In Cold Blood (Truman Capote)
How did this book succeed so much that it did?
This was my original thought before reading this novel, but when I put time in this novel, it felt exhilarating to first handedly witness the crime in action.
This is a nonfiction novel by Truman Capote that tells the story of the 1959 family murders, by Perry Smith and Dick Hickock in the state of Kansas.
The well recognized writer of this novel goes by the name of Truman Capote, and he uses his skill for the delivery of a classic horror scene. He put in a years work of just research alone to get the novel’s story just right.
The audience intended was meant to feel creeped and jittery. This novel was written as an historical true crime that is supposed to appeal to the basic student who wants to be deprived of school and get lost in the words of the author’s work.
The context of this book perfectly reflects the author's work with journalism and literature. He paints a colorful picture of the simplistic lifestyle in rural Kansas in the mid-20th Century.
What were some rhetorical strategies that the author used to portray the novel with how it was intended?
Alliteration is repetition of the first sound in a word.
Anaphora is when the same word is repeated at the beginning of the next phrase for emphasis.
Euphemisms are replacement words that are selected to take the place of things that are unpleasant to discuss.
Erotesis is asking rhetorical questions.
Litotes are double negatives that are used to understate the truth.
Metaphors directly compares two objects that are not alike.
Simile's compare two objects that are not alike using 'like' or 'as' to connect them.
Zeugma is using a verb or an adjective to describe two different objects in completely different ways.
All these rhetorical devices were used in this novel; the following are examples extracted from the situations in the book.
Alliteration: The narrator talks about Perry's dreams for his future as they are traveling across the country after the murders occurred, "Prospecting for gold, skin-diving for sunken treasure - these were but two of the projects Perry had ardently proposed."
Anaphora: 'When it comes to murder, you can't respect grief. Or privacy. Or personal feelings."
Euphemisms: "She was 'nervous,' she suffered 'little spells' - such were the sheltering expressions used by those close to her. Not that the truth concerning 'poor Bonnie's afflictions' was in the least a secret; everyone knew she had been an on-and-off psychiatric patient the last half-dozen years." Those words describe Bonnie's disorder better than a un-mature description.
Erotesis: "Am I sorry? If that's what you mean - I'm not. I don't feel anything about it. I wish I did. But nothing about it bothers me a bit. . . Why? Soldiers don't lose much sleep."
Litotes: "The mood of a man insuring his life is not unlike that of a man signing his will; thoughts of mortality must occur,"
Metaphor: "He and Dick were 'running a race without a finish line' - that was how it struck him."
Simile: "It was as though his head had been halved like an apple, then put together a fraction off center."
Zeugma: "Along with Buffalo Jones, who lost his money and then his mind. . . the glamours of the past are today entombed."
The Author's Content
The author expertly included these rhetorical strategies within the novel by using its effect to relate to the situations or characters in its current event. Euphemisms was the best used rhetorical devices because because the author uses this to perfection when describing inappropriate details in his novel such as this example, “She was 'nervous,' she suffered 'little spells”. Litotes was the novels weakest rhetorical device in my opinion because its use in the novel was used inappropriately and lacked sufficiency in my eyes. I was the correct audience because to be honest, I like the horror scene when it comes to entertainment. The context was appropriate for a mature audience but was a different topic than the authors previous novel.
Did the writer stay within their expertise?
If meant by literary skill, yes. But if meant on topic, then absolutely not. Truman Capote’s first novel was written in 1958 called Breakfast at Tiffany’s and was a romantic novella. Totally different than a novel about a murdering couple of dudes.
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