So why is Truman Capote (the author) taking so long to actually get to the part of the murder? Is it to torture the reader or leave him on edge? No, this is not the case. In order to grasp the reasoning as to why Capote decides to dawdle, one must look at the other part of the title: "... and its Consequences." What the author of this feature article is doing, is describing things before the murder so the audience will later grasp the effects it had on places and people.
In the first section he describes the town of Holcomb in great depth. He explains that it is a "lonesome area (P. 3)," that people's accents have a "prairie twang (P. 3)," and that people felt so safe "they seldom...locked their doors (P.5)."He also implies that it is pretty abandoned, as even the bank is no longer running. Yet, it is evident that this is about to change, as he says that "until one morning in mid-November of 1959, few Americans - in fact, few Kansans - had ever heard of Holcomb (P. 5)." The morning he's talking about is probably the morning after the night of the murder, which marked a change for the town.
In the second section, Capote describes the Clutter family. He does so in such depth that it seems odd at first. He explains that Herbert William Clutter is married to Bonnie Fox and they have four children: three girls and one boy. The family seems pretty normal. His daughter, Nancy, even uses the common fallacy of appeal to popularity (ad populum), asking her parents to let her go to a "Spook Show" because "all her friends were going (P.8)." Capote not only describes the family, but also the house and the land. The house was designed by Mr. Clutter, with a white exterior and with carpet-covered floors inside. The land consisted of 3,800 acres on which crops such as wheat, milo seed, and certified grass seed were harvested. Capote also adds that there were also animals living on this land.
Although Capotes description is very thorough, I noticed that he never mentions the vicinity of many people. On the contrary, there is barely anybody there with the Clutters. "Other than a housekeeper who came in on weekdays," Capote says, "the Clutters employed no household help (P. 9)." Later on, he adds that "the Stoeckleins... lived in a house not a hundred yards from the main house; except for them, the Clutters had no neighbors within half a mile (P. 12)."So the social interactions the Clutters had were definitely not many. I'm not sure, but this could - or could not - be some sort of foreshadowing aid Capote is giving us. Aside from that, he never actually says exactly who was killed -except for Mr. Clutter, who Capote says is living his last day. Yet, I'm almost certain it will be Mr. Clutter and his family. Capote says six people were killed; and, well... there's Mr. Clutter... his wife... their three daughters... and their only son. That adds to six, doesn't it?
In the first section he describes the town of Holcomb in great depth. He explains that it is a "lonesome area (P. 3)," that people's accents have a "prairie twang (P. 3)," and that people felt so safe "they seldom...locked their doors (P.5)."He also implies that it is pretty abandoned, as even the bank is no longer running. Yet, it is evident that this is about to change, as he says that "until one morning in mid-November of 1959, few Americans - in fact, few Kansans - had ever heard of Holcomb (P. 5)." The morning he's talking about is probably the morning after the night of the murder, which marked a change for the town.
In the second section, Capote describes the Clutter family. He does so in such depth that it seems odd at first. He explains that Herbert William Clutter is married to Bonnie Fox and they have four children: three girls and one boy. The family seems pretty normal. His daughter, Nancy, even uses the common fallacy of appeal to popularity (ad populum), asking her parents to let her go to a "Spook Show" because "all her friends were going (P.8)." Capote not only describes the family, but also the house and the land. The house was designed by Mr. Clutter, with a white exterior and with carpet-covered floors inside. The land consisted of 3,800 acres on which crops such as wheat, milo seed, and certified grass seed were harvested. Capote also adds that there were also animals living on this land.
Although Capotes description is very thorough, I noticed that he never mentions the vicinity of many people. On the contrary, there is barely anybody there with the Clutters. "Other than a housekeeper who came in on weekdays," Capote says, "the Clutters employed no household help (P. 9)." Later on, he adds that "the Stoeckleins... lived in a house not a hundred yards from the main house; except for them, the Clutters had no neighbors within half a mile (P. 12)."So the social interactions the Clutters had were definitely not many. I'm not sure, but this could - or could not - be some sort of foreshadowing aid Capote is giving us. Aside from that, he never actually says exactly who was killed -except for Mr. Clutter, who Capote says is living his last day. Yet, I'm almost certain it will be Mr. Clutter and his family. Capote says six people were killed; and, well... there's Mr. Clutter... his wife... their three daughters... and their only son. That adds to six, doesn't it?
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