Truman Capote Perry Analysis

Although Perry is a corrupt killer, Truman Capote characterizes him as a complex individual that still holds on to dreams and desires even after a tough past, giving Perry a child-like naivety that makes his contradicting action of murder seem more incredible, therefore Capote exhibits how an abusive past can result in a fall from innocence.
Difficulty has been rooted inside Perry since childhood. Capote highlights the inadequacy of the past lifestyle of Perry starting at the beginning of his problems when Perry quotes “Six of us riding in an old truck, sleeping in it too, sometimes, living off of mush Hershey kisses and condensed milk...which is what weakened my kidneys---the sugar content---which is why I was always wetting the bed” (Capote 131). Imagery is intentionally used to describe Perry’s early lifestyle. This way of life is not deemed ¨acceptable¨ in society due to the lack of a permanent shelter and food. This poor way of life was brought onto Perry by his caregivers: his parents, utilizing the fact that they raised their children in a improper and careless way, providing proof of a troublesome past.

In explaining the whereabouts of Perry’s family, Capote includes, “Fern, the other daughter, jumped out of a window of a San Francisco hotel. (Perry had ever since ‘tried to believe she slipped,’ for he’d loved Fern. She was ‘such a sweet person’ so ‘artistic’ a ‘terrific’ dancer, and she could sing too,” (Capote 110-111). Capote utilizes amplification when describing Fern, adding pleasant qualities to her stature. Not only does this prove that Perry has the potential to love, but also shows how highly he valued his sister when increasing her attributes. This gives Perry a likeable and pleasant facet, therefore contradicting his cold and killer nature and exhibiting the complexity of his