tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9000858.post7905313894308081456..comments2023-01-27T13:00:06.764-05:00Comments on Eclectic Indulgence... classic literature reviews: Review: In Cold Blood by Truman CapoteEclectic Indulgencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773640906287038956noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9000858.post-67891604277473272532011-04-23T07:21:11.040-04:002011-04-23T07:21:11.040-04:00Thanks for your review, I've been recommended ...Thanks for your review, I've been recommended by a friend to read this (after not enjoying Summer Crossing) but it sounds like I'd enjoy this one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9000858.post-22903279360199322572011-04-23T04:35:14.492-04:002011-04-23T04:35:14.492-04:00Hopping on through. I have In Cold Blood on my TBR...Hopping on through. I have In Cold Blood on my TBR as I found the film Capote really quite interesting.Elliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14377404526123600035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9000858.post-2105167118861233482011-04-15T22:42:00.964-04:002011-04-15T22:42:00.964-04:00Hi-I review a lot of classics also
Hi-I am just h...Hi-I review a lot of classics also<br /><br />Hi-I am just hopping by to say Hello- <a href="http://www.rereadinglives.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">The Reading Life</a>. I return all follows and comments Mel uMel uhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08714473754458914681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9000858.post-60819763271552346072011-03-31T12:58:14.599-04:002011-03-31T12:58:14.599-04:00I really need to read something by Truman Capote. ...I really need to read something by Truman Capote. I think it's amazing that Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood were written by the same person. They seem so different... On a different note, I'm more interested in the relationship between Perry Smith and Truman Capote.Darlyn (Your Move, Dickens)https://www.blogger.com/profile/00979296421309409564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9000858.post-54607240752887615742011-03-31T08:01:41.622-04:002011-03-31T08:01:41.622-04:00I had no idea Capote wrote anything like this (I&#...I had no idea Capote wrote anything like this (I've yet to read him).<br /><br />Not sure it's a subject I'm interested in reading (although 20 yrs ago while studying psychology I would have ate it up). But I enjoyed reading your great review on a fascinating book.Monicahttp://inknchai.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9000858.post-92020657519363853802011-03-29T22:48:21.776-04:002011-03-29T22:48:21.776-04:00From Phil - from our book club:
In Cold Blood is ...From Phil - from our book club:<br /><br />In Cold Blood is based on the brutal murder that took place in Kansas over 60 years ago. The victims were 4 members of the Clutter family. The perpetrators, Dick and Perry, are two career criminals who befriended each other during a period in jail. The murders are savagely committed to a family that seemed blameless, headed by the eminent Mr. Clutter, a self-made, God-fearing, honest and devoted husband and father.<br />Capote’s writing style leaves the reader captivated when outlining the sequence of events that lead to the tragedy. The book starts off by highlighting all those elements of the Clutter’s personal and social lives that remind the reader that these were real human beings, with their hopes, dreams, fears, idiosyncrasies, and defects. This introduction gives the reader the feeling that they know the Clutters personally, or at least can identify closely with their day to day lives. But while recounting these personal details, Capote intermittently reminds the reader that this family will soon meet a premature and unnatural death; he does this at times with cryptic hints, at other times with explicit references. This feeling of getting to know the Clutters, while knowing that at any moment they will be slaughtered, prevented me from putting the book down; every time I turned the page I expected the climactic event to take place. And when it does, the reader is shocked by the sheer wickedness of the act.<br /><br />Capote’s portrayal of the perpetrators of this crime also attests to his excellent writing. The reader is brought into the mental universe of both Perry and Dick, and is initially led to believe that the former, despite being a career criminal, has some compassion in him. Meanwhile, Dick appears to be the cold hearted criminal with an utter lack of any sense of decency and moral compass. These psychological profiles, which are based on the actual individuals, gave me the impression that Dick slaughtered the Clutters, while Perry helplessly watched. And then the reader discovers that the real killer was Perry. This comes as a shock, because Capote’s portrayal of Perry—a man with a troubled childhood who simply seemed to fall through the cracks—left me sympathetic for this unfortunate young man.<br /><br />When reading about the details of the actual murder, the sense of injustice, and the wish for vengeance, is strong. The killers ultimately receive the death sentence for their crime, and when they are sentenced to hang, I must admit that a part of me felt like this sentence was justified. But this conflicted with my opposition to the death penalty. I have intellectually sound reasons for opposing the death penalty, and yet at moments I could not help thinking that in this case, it was justified. <br /><br />The book also raises existential questions about freedom and responsibility. During the trial, there are reports produced by psychologists that provide detailed psychological analysis of the killers. One is especially struck with the profile on Perry. It outlines his utterly abusive parents which undoubtedly damaged Perry and his siblings. Indeed, two of Perry siblings commit suicide, while Perry drifted into a peripatetic life of crime and violence. If we assume that Perry’s homicidal act was rooted in the unfortunate event in the past, then it suggests that he was not fully responsible for his crime. But this brings up complex philosophical problems about the character of freedom. Are our decisions a result of long ago events that remain indelibly embedded in our unconscious mental life and adversely impact our capacity for moral decision making? The detailed psychological profile of Perry does not answer this question, but it leaves one wondering about whether he was truly able to act differently than he did.Eclectic Indulgencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09773640906287038956noreply@blogger.com