We Are Born Alone And We Die Alone, Everything Else Is Just An Illusion

Published in 1965 and written by Truman Capote; In Cold Blood narrates the story of the Clutter murder case in Holcomb, Kansas. Perry Smith and Richard Eugene “Dick” Hickock killed four members of the Clutter family in November 15th, 1959. They were later arrested in Las Vegas on December 30th, 1959.

Perry and Dick were taken back to Kansas so that they can be judged by the competent authorities. Their trial takes place on March 22nd, 1960 and is lead by Judge Tate. The prosecution of the case brings Floyd Wells (who once was Dick´s companion in jail and informed the police of Perry and Dick´s culpability regarding the case) as a witness. The defense brings up Dick´s father and Perry´s old friend from the Army, Don Cullivan, as witnesses in their favor. After various months in the trial, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock are declared guilty and are punished with a death penalty. Afterwards, Smith and Hickock are translated to a penitentiary in Lansing, where they wait for their hanging date to be chosen. While on jail, Smith and Hickock meet Lowell Lee Andrews, George Ronald York, and James Douglas Latham; all men waiting to someday be hanged. Perry then starts refusing to eat his meals and, after a while, is taken to the penitentiary´s hospital since his weight drastically decreased from 168 pounds to 115 pounds in nine weeks. Luckily, Perry recovered and went back to his cell, but during the time he was gone; Dick wrote various letters to lawyers asking them for a second trial since the first one supposedly took place unfairly. Russell Shultz receives a letter and calls for a fair trial. Although Shultz is not able to prove Perry and Dick to be innocent, he is able to delay his clients´ scheduled date for hanging for a total of four years. During this four-year period, all three of Perry and Dick´s friends in jail were hanged. Sadly, on April 14th, 1965; Perry Smith and Dick Hickock died on the gallows at the state prison. All of the Clutter case´s detectives were present during the hangings.

“ ´Well, what's there to say about capital punishment? I'm not against it. Revenge is all it is, but what's wrong with revenge? It's very important.´ ” (Capote, 335)

I believe this quote is said by Dick to Capote (although the author addresses himself as a journalist who visited both Perry and Dick periodically) while talking with him in jail. I think that Dick believes that all of the members of the jury or witnesses from the case think the same as him. I don't think he is aware that his definition of “revenge” can be different from someone else's. I think that revenge is just a mediocre excuse of holding on to the bad in our pasts. I wonder if Dick ever felt the need to take revenge on someone. Did he? Did he have any regrets when it came to his past? Did he want to take revenge on someone that once caused him trouble?  

“ ´It would be meaningless to apologize for what I did. Even inappropriate. But I do. I apologize.´ ” (Capote, 340)

These are Perry's lasts word before being hanged on April 14th, 1965. I was surprised with the fact that he actually feels sorry for killing four people. Dick never apologized. He never even admitted into killing the Clutters. I actually feel sorry for Perry, he chose a bad companion for a perfect crime. I think that Perry sometimes thought about the people he killed, but Dick just wanted to get out of jail. I think it's sad that Perry had to end the same way as Dick, he would've died in a more memorable way. They both died though, they both took the blame for the crime, and they both suffered the consequences.

I'm so glad I finished the book! This book was so much more than I expected it to be. It has (luckily) covered every expectation I had about it (although I still want to know what happened to Perry's squirrel friend). After reading In Cold Blood, I learned that life is not always going to be easy (or fair). I seriously believed that life would've been easier in the 1960's (I was terribly wrong) since there wasn't any technology or any factors that complicated our lives like in the 21st century. This book has also made me realize how lucky I am to be alive because for all we know, I could be murdered tomorrow. This novel by Truman Capote has also made me realize that there are possibly hundreds of stories about crimes and death that are happening in the world, but that I know nothing of. I have also learned that even though things don't work out like we want them to, things will always end the way they were supposed to. In Cold Blood has taught me that everything will be okay in the end, and if it is not okay; it's not the end.

"Goodbyes are bittersweet
But it's not the end
I'll see your face again"

Waiting Is Difficult, But So Is Regretting

Published in 1965, In Cold Blood tells the story of the multiple murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas. Truman Capote is able to narrate the story of both the murderers of the family and the journey of the detectives and police to find the responsible of this case.

After fleeing to Mexico in hopes of never getting caught for the crime they committed back in

Holcomb, Perry Smith and Richard Eugene “Dick” Hickock are obliged to go back to Kansas because of the lack of work across the country. They are able to steal a car and change its license plate, but they are not able to go unnoticed by the police. Kansas Bureau Investigation detective, Harold Nye notifies Garden City Sheriff, Alvin Dewey about the fact that both the criminals are in Kansas. The police officers are not able to arrest Smith and Hickock until they reach Las Vegas. On December 30th, 1959; Perry Smith and Dick Hickock were arrested in Las Vegas for parole violation. Officers and detectives from Kansas go to Las Vegas to interrogate the suspects. After hours of questioning, Dick confesses that it was in fact, Perry who killed all four of the Clutters. On the other side, Perry confesses that it was Dick who killed the two women and he killed the other two men. They are later transferred to Holcomb, Kansas where Perry tells the story of how Dick and him found a door that was not locked and broke into the Clutter residence the morning of Sunday, November 15th, 1959. He talks about how all they were looking for was money and that, once they couldn´t find it; killed the family in order to leave no witnesses. They later find out that the jury is contemplating the idea of a death penalty for the criminals, but that nothing has been decided yet. Dick and Perry´s trial is scheduled to be on March 22nd, 1960, but until then; Perry befriends a squirrel that lives outside his cell and names it Red.

“ ´The secret is: People are dumb.´ ” (Capote, 217)

I think that Dick is smarter than what he is believed to be. Although he uses this intelligence for doing bad things, he is still able to form marvelous plans that only benefit one person: Himself. When Dick is asked about the real reason for writing false checks, his answer is simple yet deep; he believes people are not able to surpass his intelligence. Perhaps his definition of “dumb” is someone else's definition of “innocent”, but with innocence comes foolishness and this is something Dick is completely aware of. Why is Dick so obsessed with the idea of superiority? Has he ever felt inferior to someone else? Is his pursuit for power a sick idea of revenge?

“ ´We'll use no force, no threats, and we'll make you no promises.´ ” (Capote, 216-217) 

I think that police interrogations in the 1960's were very different from interrogations nowadays. I also think that it was nice of the detectives to tell Dick that they were making no promises, it prevented Dick of disappointment. Personally, I think that it's better to tell the truth than to lie, even if it can cause us some trouble. I also liked the fact that detectives are completely honest with Dick and Perry and don't tell them lies in order for the criminals to confess anything. If I was Dick, I would actually feel relieved since the policemen are saving me from possible disappointment and anger. I would like for people to be straight up honest because if not, we will just continue to consider lies to be an answer to everything.

I read about 216 pages (if not more) to finally know about the criminals'  arrest, and let me just say; I wasn't one bit disappointed. Capote was so descriptive while illustrating this event that I actually felt as if I was part of the story. I was actually surprised when Perry finally told the story of the murders from his point of view (I guess it just wasn't as sanguinary as I expected it to be). I'm actually a bit worried about where the book goes from here, I have actually no clue of what could happen with Perry and Dick (although I do want to hear more about Perry´s squirrel friend). I already know that Perry and Dick are going to end up dead (thanks, Google), but I would still like to know if they believe in heaven and hell, or just life after death in general.

Everything Is Difficult Before It Becomes Easy

In his bestselling novel In Cold Blood, Truman Capote narrates the story of the murder of the Clutter family from Holcomb, Kansas. In November 15, 1959; Herb, Bonnie, Nancy, and Kenyon Clutter were murdered at their own home by two men that had never spoken a word to the family. Capote follows the story of Perry Edward Smith and Richard Eugene “Dick” Hickock; murderers of the Clutter family.

The criminals flee to Mexico after killing four people in Kansas. They don't stay there long though, their money runs out and they need to go back to the United States. When packing up to leave Mexico, Perry finds a manuscript written by his dad that tells the story about Perry's life. It talks about Perry's siblings and how his oldest brother (Jimmy) killed himself because his wife did the same, his sister jumped off of a building`s window and his other sister was the only one who was able to get married and raise a family. The manuscript depicts Perry`s life as a soldier who fought in Korea and how his life was while living in Alaska during his teenage years. Later in 1958, Perry's sister Barbara wrote him a letter while Perry was in jail, the letter intended to be a “compassionate demonstration of Christian principles” and depicted the fact that Perry never cared about his family; but instead ignored them. Both Perry and Dick end up in the Mojave Desert in hopes of finding a ride to California.

Back in Kansas, Floyd Wells confesses to the police that he knows the people responsible for the Clutter´s murder. Wells had worked for Herb Clutter in 1949 and had shared a cell with Dick Hickock at Kansas State Penitentiary, where he told Dick about the Clutter`s wealth and about the existence of a supposed safe in Herb`s office. Dick had then admitted to Floyd that Perry and him were planning on robbing the residence and kill the Clutters in order of leaving no witnesses. Working at the Kansas Bureau Investigation, Harold Nye interviews Dick`s parents and Perry`s sister in hopes of knowing the killers` location at the moment. At Holcomb, Alvin Adams Dewey; agent of Kansas City, gathers information about Perry and Dick in order to help with the case.

Perry Smith and Dick Hickock are able to go back to California but, when no work comes up for them; the only place they can go back to is Kansas City.

“But we have very little control over our human weaknesses, and this applies also to Fern and the hundreds of thousands of other people including ourselves- for we all have weaknesses.” (Capote, 140)

These are not Capote´s words, which surprised me. Desperate to help her brother and make him reflect about his actions, Barbara writes a letter to Perry in which she reflects hers and Perry´s lives altogether. She mentions the fact that Perry has not come to admit his mistakes- or weaknesses, and that he does not seem sorry for being in prison. Perry knows what he did wrong, he just doesn't consider them failures or weaknesses like his sister does. What Barbara considers to be “human weaknesses”, Perry considers to be failures of those who are weak. Perhaps that is why Perry was able to murder a whole family. Barbara on the other side, hopes that her brother will someday think just like her and will apologize for all the supposed wrongdoings he has done in his life.

“There is considerable hypocrisy in conventionalism.” (Capote, 144)

Willie-Jay (Perry´s only “true friend”) is a truly remarkable individual. Too bad he ended up in jail because he had a bright future ahead. He wrote Perry a letter titled “Impressions I Garnered From The Letter” in which Willie-Jay depicted his opinion of the letter from Barbara. He believes that the reason behind all of the siblings´disagreements are because Perry does not fulfil Barbara´s definition of “conventional”. I think that this term varies across  the world and across families and communities. I think that morals, geographical location, and perhaps economical and ethical background define our term of “conventional”. Willie-Jay considers conventionalism hypocritical because of the fact that people usually lie to fit in these definitions, what ever they might be. But, what is Willie-Jay´s definition of “conventional”? Does he consider himself “conventional”?

Sadly, the murderers still haven't been caught. I'm still hoping for the actual description of Perry and Dick´s arrest. I hope that in the next chapters, the actual arrest will take place and I will finally know their intentions and thoughts while killing a whole family. I'm also glad that the book offers a lot of stories from Perry's childhood since it makes it able to imagine life from his own perspective. These stories show me that no life is perfect and that we all have dreams and goals we will like to accomplish. Perry had a dream about being saved by a yellow bird just before being eaten by a snake (is not as half as weird as it sounds), but I guess we all have crazy dreams sometimes.