Quotes, Part One

“At the time, not a soul in sleeping Holcomb heard them – four shotgun blasts that, all told, ended six human lives.” (Capote, Page 5)

Before this quote is stated, Capote lists the normal sounds of Holcomb at night, including coyotes howling, and trains racing by. It’s interesting to note the complete change of tone after this quote. Afterwards, he suggests a change in the whole town from a trusting, generous community, to a wary, suspicious group of strangers. The author uses personification here to make it seem as though the shots themselves caused the mistrust. The reason I personally like this quote so much is because it suggests that all actions may have unforeseen consequences. Not only did the murders end the lives of an innocent family, but they destroyed the lives of those doing the killing as well. This line also foreshadows this fact, as it suggests that Dick and Perry don’t get away with their heinous crime. Their actions caused adverse side effects for themselves, not to mention the people of the town. Before this quote, the novel felt more to me like fiction than anything else. This one sentence reminded me that this really did happen, and because of two men’s selfishness and greed, innocent people suffered.

The placement of this quote is also interesting. It’s written very early on, so the readers haven’t met any of the characters yet, and they don’t know the plot. The only information about the story is a description of the setting. This kind of foreshadowing is fascinating because they first read about the characters with their fates already in mind. To the readers, they’re not hearing about how the four Clutters are murdered, eventually ending the lives of their killers. The readers are wondering how four gunshots can kill six people. At least, that’s what happened for me. Now, thinking back on it, I realize that Dick and Perry doomed themselves by killing the Clutters.

“Dick was ‘shallow,’ or even, as Willie-Jay claimed, ‘a vicious blusterer.’ All the same, Dick was full of fun, and he was shrewd, a realist, he ‘cut through things,’ there were no clouds in his head or straw in his hair. Moreover, unlike Willie-Jay, he was not critical of Perry’s exotic aspirations; he was willing to listen, catch fire, share with him his visions of ‘guaranteed treasure’ lurking in Mexican seas, Brazilian jungles.” (Capote, Page 44)

Willie-Jay is Perry’s friend from a prior incarceration. Willie-Jay is to be released from Kansas State Penitentiary on November 12^th. This is the real reason Perry makes the trip down to Kansas. He wishes to be reunited with his “real and only friend.” Perry thinks and speaks fondly of Willie-Jay. He is “dizzy with anger and disappointment” when he discovers he has just missed his friend by a matter of hours. He then decides to continue on with Dick and his plans including the Clutters. In this quote, and the full paragraphs surrounding it, Perry seems to be comparing Willie-Jay and Dick. It’s almost as if he’s considering which one to give his affections to, like a girl might do when comparing two eligible young men. Nothing is confirmed, but it is hinted in the book that there may be a desired romantic relationship between Perry and Dick. When describing Willie-Jay, Perry noted his “full lips” and “gray, melancholy eyes.” In this quote, we see Perry shifting his interest onto Dick, the strong hothead, motivated by lust and adventure. He respects his companion for really listening to his dreams and ideas for the future (of course, unbeknownst to Perry, Dick has no intention of following through on his promises of adventure and “guaranteed treasure” in the future). This quote stood out to me because it furthered my suspicions that Perry is romantically interested in Dick. I think it represents Perry’s dependency or allegiance to his partner in crime. Throughout the novel, I’d been surprised whenever Dick would refer to Perry as “honey” or “sugar.” Could Dick suspect Perry’s feelings? Could this be his way making sure he sticks around? I’ve only read the first section at this point, but I suspect that it foreshadows Perry’s urge to remain with Dick, and eventual complications in their relationship.