In Cold Blood Part III - 3.13.15

     In Truman Capote’s non-fiction novel, In Cold Blood, we as readers learn about the horrifying murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas. After reading part three, which is named, The Answer, we learn about really what went on inside the Clutter home on November 15, 1959 and the journey that Dick and Perry had up until they were arrested. This journey consisting of going from places like Miami, Kansas City, and Las Vegas. Their last destination on this journey was in Las Vegas; where they finally confessed about the murder of the family. Dick’s confession was, “Hickock said, ‘Perry Smith killed the Clutters.’ He lifted his head, and slowly straightened up in the chair, like a fighter staggering to his feet. ‘It was Perry. I couldn't stop him. He killed them all.’” (Capote 145) What I could get out of Dick’s confession was that he wanted to get away with the least amount of punishment possible, he was going to put his life before Perry’s. However, Perry’s confession was a lot more detailed and showed the team effort of the murders and how it began with just robbing the Clutter family to murdering all four of them. Perry describes the murders as if he is the better of the two, because he did not want to murder the family, but leave them alive. He also talked about how Dick can not control his sexual desire, and he was worried that he would end up harassing Nancy, the “All American Girl”. My reactions to these confessions (emphasizing that there were two [even though Perry’s was most likely the realistic and actual one] that somewhat matched up and supported one another) would have to be in complete shock. I was shocked that Dick and Perry succumbed to violence. The situation could have been totally avoided, from Perry’s confession we see that he was reluctant to kill the family and just wanted to leave the house and not have anything to do with what was happening.

     All in all, the confession makes me dislike the two characters even more… Dick more than Perry, though. At first I was intrigued to learn how it all went down, but when it all came down to logistics I was terrified for the family, and could not imagine the horrors that happened with this murder that occurred in the peaceful town of Holcomb.