would feel sorry for a man like that. I also agree with him because Herb could be the protagonist, if any, because like he said it is one of the only characters that is written in a positive light. I also agree with one more thing that he said about probably not reading this book if it was a school assignment because im not usually really into murder books and such but this one is pretty good.
i guess i would have to agree the most with 'i am whipped who am i?' in the sense that the book is very confusing and not interesting to me.
I think that I sympathized with Dick more than Perry. I found Perry’s constant references to his day dreams very annoying. Also, it seamed to me that he was trying get sympathy from dick by constantly bringing up how bad he felt about what they had done to the Clutters. It also annoyed me how he plays the victim in what ever situation he and Dick were in. Dick by contrast, was always cool and composed. He never tried to defend what they had done because he knew it was wrong and didn’t care.
I think that In Cold Blood has many protagonists. Dick and Perry are both protagonists and so is Mister Dewey. What the book dose not have, is a set antagonist. The book is all about characters struggling to cope with their own emotions.
I would give this book a three out of five. I can’t deny that it was very well written, but it was too descriptive of irrelevant details. I think that the author was trying to show how much he could comprehend.
I dont sympathize with either one. they are both bad people. In cold blood does not have a protagonist. i would say it a 3 it's go but not great.
I agree with ohyeah all the way! When talking about Perry and Dick and who they are sympathetic for. That is the same way I feel about Perry!!
I don't sympathize dick over Perry because dick is a pedophile and pedophiles are just gross. I would rather sympathize Perry because Dick always drags him into things and Dick has a temper tantrum. I think The protagonist in this book is Perry because I don't think he could kill people out of nowhere its all dick who makes Perry kill people cause dick gets jealous and he ends up killing the people he get jealous at. I rate the book a 3 because it is very interesting but only for a while until it starts switching back and forth between characters but overall it ok.
Corky, I agree with you when you said, “because of what he did he's going to be running away from everyone for the rest of his life...” about Perry. But I think Perry’s been running away his whole life, not just now. He pretty much disowned his only living sister, and it really seemed like his sister wanted to help him by the letters she wrote to him while he was in jail the first time. I think that no matter what Perry does, he is always trying to make up excuses for everything. His father wanted him to work, and tried to teach him a work ethic, but Perry wouldn’t have it and called his father “stupid” and “uneducated”.
I agree with ohyeah that Alvin Dewey is a protagonist too, he is the one that is pretty much solving the murder and without him there wouldn’t be a case. I don’t think he is the main character though, I think that Dick and Perry are.
I also agree with whipping boy that there are many protagonists because each character has a part in the book and they are all important in some way.
I agree with I am whipped who am I in the sense that this book is confusing because it jumps back and forth and then I forget what was happening to that character when they finally get back to them.
If I was to sympathize one of them it would have to be Perry because he was sick when he talked about it.
From 1 to 5 I would give it a 3 because it is not the best book I have ever read.
ohyeah i get what you mean that's he's been running away his whole life. but i think he is more now so then before because when he was running away from people before but i think that he was doing because he kind of seems more like a loner. and now he's running away because he knows that if he gets caught that he would probably be killed. and killing a family is alot worse than stealing some t.v.'s or something like that. when you take away a life from someone you might as well be kiling yourself because your life will never be the same after that no matter what you do
Sympathy is a funny thing--it can make someone seem arrogant, if you are feeling it for someone who is better off than you. It can also make you seem compassionate, a truly amazing trait in human beings.
"The secrets of life are not shown except to sympathy and likeness."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
While I do not endorse the murder of innocent people, I do see how it is possible to feel sorry for Perry. I feel for him, because of everything he could have become, instead of what he became. Capote does an excellent job of describing how Perry could have done this or that (lived with his mother, gotten a good job) but how his choices have made him into what he is--a murderer. It is sad to see such a sensitive mind reduced to playing with a squirrel in a jail cell, when he could have led a happy life like his sister. I do not, however, think Perry is to be entirely pitied. He made the choices that led to his current imprisonment, he allowed himself to be bullied by Dick--he weakened himself and is now paying the consequences. Some of his traits as a person seem a little off to me, (such as how he cried to music sometimes) and it almost felt out of character to read about how he is so self-conscious, but I guess that's one of the greatest mysteries of psychopaths-- how can they seem so hypocritical? How can a person feel so alive, simply because they extinguished the life of another? I do not think Perry liked what he did, (on the contrary, Dick seemed the more likely person to enjoy the killing) and it is times like these that I have to question how far Capote really pulled the story to make it more interesting. While it is non-fiction, that does not mean that he could not add and withhold certain pieces of the plot.
On a related note, I do think the book has a protagonist--Perry Smith. As readers, we are introduced to Perry before Dick, we certainly get more details about the goings-on in the months following the murder, and Capote seems to retreat back to Perry's point of view more than anybody else's in the novel. Granted, Perry is one of the guilty party, and yes, he is a corrupted person, but throughout the novel, I have found myself wanting to find out more and more about what is going to happen next to Perry--Perry, not Dewey, not Bobby, or any of the Clutters. Because Capote chose to show so much of the story from the murderer's perspective, the criminal aspect of the story seems to be almost irrelevant until the very end of the novel, where they are in the court proceedings. If a person had no feelings what-so-ever, they might assume the investigators and police are the antagonists, because Perry is the one that we as readers pay the most attention to. I absolutely love how Capote plays with the reader's conflicting emotions here--you both want and don't want Perry to get caught, because you want to follow his story throughout.
For many reasons, I would rate this novel a 5 on a 1-5 scale. The word choice and description alone would have done it. I loved how Capote gave background information on everybody and everything, and made the reader believe that everything was relevant. At times, the novel read like a mystery, even though we know who the killers are right off the bat. At other times, it seems like you as a reader really are there at Hartman's Cafe, or in the shadows of River Valley Farm. I loved every aspect of this book, and look forward to reading more of Truman Capote's genius!
Blog 3
I don’t sympathize with Dick or Perry because they made a choice and it wasn’t a smart choice. They had chances not to carry though with it. Also another reason that I don’t sympathize with Dick and Perry is because I don’t care for the book. It drags out to long and it bores me and I loose interest so really I don’t care what happened. Another reason is that they murder an ancient family or a least we don’t know why they murder the Clutters’
I believe that cold blood doesn’t have a protagonist because no one did anything out of the ordinary to gain recognition for any heroic efforts in my eyes.
I rate this book a two because it’s not what interests me and never kept me interested in it to keep reading it.
From reading this book, I think I find it easier to sympathize with Perry that it is with Dick. I have felt little sympathy with Dick. The only time I felt sorry for Dick at all was when he mentioned how worried he was about his parents. I feel sympathy towards Perry because of his leg injury and all of the struggles he had to deal with growing up. You can sense through Perry’s personality that all Perry desires is to be successful and accepted. Growing up, Perry yearned to go to school, get educated, and to be considered “normal”. It is especially easy to sympathize with Perry because he actually feels remorse towards what they did to the Clutter family and he worries greatly about being caught and having to face immense consequences.
It is rather hard to determine a protagonist in this novel. If I had to choose one character though, I think I would choose Dewey. I would choose him because he is a part of the story completely. He was very involved with the Clutter case, and he knew them very well. Also he was extremely involved with Dick and Perry because he needed to find out their whereabouts to put an end to the case by finding the doers of this crime. Capote describes Dewey’s reactions to the murder of the Clutter family more specifically than any other character. Also, the struggles Dewey faced when no clues were determined and they had no leads as to who were the murderers were described very well in depth. Because of these reasons, I think Dewey would be a protagonist in this novel.
I think I would rate this book 3. This would be my rating because I have a small interest in the story, and it’s exciting to find out the reasoning Dick and Perry have behind the murder of the Clutter family. I would not give it a higher rating than this because it is hard to stay focused in my reading because of all the unimportant descriptions Capote uses.
While Reading over the blogs, I have noticed that a lot of people feel sorry for Perry. I don’t think that he is a good guy just because he ahs a bad feeling in his gut after killing four innocent people. I feel bad after stepping on a bug, but it doesn’t stop me from crunching the next one that comes crawling my way. Just because he sort of feels sorry for killing them doesn’t make it right. He is still a murderer, even if he does “feel bad” afterwards.
I think that hempster was very WRONG when Craig said that Perry is all bad. I think that he still has some good in him. He defiantly has a sense of honor and disapproves of Dick’s lack of it.
I also disagree with the statement that “the book is go but not great.”
I thing that the book is great but it is defiantly not go.
I think I would have to agree with {{Vanilla*Face}}. No matter how much someone tries to pressure you into doing something, it's still through your own decisions and actions that you do something. It is your own fault for doing something that later makes you feel guitly. Perry is just as guilty as Dick is even if Dick seems to have the most control over what they do, he still follows along.
Whipping Boy--I find it interesting that you sympathisized with Dick more than Perry, and it is true that he must have had reasons for not mentioning the murder. corradofreak, I just have to give you a round of applause! I'm sorry, but I love how you were so straightforward when rating this book (and I'm sure many of you were thinking the same thing!) Well done!
Lyssa_3, I have an answer to your question, 'don't you need details...?'
I think that kellster was writing with regards to the emotional aspect of the writing, and not so much the literal details.
I have to disagree with everyone so far because the book has Dick and Perry as leading character, but they did nothing heroic to deserve recognition to be the protagonist in my opinion or something to gain them role as lead characters besides killing the Clutters'.
I agree with Flaumignuttehummer because there were only a few good parts of the book and that other than those parts the book is BORING. It also keeps on skipping around in the book. Very confusing
I think that the reason that Capote seems to paint a more sympathetic picture of Perry, is because Perry had a rougher life than Dick. Also that i think Capote may have had a thing for Perry.I sympathize more with Perry also, because erry seems to feel bad about what him and Dick have done. Dick acts as if it is no big deal, perry on the other hand feels very guilty. I think that there is more than one protagionist, and that would be the Clutter family in general. they all seem to have been really nice and sincere people. I would have to give the book a four, just because at some points i lose interest. For the most part I like the book.
I think that Dick is really just a jerk. I don't feel any sympathy for him because he goes out of his way to be a jerk. I don't really agree with the characterization of Perry either. I don't think that anyone who would go out of their way to hurt animals could be a good person. Perry has had more bad things happen to him in life, but i don't think that justifies his behavior. I think that both of them could have been good people if events in their life hadn't pushed them in the direction they did. Also, there have been many people who have had misfourtune and succeded legitimately instead of turning to crime.
I think that Perry is the protagonist only because of how much information Capote puts in about him. It seems like if Dick says something bad about him, he downplays it making Perry seem better than he actualy is.
I think that this book would rate about a 4. I didn't really like the graphicness of the last chapter. I don't think that we need everything written out for us. I think it would have been better if not so much detail was used. This allows more to your imagination, so you can make it as bloody or not as you want.
This comment has been removed by the author.
I agree with pumpkin pie, except for the protagionist part. I agree that the book does get a little to detailed and I do lose interest, and it does make me want to skim too. I also feel for dick in the sence that he does care what his parents feel about him as a person and their son.
I agree with pheasant about the fact that you can't really sympathize with either person because they made the choice to kill the Clutters. Both could have walked away and yet neither one did. I also agree that the story was kind of boring and went into way too much detail.
This comment has been removed by the author.
I do not sympathize with Dick at all during the book. I don’t really see why anyone would because Dick actually had a decent childhood. Whereas Perry did have a difficult childhood and he seems to feel more guilty about the whole thing. I don’t really think that the book has a true protagonist, but if I had to choose I would pick Dewey because he is trying to figure out who murdered the Clutters. I would rate this book a 3.5. I think that parts of it are really good and it keeps my attention but I think a lot of it drags out and is unnecessary.
Perry is seen as the pathetic and troubled character. His horrible childhood is described into detail. Capote tells about how badly he was treated by family members and also the nuns at the place that he had stayed. Perry’s family was very messed up and disturbed, seeing as how each one of his siblings had something happen to them besides his sister that pretty much separated herself from the family. Capote seems to try to make the reader feel bad for all the things that have happened to Perry. He does not seem to do the same for Dick. Dick seemed to have a good life, he was a good student, good at athletics and he also had a good family that loved and cared for him. I sometimes found myself sympathizing with Perry more than Dick because of the harsh lifestyle that Perry had to grow up with. I think that the wrong and bad things that he does is because of the way that he was brought up. I feel bad for him because of the harsh ways he lived, but he should not have taken out his aggression from past moments in his life on innocent, helpless people.
I think that the protagonist in the novel is Herb Clutter. I think this because when the killers came to the house he offered all the money he had. He offered to write out a check and negotiate with them as long as they wouldn’t hurt his family. Herb tried so hard to try and protect his family from being killed or hurt by the two intruders. He was a hero until the end; he even told that the two people that intruded into his house that he thought that they were good people.
On a scale of one to five I would have to rate the novel as a four. I think that it is a very good and interesting book. It keeps you wanting to read more and wanting to know the details and motives of the crime. One thing that I don’t like about the book is the over exaggeration of the details that Capote puts into the novel. I’m sure that some of the details are vital to the story but they sometimes got to be too much and made the book boring.
I sympathized with Dick more than Perry at one point in this story. When Dick was talking about his family and how he never wanted to hurt them and how he hoped that they wouldn't have to pay off the debts that he created by writing bad checks. Otherwise I think that Capote was trying to paint a Perry into a brighter light saying that it was all Dick's fault that he was going along and committing the crime.
I don't think that this book has a protagonist because it just keeps on jumping around from one character to the next. It does not just focus on that one person for us to stay with. Maybe if they would have talked just about one member of the Clutter family so that we would feel for them more then it would have a protagonist. But because they said that everyone liked all of the Clutter family then there is not just the one person to focus on.
I would rate this book about a 2. There is way too much detail and it is kind of hard to keep reading. There are a few parts where you just keep turning the pages, but the rest is not very exciting. If he would have left more detail out, and put in some more of the action, it would have been better to read and kept me interested. Also if the book had been written in more of a sequencial order then it might have been a little easier to read.
I agree with psyco. I also think that Perry feels worse about the murders than Dick does. Dick always says how he does not care about what happenened when Perry always brings it up.
I feel more sympathetic towards Perry than I ever do towards Dick. But not much more, I dislike both, but i would feel more sorry for Perry. I really don't think there is much of a protagonist in the book. I would probably give the book a 5 out of 5 so far, it's very good.
This comment has been removed by the author.
I did not sympathize for Dick or Perry because they are the ones who made the choice to kill the Clutter family, when they had plenty on time to think about it and they could have backed out. No i never sympathize for Dick more than Peryy because they pretty much did the same thing so i think they should be treated equally. Perry and Dick i think are equal because they did the samething. I didnt buy any of the characterizations because people choose how they act so Dick and Perry could have stopped themselves. No because i think everyone in the book has prolbaly done something bad that they regret. I would give this book a three because it takes long to read and i think it has to many details in some parts of the book.
I have no sympathy for neither Dick nor Perry. On a personal level, how does on sympathise with a man or men who have killed? These acts were not commited in self defense. These men were hedonistic and killed for a monetary gain. It wasn't as if either man wasn't capapble of living a happy, prosporous life. The chose not to. Dick feels no remorse for his actions whatsoever. Although Capote has presented a somewhat touching account of Perry's childhood, I still feel no sympathy for him. If I were to murder his family, especially the way he did the Clutters, he would feel no sympathy for me. Simply put, I did not buy into the characterizations.
I feel that Dewey is the protagonist of the story. He never gave up or lost interst in the case. I also feel that the Clutter family could be the protagonist also.
I would give the book a three. The style of writing used in the book, I understand that this book is a true story but, I feel it could have been written much more creatively. I feel that as the book went on, I felt less captivated by the author. I also feel that the events of this novel were often quite predictable. To me, this book is very basic. Thematic elements were often shakey. I had a hard time wanting to read more.
Capote does seem to paint a more sympathetic light then dick it might be because he talks more of Perry’s life and background. I also might feel this way because it seems that Perry is more sympathetic and sorry for what he had done to the Clutter family. I also don’t think In Cold Blood has protagonist because he just skips from character to character in the story he really doesn’t seem to focus on a certain character.. At least as of right now he doesn’t …they all get talked about equally and all get their chance to put their words in. I’m going to rate In Cold Blood at a 5 my number one reason because this is the first book I have read page for page through 150 pages most books I quit and just listen after the first or second chapter. But this is the first book that I’ve ever gotten into at least a little bit. I think the mystery, murder, and crime scene all around is what hooked me I really didn’t like a the books like Shakespeare that had no point to them so I give it an overall 5 because it’s the only school novel that’s ever interested me.
No, not really… Dick to me was always portrayed as the bad guy and the one that influenced Perry. I don’t think that is actually how it was in reality though. I think they both had equal says in everything they did because they were both clever and they both spoke their minds. I think Capote wrongly portrayed both Dick and Perry for the sake of a better story and because he liked Perry more than he liked Dick. Capote does try to make you feel almost sorry for Perry or that he at least had an excuse to do all of this; but in my mind I think Dick and Perry were both just morally bad people who didn’t have much of a conscience.
I don’t think this novel has a protagonist because it is not an upbeat fictional story; it is nonfiction with a somewhat made up plot. The protagonist can’t die in the beginning of the book, nor can he kill an entire family, nor can he be a man that doesn’t have a main role in the story.
I give this book a 4.3. I would probably rate it higher because I like the book but I haven’t read to far so I’ll stick it with a 4.3. I think it’s an intriguing book and I like the way he writes it except for all of the unnecessary details in every main character’s life.
I didn't sympathize for Perry or Dick because they made the choice to commit the murder and they had plenty of time to back out of it. I didn't buy any of the kind characterization because I think that it is trying to make us think the wrong way about them and then they are going to tell us they killed them and we will toatally change are mind. Herb Clutter is the protaganist in the book because he is nice to everyone and he didn't do anything wrong to make me think he is a bad person. I rate In Cold Blood a 3 because I dont like all of the very in depth explaining. I can't keep interested in books are like that.
This comment has been removed by the author.
I sympathized with Perry because he had a bad childhood and was very unfortunate growing up because all of his siblings went to school and he didn’t get the chance to. I also felt bad that Perry really didn’t have any real friends except the man who he was in the army with who did end up coming back to visit him one time. I feel like Perry had a much bigger heart than Dick did because when they went to the Clutter’s Perry really didn’t want to murder anyone he just wanted the money from the safe in Mr. Clutter’s office (which was not even there.) Capote made Perry seem much more sympathetic for what he had done because as he was being hanged he had said, “It would be meaningless to apologize for what I did. Even inappropriate. But I do. I apologize.” On the other hand Dick as he was being hanged he was making comments like it was the shortest night of his life and that they were going to pull straws to see who was hanged first but he said H comes before S. This to me meant that Capote really had no true feelings toward anything of what he did. The characterizations in this book were at times very confusing, but every character had an important role in the book.
I thought that in the book Cold Blood Dewey and Floyd were the protagonists. Dewey had stayed up day and night working on this case and never gave up even when his family had had enough. Many nights he thought about giving up but than saw how scared his family was about not knowing where the killer(s) was and that it could be in their own neighborhood, so he continued the long strenuous search for the killer(s). Floyd was a big hero but at the same time the big loser in this situation. Floyd had been the hero because he had gone to the jail officials and told them how Dick had been asking if he knew anyone rich. Floyd had told him about the Clutter’s and where they live and if they were rich, and all the details about the situation. The bad part in this situation was that if it wasn’t for Floyd saying anything about the Clutter’s knowing that Dick was going to do something to them, the Clutter’s would still be alive.
I thought that in Cold Blood was a good book, but not the best. On a scale of one to five I would rate it a four. I would rate it a four because at times the book got to exaggerated and detailed and you lost aspect of what the author was really trying to say because I got too confused with the details supporting the actions. Other than that I liked how the book was realistic and how every character had an important role.
I agree with dreamer09 because I think that Herb Clutter was a protagonist because he was the most famous guy in town and he never meant anything bad to happen. He was the protector of the family and at times was very strict.
I agree with soccer-7 because Al Dewey is basically getting all the imformation of the murders. It seems like alot of ppl are sad about it but what are they doing to help? To me it doesn't seem like they are helping to much.
In the book, I seemed to sympathize with Perry a bit even though I know that does sound weird in my mind. Am I really sympathizing with a killer of a family of four innocent people? I think that Perry had more of a future than Dick would have ever had and instead, he turned into a killer. He had so much potential and he ended up helping murder a family. he could have lived with his mother and gotten a really good job, and then all of a sudden he is in a jail cell. I think that he is really thinking now and regretting going along with the the whole murder thing. I think that in my mind that Dick was the main killer here and that Perry is sort of an "accomplice," but not really a totally innocent one that we should all feel bad for. There is no way that he was dragged into the situation, like he had to have some conscious but he really didn't listen to it. Perry is such a hyprocrite and I really didn't evne notice it until these last couple of pages.
Even though I do feel the slightest of pity for Perry, I think that he is the protagonist in the story. Capote sort of goes back on things that Perry says and use his point of views way more than with Dick. I always want to find out more of Perry's life than anyone elses in the story. I also think that it was more interesting in the interrogation of Perry because Dick was such a smooth talker and I couldn't wait to see if Perry and Dick's stories alligned at all.
On a scale of 1-5, without a question I would rate a 5. I love how in depth everything is and how almost every aspect the characters personality is covered. I also love how in the begining of the book they don't come out and say...Perry Smith and Dick Hickcock were the murderers of the Clutter family. I love suspense and this is honestly the best book that I have ever read in my entire life. This is the only book that I really couldn't put down. It is the best piece of literature that I have read and I think that I am actually really going to start reading beyond school requirements now. This book is pure genius and I can't believe that anyone could really write this great piece of literature! I feel bad that this story is real because such a horrible thing had to happen in order for this to be written. It is a tragedy that some great mind couldn't think of this randomly...
Like I said before in Blog #2 I do not sympathize either in any sort of way. Anyone who does what Perry and Dick have done do not deserve any sort of sympathy, especially Dick. Dick shows no sense of emotion of remorse for anything that they did. When Perry even brings up the incident Dick always tells him he is being an idiot and that he needs to forget it. Perry still does not deserve my sympathy, anyone who does that and goes on living their life like nothing happened will never get my sympathy.
I think that the story does have a protagonist, but not one in a good sense. Usually a protagonist is the hero in a story and Capote tries to make the reader sympathize Perry and understand. Even though Capote tries to make us sympathize for Perry it doesn’t do the job for me. I do not agree with Capote at all.
If I would rate this story I would probably give the book a 4. For me Capote describes events and situations way too much and because of this it is not that enjoyable for me to read. He especially draws to much information on Perry. I personally don’t enjoy reading about his letters he sent to his dad and sister.
I don't feel sympathy for either Dick nor Perry. Both of them knew exactly what they were doing when they commited the murders and they still chose to go on with it. I don't know how you could feel sympathy for someone who can simply murder a family for no apparent reason.
No, I don't believe that In Cold Blood has a true protagonist. There are a couple small protagonists like Herb Clutter and Dewey because both of them do very good things but neither of them are the main characters of the book so we can't really know if they are protagonists.
I would rate it like around 3-4 out of 5. This is because I really like the way it is written so that it is easier for the reader to understand who is talking. And also because the book is boring in quite a few spots but also very exciting and captures attention in others.
I think Capote trys to make the reader sympathize with Perry alot probably because of the friendship Capote and Perry made. I don't really feel any sympathy towards Perry, or Dick for that matter, though. To me what they did can't be taken back even though they did have a hard childhood. If there is any sympathy i think it should be sent towards the Clutters or to Alvin Dewey. I think Alvin Dewey is the protaganist of the story because he is the man trying to help eveyone and trying to keep everyone safe. I don't think Herb Clutter can really be the protaganist of the story due to his early decease. He was a very good man but i don't he can be labeled as a protaganist. Perry is naughty so he can't be a protaganist. Thank You.
You Stay Classy English Class!! ;)
I agree with airgoodmans idea about their being no protagonist and all of his reasons make good sense
I do agree with polka dots' post before me in that Perry did have a future ahead of him and really could have become something great but he still made his own choice and did what he did. For me his actions mean more to me than the idea of what he could have been.
I did not sympathize with either them at any point in the story. They murdered a whole family how can you sympathize for someone like that at all. If you can shoot someone in the face and not really care about it, then you don't deserve any sympathy when you want it. Even if Dick forced Perry into to doing it he still did what he did and should have to live with that.
I do not think that the book has a protagonist. I don't think so because they really done depict who is really the true hero in the book or good guy.
In the beginning I liked the book but as the book went on i thought it started to full, but that's just my personal opinion. The best murder crime book i've ever really liked is "Red Dragon" by Thomas Harris, there was always something new going on, I think this tends to drag on a bit. So overall I give this book a rating of 3.
Right now i dont sympathize for either of them because it is not right to kill people.
I think that in cold blood does not have a protagonist becuse it is like a horror book.
i would give this book a 2.69 because i have read better.
No, at any point did I have more sympathy for Dick or Perry. They went out on a mission to kill a family. Why would I feel sorry for them, they don’t deserve it. Perry I think is down right evil in this whole entire book. Even his own sister can’t stand to be by him because she is afraid of him. I think Capote tries really hard to make us feel sorry for Perry but it didn’t work on me. So no I didn’t buy any of the characteristics.
I believe In Cold Blood does have a protagonist and I believe it’s Dewey. I believe he is underrated for his job because its back in 1959 and they didn’t have the technology we have today. He is doing the best of his ability by questioning all the people who worked on the Clutter’s farm and tracking down every story. Also we know before we read the book that the murders were caught so then we know that Dewey must of down his job. At the moment I would give this book a 3.1415926238697534606789256787656.
I agree with unknown on Al Dewey being a protaganist. I never thought of him being one but the way you talked about him and his job, I strongly agree.
Forgot the last part....So anyway I'd give In Cold Blood a 4.2 out of 5 because I really like the book. I like the details that Truman Capote puts in and how he switches around characters in the book. The way he describes how everything happens is so vivid and colorful. Thank You.
You Stay Classy English Class!! ;)
I think that blogging is a really great idea because it is a way for people to explain their views on the book in a different way. It is also cool to read what other people think who don't talk as much in class because they can also express their views. I agree with oh so random and think that they do a really good job on their blogs. I think that they have raelly good views and thoughts on the book and I agree with them almost 100% of the time. The thing I agree with most in their blog is that Perry is the protagonist. I think almost everything oh so random says is completely true and very intelligent.
At some points I do sympathize for Perry, the reason i sympathize for him is because it seems like that Dick was lying to Perry all along. To me is seems like all Dicks wants Perry for is to con people out of their money, so he can escape into a different country. But yes i do sympathize for him because i think he truely did feel bad for killing the family. I don't sympathize for Dick at no point because he didn't seem like he was sorry about what they did.
I think there are two protagonist in the book, they would be Herb Clutter and Al Dewey. I thought that they were the protagonists because Al Dewey was trying his best to find who killed the Clutters. For Herb he would be on because he didn't do the town wrong. He was simply one of the most famous guys there.
Where i am in the book i would rate it a 3.5 because it is getting really interesting.
I agree with Courchaine about not feeling any sympathy for Perry and Dick. What they did they did and they have to live with that soo I don't not have any symparth for them.
I agree with Peter Thome II, by definition there really isn't a protagonist. I also agree that is a good book that you can read page for page and not get too sick of it.
He does seem to sympathize with Perry quite a bit. I think the main reason is because when Capote visited Perry he liked him more. I always sympathized more with Perry more than Dick because Dick’s parents always have taken care of him. Dick had a good childhood so it is almost completely unforgivable to Dick for me. With Perry I felt bad for him because his life has always been a mess and there is not a whole lot that he could do to help it. As a child his parents divorced, and his family was always split very poorly. He never was introduced into many social situations, and was never once given a good chance to succeed. I did buy the kind characterizations about Perry. I still feel bad for Perry; he has had two true friends his entire life, and was in many situations that people would not handle as well as he did. I don’t really buy anything kind that is said about Dick just because he had no reason at all to want to steal from the Clutters in the first place. He was living with his parents, and didn’t need money for any reason other than to do wrong. Perry didn’t have any money so if he was going to live a decent life at all he would need a good source of income. He did go a little far to get money though.
I think that the biggest protagonist in the story is Dewey. He does his very best to solve the case. There are not very many bad things said about Dewey throughout the entire novel. He is always portrayed as the “good guy” they always talk about how hard working he is and how he does his best. I was very happy to see him get the hints from Floyd Wells. I always have wanted him to succeed in catching Perry and Dick even though I did feel bad for Perry.
I would Rate this book a 4.159503 out of 5. I would rate the story of the Clutter Murders a 5, because it is so interesting. However I don’t like how the novel is written, because it often confuses me. I also don’t like how in depth he goes with characters that don’t impact the story all that much. It also irritates me how the entire novel is written with sympathy for the killers.
My point of view would be that Perry and Dick should receive no sympathy because Perry brutally killed 4 innocent people. But yes I beleive Capote tries to paint Perry in a light so we sympathize him more because he had a close relationship with him. I can also tell because they talk about Perry a lot more in ways that we would feel sorry for him instead of Dick.
Its obvious that Capote centers in on Perry, making him the protagonist. I beleive this because he gives a lot of detail about Perry. Its really obvious.
Im gunna rate this book a 5 because im getting to the point were its a page turner and im getting so into it i cant even beleive it, its like so rediculous.
I agree with airgoodman about the whole protagonist thing there really arent any main characters except Perry and Dick but since they both have helped in the killing of the Clutters they can't be protagonists
I highly disagree with with airgoodman because its so obvious Capote tries to make Perry the protagonist.
I enjoyed 50 Cal's post. It was nice and long and i agree with alot of his details of sympathy and the protagonist. It was good.
I agree with this is the way we ball because he's my bro and i got to back him up.
For the most part I disagree with you Cheezeits. I don’t think anyone should feel sorry for the killers. Yea at points Capote puts a lot on emphasis to makes us feel that way but you have to remember what they did…They killed almost an entire family and would of killed more if people would have been around. I also think that this book does have a protagonist it’s just a little harder then usually to find them in this book. Though I agree with what you said at the end and that is the book does have way to much detail. Sometimes I find myself just thinking of other stuff then actually what I’m reading so I have to reread and reread. Also I wish it would just have a little more spice in the book, but o well.
Airgoodman – I totally agree with many of the points that you made, now that I think about it I also that that there is no protagonist. I also agree that Perry was probably not portrayed how he should have been, just because Capote liked him. I also don’t like how he talks about every little detail of everyone’s life. I think the book would be much better if he trimmed it down.
I don't think that i sympathized with Perry and Dick. I feel as though they should know right from wrong. They killed an innocent family for no good reason. They should be punished for what they have done. The only way I would have sympathized with them is if they would have turned themselves in right away and not have to be chased all over.
I don't think that there really was a protagonist in this book becuase no one really stood out to me. The book was more about the antagonists if anything.
I would rate this book about a 3 because it is sometimes hard to follow. Also it is dull and some points. It is however a good book full of mystery.
I don't think that i sympathized with Perry and Dick. I feel as though they should know right from wrong. They killed an innocent family for no good reason. They should be punished for what they have done. The only way I would have sympathized with them is if they would have turned themselves in right away and not have to be chased all over.
I don't think that there really was a protagonist in this book becuase no one really stood out to me. The book was more about the antagonists if anything.
I would rate this book about a 3 because it is sometimes hard to follow. Also it is dull and some points. It is however a good book full of mystery.
I never sympathized with Dick at any point throughout the book. His characterizations only serve as a façade for the evil that dwells within his tainted soul. I do believe that some good might exist within Perry as he actually apologizes for the murders before he is hung. For this reason and also because of the sensitive portrayal of him as a person, I do not think that he deserved to be executed. Instead, I would have advised institutionalizing Perry either for life or until professional psychologists deemed that he was fit to return to society. However, I have obviously never met either of these men, so there is no way for me to know whether or not Capote’s narration was biased towards Perry over Dick and it could therefore be inaccurate. I do not believe that the story has a protagonist because it’s a nonfiction novel and there isn’t enough in-depth analysis of the characters since there’s no way of knowing their thoughts. If I had to choose a protagonist, I think it would be Alvin Dewey because he is the person who dedicates all his time to avenging the Clutter murders by tracking down their killers. Personally, I would rate In Cold Blood as a four on a scale of one to five. My decision is based on several factors. First of all, I believe that it was a great book because it was always very descriptive when describing what was transpiring, and this allowed you to easily visualize the scene in your mind. It also effectively utilized the back-and-forth method of relating events so that you are always aware of what is taking place both at Holcomb and with Perry Smith and Dick Hickock. The one problem that I had with this book is that Capote’s explanations and descriptions of proceedings often became long-winded and tedious. Overall, it was still an exceptional book that is one of the best documentary accounts that ever recorded a crime and trial such as the ones that In Cold Blood centers on.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home