Loss of Innocence in Truman Capotes In Cold Blood Essay

All things truly wicked start from an innocence,† states Ernest Hemingway on his view of innocence. Innocence, what every youth possesses, is more accurately described as a state of unknowing but not ignorance- which connotation suggests a blissfully positive view of the world. Most youth are protected from the harsh realities of the adult world. Therefore they are able to maintain their state of innocence. While innocence normally wanes over time, sometimes innocence can be abruptly taken away. Some of the characters in Truman Capotes In Cold Blood lost their innocence due to the traumatic events they experienced in childhood and adulthood while some had none to begin with. Innocence can be stolen but the desire to return to the†¦show more content†¦Parents are supposed to shelter their children from the fraudulent outside world and keep their purity intact. Perry Smith, murderer of the Clutter family, had an upbringing that â€Å"was marked by brutality and lack of concern on the part of both parents.† Due to his childhood he â€Å"seems to have grown up without direction, and without ever having absorbed any fixed sense of moral values.† He felt no regret for murdering the family, only that he felt sorry that they were the ones â€Å" that †¦ had to pay for it.† While Dick considered Perry as innocent, â€Å"he had never been with a woman†, he believed Perry was a â€Å"natural born killer† who â€Å"attaches little real value to human life†. Perry’s tragic upbringing had turned him into a cold-blooded killer unaware of the beauty of innocence, which he so easily stole from the Clutter f amily the moment he killed them. Innocent people cannot be protected from the individual whose innocence is not present. If innocence is not present in an individual it cannot be protected. An individual of this kind makes choices that effect how corrupt they can become. Dick Hickock had a loving family, who supported and loved him as he grew up. Even though he was in a nurturing environment that protected him from the corrupt society around him, he still became a criminal. This shows that innocence, if not present in the first place, cannot be salvaged. After passing â€Å"hot checks† he was put in jail where his jealousy ofShow MoreRelated Truman Capote Essay examples1144 Words   |  5 Pagessuccumb to viewing people and objects only for face value, there are few who take a deeper look into what is actually present underneath the surface. One of these people was Truman Capote. Capote was able to take experiences from his own life and put them into words for the public to read and relate to. Truman Capote was born Truman Streckfus Persons on September 30, 1924 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (â€Å"Great† 233) His mother, Lillie Mae Faulk was married to Arch Persons. (â€Å"Great† 234†) She was the tenderRead MoreAnalysis Of John Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men And Cold Blood 1678 Words   |  7 Pagesor wrong, or if they think a certain situation is right and wrong? Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck in 1937 and In Cold Blood, written in 1966 both explore the idea of right and wrong with humanity in two comparable situations. The novels both tell like stories that convey alike ideas, but the books are written differently. In Of Mice and Men and In Cold Blood, both authors, Steinbeck and Capote, include similar themes, setting, plot, emotion, and characters, whereas they differ in specificRead MoreAdam Pesce Ap Lang In Cold Blood: ORB Project HISTORICAL CONTEXT: In Cold Blood, a 1966 book800 Words   |  4 PagesAdam Pesce Ap Lang In Cold Blood: ORB Project HISTORICAL CONTEXT: In Cold Blood, a 1966 book by author Truman Capote, tells the true story of the barbaric 1959 murders of a successful farmer from Holcomb, Kansas, Herbert Clutter, his wife, and two of their four children. When Capote was informed about the murder of these four innocent souls before the two selfish men were captured, he decided to travel to Kansas and write about the crime. Nelle Harper Lee, a childhood friend and fellow authorRead MoreAnalysis Of Truman Capote s The Cold Blood Essay1512 Words   |  7 PagesSummary: In Truman Capote‘s, In Cold Blood, the story of the 1959 Clutter Family murder is revealed. The audience is introduced to Perry Smith and Dick Hickock as they tune their car and acquire both a shotgun and a knife to rob Herbert Clutter of his â€Å"vast† fortune hidden, in what they assumed to be, a safe. Little did these men know that Herb’s fortune was hidden in the checks he used in substitute for money, and by the time they came to this realization, it was too late. What was supposed to be