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Essay / Fact rather than fiction: Capote's nonfiction innovation in In Cold Blood -fictional,” a type of experimental journalism that combines the fluidity and continuity of a novel with the facts and sources of a work of nonfiction while retaining the attractions of both formats. The story revolves around the murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, in 1959, at the hands of Richard "Dick" Hickock and Perry Edward Smith, two seemingly opposite men whose greed ultimately leads to their downfall, with dialogue, a story and facts. evidence to flesh out the beginning, middle and end of the truth surrounding the parody. As the thrill of uncovering the hidden truth brings to life what would otherwise be a bland newspaper article, the novel slowly uncovers the errors, deceptions, and half-truths that engulf the mystery of the Clutter family's end. It is easy to forget that the characters and events in the story were and are real due to the notion of a fantasy or purely imaginary novel, but Capote's use of pathos, imagery, and atmosphere to elaborate on the Clutter case using his experimental non-fiction novel as a means of presenting the fruits of his research, he instills in the audience that the characters, events, and impacts of the murder are actually real. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssayCapote uses pathos throughout the novel to accentuate the reality of the murder and the people involved in it to bring life to history beyond mere printed words. pages, paying particular attention to Perry's life story to create sympathy and pity for someone who would otherwise be deplorable given his situation, which then segues into observations about other characters. While each section of the novel creates a sense of connection between the audience and the characters through the extensive use of pathos, Capote strategically targets Perry, a man the reader knows is guilty of murder, and surrounds his character of a tragic story: “I was I was afraid because I thought my father was going to hurt me. . . [She] was beating me furiously with a big black leather belt - pulling me out of bed by my hair and dragging me to the bathroom and throwing me in the bathtub and turning on the cold water. . .” (Capote 274). His childhood chronicles an abusive and loveless relationship with his parents as the missing piece to the puzzle of his mental illnesses, justifying his current state of mind by developing his character into a pitiable one. However, Capote strongly reiterates that while Perry's devastating childhood may have led to his current temper, it is not an excuse or an attempt to escape punishment. This helplessness the audience feels as they are torn between pity or disappointment in Perry creates a sense of sympathy for his situation due to the inevitability of the hand he has been dealt; this plight draws sympathy from the audience, thus making Perry a tragic character that readers can relate to because of his very human reaction to his scars. His non-clichéd past of violence and neglect are flaws in his character, and since humans are naturally flawed in real life in various ways, Perry's own flaws give him an air of realism. Unlike characters in other novels who seem too good to be true, Capote illustrates Perry as a broken but loyal man who respectshis own questionable morals. Because of his imperfections, the audience can relate to him in such a way that they are constantly reminded that he was a real person with real feelings and, ultimately, a real death. This makes the audience question and think about the reasoning behind why someone could possibly take another's life; To what extent was the murderer, Perry, driven to consider killing? These questions and the flaws that gave rise to them contribute to the audience's relationship with Perry, because he also feels emotions like the audience. Unlike other characters in novels who are only fantasy, Perry was actually a real person who lived life like the audience, albeit a stranger to the joys of life, and readers are constantly reminded of this through his flaws, his thoughts and his errors that developed. from Capote's pathetic description. Vivid imagery is a major part of Capote's novel because of its ability to captivate audiences in its astonishing descriptions and situations that shock them into their reality, a factor that is usually lost in novels but is not not. in In Cold Blood. The information contained in the highly descriptive images that Capote combines with the text creates a feeling of surrealism, as if the reader is looking at them through the eyes of the characters themselves. Instead of simple two-dimensional visions of the text, Capote reminds the audience that his novel is not fiction by appealing to our senses when he writes at Clutter's funeral: "The four coffins, which completely filled the little parlor filled of flowers. , had to be sealed at the funeral - which is entirely understandable, because despite the care taken with the appearance of the victims, the effect achieved was disturbing. Nancy wore her cherry red velvet dress, her brother a brightly colored plaid shirt; the parents were dressed more soberly, Mr. Clutter in navy flannel, his wife in navy crepe; and - and it was above all this which gave the scene a horrible aura - everyone's head was entirely wrapped in cotton, an inflated cocoon twice the size of an ordinary inflated balloon, and the cotton, because it had been pulverized. with a shiny substance, sparkling like snow from a Christmas tree” (95). The reader is overcome with a sense of dread when reading "victims" and "head" due to the fact that they knew the family was a murder victim who had been shot in the head. The image of a horrific mass funeral enters the reader's mind as they read the overly descriptive text, a scene where each of the four heads is covered with a layer of cotton to shield their gruesome injuries from public view . The atmosphere is dark and sad; the family is dressed in pretty clothes despite their grotesque shapes, almost as if to mock the people they miss and wish they were still alive. As the audience replays this scene in their heads, they realize the undeniable fact that other characters, real people as well, were greatly affected by this funeral and the Clutters' deaths. The somber mood that reigns over the funeral and its images is almost palpable, a stark contrast to the dynamism of the family during its lifetime; readers take this in and unconsciously take in the small details: the reactions of those around them, the gruesome descriptions of their corpses, the funeral service, the specific words used to illustrate the event and, above all, the brooding atmosphere of the imagery invokes. Eventually, these little snippets add up, and suddenly and shockingly, the audience realizes the effect that the deaths of the Clutter family had on others around them. This to them.
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