The death penalty is a strong sentencing and should be carefully decided upon for appropriate crimes. What Dick Hickock and Perry Smith did was not by any means in the lines for this severe of a punishment. Perry and Dick deserve mercy of the court because of mental illnesses, childhood traumas, and lack of consciousness during their actions. One reason Perry and Dick deserve mercy of the court is the fact they both have mental illnesses. Perry has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, is also mentally crazy, and experiences dissociation; therefore he is hardly in control of many of his actions. The psychologist stated “Perry Smith shows definite signs of severe mental illness” (Capote, 296). Also, “The inappropriate force of his anger …show more content…
and lack of ability to control or channel it reflect a primary weakness of personality structure…” (Capote, 297).
Dick had brain damage caused by a concussion as well as a character disorder. Dick is also known for his impulsive decisions, not thinking of the consequences they may have. He is addicted to stealing and nothing will stop him until he gets what he wants. Dick is emotionally detached and cannot very well have sympathy for his actions on other people, this is why he can so easily do the things he does without feeling guilt. Another reason Perry and Dick deserve mercy of the court is because of childhood trauma, but this mainly has to do with only Perry. Perry was deprived of an education and was abused by his dad. His mom became an alcoholic, but before that Perry knew she had a thing with many men that she brought home and ‘entertained’. Perry’s mom eventually died by choking on her own throw up. His family basically abandoned him and he was abused by nuns and other caretakers he had while he was in and out of places to stay. “Perry was a pretty happy kid until his father started brutally beating his mother, who took to drinking and promiscuity. he ended up in a series of orphanages and Salvation Army homes, where he was beaten for …show more content…
wetting the bed and tortured by the overseers”, (Capote). The lack of nurturing that Perry got when he was a kid as well as the beatings he received and the denial of education all contributed to the fact that Perry grew up to become a murder. When someone is beaten they obviously often times suffer trauma and how they handle it depends on that person. Some people who are abused as kids either grow up to become the same way because it’s all they’ve ever known or they want to take out on other people what was done to them. Other people who are abused may grow up to be very quiet and reserved, not often talk about it and remain damaged for the rest of their life, possibly having to go to counseling or other specialists to receive treatment or evaluation for PTSD. The denial of education also made Perry a bitter person. Perry believed he was highly intelligent and could have easily made it somewhere in the world if he would have been given the opportunity to show off that he was not as dumb as everyone seemed to think he was and made him out to be as stated here by Perry himself, “You think I like myself? Oh, the man I could have been! But that bastard never gave me a chance. He wouldn't let me go to school. O. K. O. K. I was a bad kid. But the time came I begged to go to school. I happen to have a brilliant mind. In case you don't know. A brilliant mind and talent plus. But no education, because he didn't want me to learn anything, only how to tote and carry for him. Dumb. That's the way he wanted me to be. So that I could never escape him” (Capote, 115). Lastly, Perry and Dick deserve mercy of the court because of their lack of consciousness during their actions.
For example, “Spells of helplessness occurred, moments when he "remembered things"—blue light exploding in a black room, the glass eyes of a big toy bear—and when voices, a particular few words, started nagging his mind: "Oh, no! No, please! No! No! No! No! Oh, please don't, please!" and certain sounds returned—a silver dollar rolling across a floor, boot steps on hardwood stairs, and the sounds of breathing, the gasps, the hysterical inhalations of a man with a severed windpipe,” (Capote, 68). This is when the psychologist said that Perry was dissociated. Perry had no idea he slit Mr. Clutter's throat until he heard him gasping underneath him. "The murderous potential can become activated, especially if some disequilibrium is already present, when the victim-to-be is unconsciously perceived as a key figure in some past traumatic configuration” (Capote). This is when Perry became even more distraught and proceeded to shoot the other members of the family scattered throughout the household. Dick basically stood back and watched this unfold, proving to Perry he was nothing more than a
coward. Perry and Dick deserve mercy of the court because of mental illnesses, childhood traumas, and lack of consciousness during their actions. Perry should not be sentenced to death but be admitted to a mental facility where they can actually help him with his mental illnesses and try to get them straightened out as best as possible so if he does have the chance of getting out he is not threat to society. Dick should go to jail because although he does have mental illnesses as you could say they are not as severe as Perry’s as he has more of an idea of what he’s doing. He should be sentenced but have a chance of parole. Neither of the men deserve the death penalty.
If Dick and Perry grew up on the River Valley Farm they would’ve been more disciplined and they would’ve been happier. They are both crazy and murderous because
Perry was a really nice guy and I think that he just got mixed in with the wrong
Dick Hickock was the twisted individual who planned the invasion into the Clutter’s home and pushed for the gruesome policy of “no witnesses.” Unlike his partner in crime, Perry, Capote wrote Dick as an utterly unlikeable man with seemingly no redeeming qualities, no glimpse of humanity, and, above all, no feelings of regret. A court psychiatrist surmises that Dick suffers from “ a severe character disorder” which causes him to “seems obviously uninfluenced by [his moral standards] in his actions, [have] a pathological inability to form and hold enduring personal attachments”, “cannot tolerate feelings of frustration as a more normal person can”, have “a very low self-esteem”, and makes Hickock “feel inferior to others and sexually inadequate…these
When first describing Dick and Perry, Capote describes dick as “an athlete constructed on a welterweight scale. The tattooed face of a cat, blue and grinning, covered his right hand…More markings…ornamented his arms and torso.” The metaphor comparing Dick to a welterweight athlete gives the perception that Dick is a mean looking guy. Basically, what a stereotypical criminal looks like; and that is exactly what Dick is. At the end of the passage, after describing Dick’s car colli...
He is the character that most sympathized with because of his past. He never had a connection with his alcoholic mother and siblings. His parents never gave him the love, direction, and the moral values that children need from their parents. This contributed to his behavior. While Perry was testifying, Dr. Jones characterized him with severe mental illness. He mentions that Perry has “paranoid orientation toward the world,” (Capote 297). He goes into further detail by mentioning that Perry “is suspicious and distrustful towards others, tends to feel that others discriminate against him, and feels that others are unfair to him and do not understand him,” (Capote 297). It is completely understandable why Perry would think like this. He was treated horrendously by the nuns in the orphanage and when he lived with his family. Since Perry never had anything good happen to him growing up, he feels like he has to take out his frustration on people who are good. Vengeance for what he did not receive. While in court, Perry mentions why he killed the Clutter family, “It wasn’t because of anything the Clutters did. They never hurt me. Like other people. Like people all my life. Maybe it’s just that the Clutters were the ones who had to pay for it,” (Capote 290). Dr. Jones diagnosis Perry as a paranoid
Dick’s character could possibly represent the “evil” throughout the story because of his violent tendencies and lack of remorse and Perry can be seen as the “good,” because there are several parts in the novel that show him both questioning and at times displaying disgust towards Dick’s actions, along with feeling guilty for what they had done. While they were heading to their next destination, Mexico City, Perry stated, “I think there must be something wrong with us. To do what we did”, causing Dick to retaliate even though he initially didn’t realize what Perry was referring to (Capote 108). The fact that Dick didn’t know what Perry was talking about indicates that had chosen to not pay much mind to the whole situation and that he didn’t feel as guilt-ridden as Perry. The author later notes, “they’d agreed, sort of, not to talk about the goddam thing. Just forget it,” further backing up the previous idea (Capote
On pages 265-266 of Capote’s novel, In Cold Blood, Capote writes about Perry’s imprisonment, more specifically Perry’s mental health, or lack thereof. Capote uses an ominous tone to convey the predicament Perry was in and portray the mental instability possessed by Perry. Capote first discusses a failed escape plan of Perry’s that consisted of throwing a document with a detailed rescue plan down to two men who often gathered below his window, thinking that they were there for him. However, as soon as he created the document, the men stopped coming. The strangeness of this scenario pushed Perry to question his sanity. Regarding this, Capote says, “a notion that he ‘might not be normal, maybe insane’ troubled him” (Capote 265). When Capote says that these issues
There is no coincidence in the definition and Dr. Jones' description because the truth is that Perry is utterly, and unconsciously mad. Perry, in his madness, commits acts so inhumane that it chills as well as perplexes the reader. However, it is essential to understand what Perry's madness was and how his previous experiences can possibly justify his actions. During his childhood, Perry experienced and was marked by brutality and lack of concern on the part of both parents (Capote 296). Dr. Jones gives a very detailed description of Perry's behavior.
Admitting to only befriending Perry because “he had beaten a colored man to death” (Capote 109) is evidence of the perverted mind of Dick, which discredits any notion of having good intentions behind any of his actions. Capote included this confession because if his judgment of character is based solely off of the ability to commit heinous crimes then there is not a whole lot of good light being shed upon his own character. Furthermore, Dick goes on to attack Perry in his mind thinking there’s “something wrong with Little Perry” (108). Since Capote has already attempted to establish a general liking and sympathy towards Perry, he hopes the reader will be close-minded towards Dick and dislike him more for being so rude.
The whole “robbery” was planned by Dick, the drive was planned by Dick, and even the cover up process was his idea. Although he wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger, Dick is equally responsible for the Clutter family murder as Perry. It would take a horrible person to murder a family, but it takes a vial beast to plan, examine, organize, and operate the murder. Dick grew up with loving parents who were no poorer than any other family in the neighborhood. According to both him and his parents, he was a good kid who did well in school and lettered in nine sports. Similar to Perry, he feels cheated in life and is willing to do anything he must to get what he deserves. Along with this, he has zero insight on how to life a normal life. Dick is the type of person to act on his impulses. He 's likes to have a good time and live in the moment. His aspirations are easy money and easy women. With this, he seems to have no ability to weigh the consequences of his actions, and he will do whatever it takes to get his way. This type of momentary reaction is prone to lead a life of “poor decision.” If he’s in need of money, he will write a few bad checks or maybe steal from a store. If this jig wasn’t plentiful enough, he hitches a ride with a stranger to basically rob and kill everyone in the car. Dick was known for being a terrible person as one man stated, “Dick Hickock! Don 't talk to me about
Being defined by nature or nurture. Isn't enough to make finally decisions about one person. But for some it just might be. Perry Smith had an abusive past. It seems to still haunt him when he looks back on it. But that justify his crimes in anyway. Perry seems to have handles himself very well about the past ,but that isn't enough. Perry Smith on the night of November 15, 1959 was at a point where he made a choice that would affect him for the rest of his life. Perry deep down believes Mr. Clutter is a nice gentlemen and even says so. Yet his actions were done out of the natural nature to him. He then ends up cutting his throat, followed by shooting the rest of his family brutally. In this case, it clearly shows Perry smith as someone who takes up in the naturally
killers. He does not completely integrated his opinion on the events or the court process. But, Capote seems less interested in Dick than Perry. Actually, Dick lived in a warm family, got some athlete awards in high school, and was sastified in his normal sex life, but in fact, he was irresponsible and without humanity. ( Capote 108, 172) In contrast, Perry's interior life won more favored of the author than Dick. Capote engages extensive attention to Perry's troubled chilhood and youth, including a broken family, two siblings suiside, and the accident that left him with disabled legs. Capote supposes that Perry was more innocent than Dick because Dick prepared
In Italy, after he begins his affair with Rosemary, Dick is disillusioned with her. He finds that Rosemary belongs to other people. In his disillusionment, his thoughts turn to Nicole, and how she is still "his girl - too often he was sick at heart about her, yet she was his girl" (213). Rosemary is no longer his possession solely and this cracks his surface. He returns to his love for Nicole like a guard, because he is weak without it. He refers to it as "an obscuring dye" (217). He is Nicole, and Nicole is he, and at this point the line between them has been blurred to bring them together. Dick does not realize that as much as he believes Nicole depends on him, he is dependent on her. He depends on her neediness to define him. Dick knows, however, that Nicole is important to him and that the thought "that she should die, sink into mental darkness, love another man, made him physically sick"(217). Not only is this excellent foreshadowing on Fitzgerald's part, but it gives us a measure just how dependent Dick is. Physical illness is uncontrollable. If even the thought makes causes him to have psychosomatic symptoms, it is imaginable what the actuality would bring. Dick needs Nicole badly, more so than ever at this point.
The complete loss of control over Nicole and over her illness is the ultimate demise of Dick. "She hated the beach, resented the places where she had played planet to Dick's sun. Why I'm almost complete, I'm practically standing alone, without him"(321). Nicole's realization of her freedom leads her away from Dick, and his only success was in the end his greatest failure, the loss of love of his wife and his loss of the life he knew.
Unfortunately, the Peterson's case is not unique. Their case is only an example of one of a million crimes that are committed daily in which the death penalty could be applicable to punish the perpetrators and therefore stop them before they attack, kill, rape, or rob another victim. However, not all of the murderers or serial killers are captured; and most of the time, it takes many years to get enough evidence to give closure to their innocent victims and their families.