Style and Rhetorical Elements, Part Two

“…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.