Perry Capote Rhetorical Analysis

Capote’s use of colorful imagery puts the reader into Perry’s shoes, giving them a new perspective of the complexity of Perry’s mind and emotions. Perry’s dream begins with a clear image of himself, center stage under a spotlight at a nightclub. Despite the audience’s lack of attentiveness and enthusiasm, Perry begins to play. The descriptions Capote gives of Perry transport the reader into the audience at the performance, allowing them to experience his emotions and hear the music playing. “…Wearing a white top hat and a white tuxedo…playing…a harmonica, a guitar, a banjo, [the] drums, sang…and tap-danced up a short flight of…steps” (pg.319). This quote paints a clear picture of a theatre professional at a typical night show, but this one

is different. There is no applause or response to his performance, reinforcing Perry’s intense feelings of loneliness that he already felt in reality.

As Perry looks into the audience, waiting for any acknowledgement of the performance, he realizes that no one in the crowd is capable of responding. They are all helpless and emotionless, stuck in the eternity of death, a harsh reality that Perry would be facing soon. Capote then guides the reader out of Perry’s dream and into the nightmare that he is living. The strong descriptions in this passage make Perry’s rage towards his father evident, although the reader catches a glimpse of humanity when Perry clings onto the appreciation of being able to feel emotion at all. “...But his mind preserved it, for the few crude words had resurrected him emotionally...and reminded him that he was still...alive” (pg. 320). This scene captures Perry in a vulnerable state of mind, portraying to the readers that he is still human and that he still has feelings. This increases the reader’s sympathy for Perry because it is human nature to attach emotions, guilt and a sense of fairness to everything. When the reader gets a glimpse of Perry aching to feel alive while he can, it makes them want to fight for his life because they are experiencing his remorse with

him.
Capote utilizes symbolism throughout this passage in order to further explore the depths of Perry’s mind. A big bird is mentioned in Perry’s dreams prior to this passage and is reoccurring in his dreams. Perry always dreamed of the bird taking him away in times of trouble, therefore symbolizing his escape from reality. The bird could be interpreted in many ways, but for Perry it is a guardian angel. Whenever he is stressed or in trouble, the bird swoops in and saves him, an experience he does not often encounter in reality. In this passage, Perry refers to the bird in his dreams as Jesus. The common Christian belief is that Jesus is the savior, and he will guide his people out of trouble. So in Perry’s subconscious mind, he feels as if Jesus is his last hope to save him from himself. The stairway to heaven is often portrayed as golden steps, much like the ones that Perry tap-danced up in his dream. As he dances up the stairs, he is approaching death. At the top of these stairs, Perry is presented with his execution, and his eyes are opened to the spirits in the crowd who had already faced his fate. The color gold is frequently associated with the afterlife and heaven, in the bible and elsewhere. The the symbolism in Perry’s dream of his impending death, the reader gets a wakeup call that Perry’s fate in nearing. This invokes an intense emotional response from the reader due to the strong emotional connection established to Perry throughout the novel and passage after the constant reinforcement of sympathy for him. This creates even more sympathy towards Perry because the sense of helplessness both Perry and the reader feel in this scene only reminds the reader that his demise is inevitable.