“…his
confidence was like a kite that needed reeling in.” (Capote, Page 91)
Perry’s comment is referring to Dick. Perry had just pointed out
that Floyd, Dick’s former prison friend, could lead the police right to them,
because he knew of their plans to rob and kill the Clutter family. Perry thinks
that Dick is getting too careless, and that his arrogance is going to get them caught.
Perry, as opposed to his partner, doesn’t believe in a “no-clue” crime.
Meaning, he’s sure that if they aren’t careful, they’ll make a mistake that
will send the investigators right to them. This simile shows that Perry thinks
Dick is getting out of control. It’s also an interesting use of imagery, as the
kite is representative of Dick’s rash behavior. One mistake, and the kite might
come crashing down if it isn’t lowered in time. This quote foreshadows problems
between these two partners in crime.
They obviously have very different ideas about how they should be
acting. Perry wants to get as far away from Kansas as possible, and start over
in another country, while Dick doesn’t see the reason to. He thinks that there’s
no way the murders can possibly be linked to them. Their personalities are sure
to clash later in the book, and I think that’s what will be their downfall.
“Gosh, what
will become of her? ... I suppose they’ll sell her. Wouldn’t Nancy hate that?
Wouldn’t she be furious?” (Capote,
Pages 94-95)
To be perfectly honest, I had trouble finding rhetorical devices
in the second section that weren’t similes and metaphors. But then I remembered
old Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, the three ways to convince an audience of
something. And I had remembered this specific quote. I remembered feeling a new
wage of anger come over me as I was forced to hear Nancy’s best friend talk
about her death. It was heartbreaking to hear her reminisce about the things
they used to do together. I hated
hearing about how one family’s death had impacted so many lives, from the
people of the town, to Nancy’s old horse, Babe, who this quote is referring to.
This quote is a fantastic use of Pathos. Pathos is the power to make the
audience feel a certain way about the topic, like determination, sadness, or,
in this case, anger. It reminds the audience of the impact the killings had on
the people of the town, and makes the readers want justice for the Clutters. Capote
is great at being able to switch the audience’s loyalty between the Clutters,
Perry, and eventually Dewey and the other investigators. This quote shows us
that no matter how much we may sympathize with Perry, what he did was wrong,
and he and Dick hurt countless lives by ending four.
“Impressions
I Garnered from this Letter” (Capote, Pages 143-145)
One of the most interesting parts of the second section for me was
Barbara’s letter to Perry, and Willie-Jay’s evaluation of it. I think it’s a
great way of showing Perry’s admiration of Willie-Jay, and his hatred of his
sister. Keep in mind that we’re reading this through Perry’s perspective, and
right now, Perry is in jail. He wrote a letter to his sister, trying to repair
his relationship with her, and what he gets back is a letter, “written in
between motherly duties,” outlining how structured and happy her life is. She
tells him that any and all bad things he’s done in his life are his own fault,
and that he shouldn’t blame anyone but himself, all in a polite, “pleasingly
legible script.” I was mad for Perry, until I read Willie-Jay’s annotation of
the letter. His criticism of her letter looks between the lines, expressing her
real emotions and reasons for writing him a letter. He outlines times when her
temper rises and we see her resentment, and even jealousy. I love the fact that
Capote included these letters in the book. They give us insight into Perry’s
respect for Willy-Jay, and his loathing of his sister. Willie-Jay’s analysis,
or annotation, of her letter has been one of the best moments in the book so
far, in my opinion, and I’m glad we got to see first-hand why Perry looked up
to Willie-Jay so much.
Do you see any foreshadowing in part two of this book? Repetition or idioms?
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