Summary Herbert Clutter inspects his ranch on the morning of November 14, 1959.

That same morning, on the other side of Kansas, err! "mith meets up #ith $ic% Hic%oc%. &hile the Clutters go about their dail! business, running errands and ba%ing apple pies, Hic%oc% and "mith are tuning their car. 'fter a long drive, the! pull up to the Clutter home #ith a shotgun and %nife in hand. That morning, the bodies are discovered b! "usan Kid#ell and another of Nanc!(s friends. )nitiall!, the police are baffled. *obb! +upp is a suspect until he passes a lie detector test. 'lvin $e#e!, the K*) agent in charge of the investigation, thin%s that the %iller must be someone close to the famil!. +umor sets the small to#n of Holcomb on fire. Hartman(s Cafe is the center of numerous theories. ,ean#hile, err! and $ic% have returned to $ic%(s hometo#n of -lathe. $ic% passes some hot chec%s, and the t#o flee to ,e.ico. err! has al#a!s dreamed of finding sun%en treasure in ,e.ico. &hile the investigation in Kansas begins to methodicall! follo# up dead end leads, err! and $ic% spend some time entertaining a rich /erman tourist before the! run out of mone! in ,e.ico Cit!. &hile pac%ing to return to the states, err! goes through his personal belongings and remembers his childhood. His mother and father rode the rodeo circuit until the! had a falling out. err! #as passed from home to home as a child. No#, t#o of his three siblings have %illed themselves. The investigation of the Clutter murders seems to be heading no#here. Ho#ever, a man in the Kansas state prison at 0ansing, 1lo!d &ells, hears of the murder case. "ure that $ic% Hic%oc% is responsible, he begins to thin% of tal%ing to the authorities. ,ean#hile, $ic% and err! are hitchhi%ing in the 'merican desert. The! tr! to steal a car, but fail. *! this time, 1lo!d has confessed, and $e#e! and his team are beginning an elaborate manhunt. *efore the! are caught, $ic% and err! steal a car, return to Kansas Cit!, pass more hot chec%s, and ta%e up residence in ,iami. The! eventuall! bac%trac% to 0as 2egas, #here a police#oman recogni3es their license plate number. $ic% confesses after intense 4uestioning, and err! follo#s suit. The trial goes smoothl!, and the t#o are condemned to death. $uring a five5!ear appeals process, $ic% and err! languish in $eath +o#. err! tries to starve himself #hile $ic% #rites letters to various appeals organi3ation. The! are %ept compan! b! various appalling criminals. &hen death comes, $ic% is a#%#ard and err! is remorseful. Context Truman Capote 61974519849 #as one of the most notorious #riters of his time. *itter public feuds #ith contemporaries such as :ac%ie -nassis, Norman ,ailer, and /ore 2idal made Capote more than an author. His overt homose.ualit!, #it, and %noc%out opinions %ept him on television and in maga3ines as a ma;or personalit!. Capote did not attend college. )nstead, he published a fe# short stories and eventuall! a first novel, -ther 2oices, -ther +ooms, in 1948. ' succession of boo%s follo#ed, as did involvement #ith the stage and film. )n 1958 he #rote *rea%fast at Tiffan!(s. 1inall!, after almost ten !ears living in <urope, he returned to the =nited "tates in the late 195>s hoping to compose #hat he termed ?an epic nonfiction novel.? )n Cold *lood #as that boo%. )n 1959, Capote noticed a small ne#spaper item describing the m!sterious murder of a Kansas ranch famil! of four. He decided that this might be the perfect stor! for him to #rite about. 1ive !ears of intense research follo#ed, during #hich time Capote became ver! close to the t#o murderers, +ichard <ugene Hic%oc% and err! <d#ard "mith. He tal%ed to the to#nspeople of Holcomb,

#here the murders #ere committed, and nearb! /arden Cit!. He follo#ed the police investigation and the eventual appeals process until the e.ecution of Hic%oc% and "mith in 19@5. $uring intervie#s he never too% notes or used a tape recorderA instead he #as able to transcribe the intervie#s from memor!, a s%ill he had been practicing for !ears. The result, published in :anuar! 19@@, #as a long and highl! acclaimed novel, a success criticall! and commerciall!. )t is a favorite among schoolchildren and inmates ali%e. 'ccording to Capote, ever! #ord of )n Cold *lood is true. 'nd Capote himself never appears in the boo%. He believed that the %e! to good ;ournalism #as ma%ing the author invisible. Characters err! <d#ard "mith 5 'long #ith $ic%, one of the t#o murderers of the Clutter famil!. He is a short man, #ith a large torso but small legs. His legs #ere badl! in;ured in a motorc!cle accident. He #ants ver! much to be educated, and he considers himself 4uite intelligent and artistic. His childhood #as lonel! and disorgani3ed. His criminal record seems to be a natural e.tension of the strange environments in #hich he gre# up. +ichard <ugene Hic%oc% 5 'long #ith err!, one of the t#o murderers of the Clutter famil!. 'lso a small man, $ic% gre# up in Kansas, #as married t#ice, and is ;ailed for passing bad chec%s. He is a practical man #ho e.udes confidence and cruelt!, but in realit! he is not as ruthless or brave as he seems. Herbert Clutter 5 The father of the Clutter famil!. His #ife is *onnie. He has four childrenB t#o older daughters #ho have moved out, and Nanc! and Ken!on. His large propert!, +iver 2alle! 1arm, %eeps him moderatel! #ealth!. "tarting #ith little, he has built up a large, successful farm. He is a communit! leader, involved #ith man! organi3ations. He is a gentle man, a strict ,ethodist. He served on the 1ederal 1arm Credit *oard under resident <isenho#er. *onnie Clutter 5 Herbert(s #ife, *onnie, cannot %eep up #ith his public image as a leader, and she #ithdra#s into the home. "uffering depressive mental disorders, she spends a great deal of time in bed. Nanc! Clutter 5 'long #ith Ken!on, one of the t#o !oungest Clutter children. The! both still live at home. "he is ?the darling? of the to#n, a class president and future prom 4ueen. 0i%e her father, she is ver! organi3ed. Ken!on Clutter 5 'n a#%#ard 155!ear5old, Ken!on loves to tin%er #ith carpentr! and machines. *obb! +upp 5 Nanc!(s stead! bo!friend, *obb! lives nearb!. 'lvin $e#e! 5 'n investigator for the Kansas *ureau of )nvestigation 6K*)9, $e#e! is the agent responsible for much of #estern Kansas. He becomes ver! involved in the case, to the distress of his #ife, ,arie, and his t#o small bo!s. Harold N!e 5 -ne of $e#e!(s principal K*) assistants. Nic%named ?*rother N!e,? he is the !oungest of the group. $uring the capture and interrogation of "mith and Hic%oc%, he has the flu. +o! Church 5 The oldest of the K*) assistants, Church is nic%named ?Curl!? and is supposedl! the fastest dra# in Kansas. Clarence $unt3 5 'nother of the three K*) assistants, $unt3 is a burl! man #ith a broad face. Te. :ohn "mith 5 err!(s father, Te. is a %indl! bac%#oodsman #ho taught err! to ba%e bread, but #ho never comes to see his son in ;ail. err!(s mother is 1lo *uc%s%in, #ho Te. met and married on the rodeo circuit. "usan Kid#ell 5 Nanc!(s best friend, "usan lives in Holcomb.

&illie5:a! 5 'ssistant to the chaplain of 0ansing, the Kansas state prison, &illie5:a! becomes a %ind of mentor to err!. He tells err! that he is talented. 1lo!d &ells 5 'n inmate at 0ansing prison. 'fter err! leaves on parole, he became $ic%(s cellmate. He is a former emplo!ee of Herbert Clutter, and he tells $ic% about the ranch and the la!out of the house. 0o#ell 0ee 'ndre#s 5 'ndre#s #as a !oung college student #ho murdered his famil!. He is a schi3ophrenic. "everal of his !ears on death ro# overlap #ith those of $ic% and err!. err! resents the fact that 'ndre#s is highl! educated. ,r. Helms 5 'n emplo!ee of +iver 2alle! 1arm. 'lfred "toec%lein 5 'n emplo!ee of +iver 2alle! 1arm. He and his #ife live on the propert!. *ess Hartman 5 The proprietor of Hartman(s Cafe. "he has a thic% s%in and scolds her customers #hen the! gossip too much about the Clutter murders. *arbara :ohnson 5 err!(s onl! living sister. "he lives in "an 1rancisco and is married. $on Cullivan 5 'n old arm! friend of err!(s #ho starts a correspondence #ith him upon reading about the case in the ne#spaper. The Last to See Them Alive: 1 of 3 Summary Holcomb is a small to#n on the high plains of #estern Kansas. Herbert Clutter o#ns a farm in the area, +iver 2alle! 1arm. -n November 14, 1959, he #a%es up, eats a light brea%fast, and begins the da!(s #or%. )t #ill be his last. -n the other side of the state, err! "mith eats a brea%fast of aspirin and cigarettes. His friend $ic% Hic%oc% comes to pic% him up. *ac% at the Clutter household, a phone call #a%es Nanc! Clutter. ' local girl #ants to learn ho# to ma%e apple pies. Nanc! rearranges her schedule to ma%e time. Her friend "usan also calls. The! tal% about Nanc!(s date #ith *obb! the previous night and ho# Herb Clutter #ants Nanc! to slo# do#n their relationship. Nanc! also mentions that, ine.plicabl!, she has been smelling cigarette smo%e. 'lso, her father seems to be #orried about something. $ic% is driving a blac% Cadillac. He and err! ta%e it to the shop #here $ic% #or%s, #here the! tune the car, preparing for a long drive. Nanc! has finished teaching :olene Kat3 ho# to ba%e apple pies. "he leaves, and *onnie Clutter tal%s #ith the girl. "he sho#s :olene her collection of miniatures. 'fter :olene leaves she goes to bed, ver! depressed, as usual. err! and $ic% are getting cleaned up for their drive. $ic% is athletic but smallA err! has a muscular upper bod!, but his legs #ere badl! damaged in a motorc!cle #rec%. The! are both tattooed55$ic% in man! places, err! onl! in a fe# places, but his tattoos are polished and intricate. 1our hundred miles a#a!, Herb Clutter is driving ,rs. 'shida home from a 45H meeting. The meeting #as in /arden Cit!, a small cit! close to Holcomb. ,rs. 'shida and her !oung famil! are ne# to Holcomb, but the! ma! have to move. Herb hopes that the! do not move. Commentary The %illers approach Holcomb, #hile the Clutters go about their #holesome, ever!da! business. This se4uence is crafted so as to heighten the sense of suspense. Capote shifts 4uic%l! from scene to scene. )t is li%e a film in #hich the scene shifts bet#een simultaneous events in different places. The reader %no#s that the Clutters are going to die, but the Clutters are blissfull! ignorant of this fact. Capote capitali3es on this iron!.

't the end of almost each chapter about the Clutters, Capote #rites that this #ill be their last da!, their last apple pie, etc. )t is obvious that Capote is the narrator, because the narrator is obviousl! more sophisticated than man! of the characters in the boo%. His descriptions sound almost li%e anthropological investigationsA he is aloof from his sub;ects. 'lthough Capote had a rural childhood, his cosmopolitan e.perience comes through clearl! as he describes ?local color.? )n man! #a!s, he is an urban sophisticate giving us a vo!euristic #indo# into the ?heartland? of 'merica. The Last to See Them Alive: 2 of 3 Summary $riving across the state, $ic% and err! stop to bu! rubber gloves and rope. err! suggests bu!ing stoc%ings to #ear over their heads, but $ic% reminds him that no #itnesses #ill survive. Ken!on Clutter is in the basement recreational room, #or%ing on a hope chest for one of his older sisters. Ken!on is fifteenA he is interested in cars and tin%ering #ith inventions, but not in girls. He and his best friend sometimes go out in his car, the Co!ote &agon, to round up co!otes. Ken!on goes outside and spea%s to ,r. Helms, the husband of the house%eeper. The! note that an insurance salesman is visiting ,r. Clutter. $ic% and err! have paused once again, this time to tr! to get blac% stoc%ings at a convent. err! remembers the real reason he came to Kansas, #hich for him is a parole violation. He had hoped to meet up #ith &illie5:a!, #ho #as a %ind of religious mentor to him #hen he #as in prison. Not finding &illie5:a!, he agreed to do a ?score? #ith $ic%. *ac% at +iver 2alle! 1arm, ,r. Clutter ma%es a deal for a large life insurance plan. The agent leaves #ith the first pa!ment in his poc%et. $riving do#n the high#a!, err! is pla!ing songs on his guitar and the t#o are sharing a bottle of orange drin% and vod%a. The ne.t ,onda!, *obb! +upp describes his last night #ith the Clutters to the police. He #ent over to the Clutters home and #atched T2 #ith the famil!. 't eleven, he left. $ic% and err! have a stea% dinner. The! move on to /arden Cit!, #here the! bu! a tan% of gas. err!(s legs cause him great pain, and he spends a long time in the bathroom, tr!ing to find the strength to stand up again. $ic% thin%s that his partner must be having second thoughts. Nanc!, in her bedroom, ma%es an entr! in her diar!. $ic% and err! pull up to the Clutter home. Commentar! )n Cold *lood is divided into small chapters. )n this part of the narrative, Capote uses the short chapter lengths to their full effect55the chapters come 4uic%er, li%e brief, alternating glances as $ic% and err! near the +iver 2alle! 1arm. This heightens the sense of simultaneit!. )t is as if the mind(s e!e #ere 4uic%l! toggling bac% and forth bet#een a vie# of the Clutter home and one of the approaching blac% Cadillac, tr!ing not to miss a thing. Capote ma%es the most of the fact that he is telling a true stor!. To describe *ill!(s visit to the Clutter home, he simpl! uses *ill!(s testimon!. He is calling attention to the fact that this is a true stor!. The factualit! of his stor! becomes something li%e a gimmic%. 's the %illers race to#ard Holcomb, Capote s%etches the developing #or%ing relationship bet#een $ic% and err!. err! #ants to tell $ic% about his dream that a giant parrot #ill come and rescue him, but $ic% ignores him. $ic% is practicalA he does not understand the romantic side of err!. 'lso, he underestimates err!. $ic% thin%s

that err! ma! be having second thoughts #hen in fact he is tr!ing to overcome e.cruciating pain so that he can carr! on. The Last to See Them Alive: 3 of 3 Summary Nanc! <#alt, a schoolmate of Nanc! Clutter, comes to the house the ne.t morning. No one ans#ers, so she and her father go to as% "usan Kid#ell if she %no#s an!thing. Together, the! return to the house and find the bodies. The local mail messenger, "adie Truitt, sees ambulances approaching the Clutter farm. "oon, she and her daughter 6#ho is also the postmistress9 ,!rtle Clare hear ne#s of the murders over the radio. ,!rt is c!nical about the ne#s, but the! are both shoc%ed. That morning the ne#s #as announced from "unda! morning church pulpits and over the radio. ,an! men converged on Hartman(s Cafe, #here *ess Hartman reali3es that the %iller #as probabl! someone she %no#s, someone from the to#n. "usan and *obb! +upp are h!sterical. ,ean#hile, err! is sleeping in a hotel, #hile $ic% has sat do#n to dinner #ith his famil!. He told them that he and err! #ere going to visit err!(s sister in 1ort "cott. 'fter dinner, $ic% falls asleep, e.hausted. Commentary Capote #isel! leaves out the murder scene. 0ater, #hen the %illers finall! confess, Capote simpl! includes their description of #hat happened. -f course, he could have included those descriptions here, but that #ould detract from the novel. -ne of the most important plot elements of the novel is the race to discover #ho the %illers are. 'nd for the reader there is the m!ster! of e.actl! ho# the murders too% place. Capote leaves the details of the murder out of the boo%, encouraging the reader to guess e.actl! #hat happened, as in a detective novel. He also chooses not to reveal the motive for the crime until the %illers confess. The final chapters of ?The 0ast to "ee Them 'live? describe Holcomb(s reaction to the murders. The main characters of the first chapters of the novel, $ic% and err! and the Clutters, recede, and various citi3ens of Holcomb come to the fore. 'lthough $ic% and err! #ill remain important throughout the novel, the! are not the heroes or even the anti5heroes of the novel, in the traditional sense of the #ord. )nstead of having heroes, this ?nonfiction novel? focuses on #hatever figures are relevant to the murder case at an! given time. 1or no#, the public(s reaction is important. 0ater, the focus #ill shift to the police. Persons Unknown: 1 of 2 Summary ' group of ,r. Clutter(s old hunting buddies goes to clean up the house, considering it their ?Christian dut!.? ,ean#hile, the K*), begins its investigation. 'lvin $e#e! is in charge. $e#e! has no clues, save for a footprint and a missing radio. He suspects more than one murderer #as involved. He is unsure of motive, because there #as little mone! in the house that could be stolen. 'lso, he guesses that the murderers #ere close to the famil! because the! seem to have %no#n the la!out of the house. ,r. Clutter #as tied do#n in the furnace room, his nec% #as slit, and he #as shot in the head. Ken!on #as tied do#n to a couch in the basement room and shot, #hile Nanc! and ,rs. Clutter #ere tied do#n and shot in their respective beds. aranoia and mistrust spread through Holcomb. The Clutters #ere perhaps the most secure, upstanding famil! in the communit!. No one no# feels safe. )n the to#n of -lathe, err! and $ic% are eating in a diner. $ic% has a ravenous appetite, but err! eats little. He is #orried that the! #ill be caught. He gets $ic% to admit that he had some incorrect information.

"usan Kid#ell attends the Clutter funeral service. "he remembers Nanc! and her pet horse, *abe. "he sees Nanc! in her coffin, her head surrounded #ith cotton. ' thousand people attend the funeral. $ic% and err! move from shop to shop in -lathe, #riting hot chec%s, and sometimes getting cash bac%. "oon their car is full of items that the! can pa#n. *ac% in Holcomb, $e#e! cannot sleep because his phone is constantl! #ringing. <ver!one has a ?tip,? and each tip must be thoroughl! investigated. His #ife, ,arie, #onders if the! #ill ever have a normal life again. The !ounger of the t#o surviving daughters is married on the ne.t #ee%end. Her #edding had been planned for the follo#ing month, but as the entire famil! #as alread! in Holcomb, the #edding date #as changed. 'lso, a letter from *onnie Clutter(s brother, ,r. 1o., appears in the local paper, as%ing the to#nspeople to forgive #hoever %illed the Clutter famil!. err! and $ic% are standing on a mountain outside of ,e.ico. err! admits to $ic% that he is surprised he #as able to go through #ith the %illings. reviousl!, he had told $ic% that he once %illed a blac% man for no reason, but this #as a lie. 's the! continue on their drive, $ic% continuall! s#erves to %ill stra! dogs. *ac% in Holcomb, the ;ournalists have left, but gossip still thrives in Hartman(s Cafe. -ne resident, a ,r. ,cCo!, has decided to move a#a!, because his #ife is so scared she cannot sleep. The 'shida famil! is also leaving. Commentary This is the beginning of the hunt for the %illers. )t #ill occup! most of the boo%, and seems the most open5ended section of the novel, even though it is in the middle. The main plot lines at this point involve err! and $ic%(s abilit! to get along and remain solvent, and $e#e!(s attempt to solve the m!ster!. err! and $ic% have a peculiar relationship. err! #orries about getting caught, and this upsets $ic%, !et in man! #a!s, err! is the more responsible of the t#o. err! and $ic% eventuall! become ver! poor because $ic% is bad #ith mone!55he spends it on drin%s and prostitutes. $ic% pretends to be levelheaded, especiall! #hen err! begins to discuss his dreams of the giant parrot, but $ic% is responsible for getting the pair into trouble. 'fter all, he invented the Clutter scheme. $e#e! becomes a ver! important character. )n man! #a!s, $e#e! s!mbolicall! represents Capote. 0i%e Capote, $e#e! becomes ver! involved in researching the case. His des% fills up #ith noteboo%s. He loses himself in the case to the point that he cannot sleep. The same things happened to Capote, #ho felt ps!chologicall! damaged after completing the boo%. -ne is reminded of $e#e!(s #ife(s 4uestion about #hether his life #ill ever be normal again. Persons Unknown: 2 of 2 Perry!s "ack#roun$% Summary $ic% and err! are in a small boat off the ,e.ican coast. The! have befriended a rich /erman tourist named -tto, #ho has ta%en them out fishing. err! sings and pla!s guitar, #hile $ic% complains of a headache. )t is -tto(s last da!, and the no#5penniless %illers #ill soon return to ,e.ico Cit!. :ust as the sun begins to set, err! catches a giant sailfish. He is photographed #ith the fish, and he loo%s li%e he has arrived in the promised land. ,r. Helms is still %eeping up the grounds of the Clutter farm. -ne afternoon, he thin%s he sees a face in *onnie Clutter(s #indo#. He calls the police. The! find :onathan $aniel 'drian, a vagrant #ho has been living in the house. He has a shotgun and a hunting %nife in his car, so he is arrested.

$ic% and err! are living in a hotel in ,e.ico Cit!. The! have run entirel! out of mone! and must leave the hotel b! 7 p.m. to avoid another da!(s charges. err! must decide #hat to ta%e #ith him on the bus bac% to 'merica. "ince -lathe, he has been moving around #ith t#o large bo.es of personal effects. The! hold tac%! souvenirs, old letters, and noteboo%s. He sorts through them, pic%ing out things to ta%e. He finds a letter from his father, Te. :ohn "mith, essentiall! a biograph! of err!(s childhood sent to the prison to help him get an earl! parole. )n it, his father emphasi3es that err! #as a ?normal? child, and that he is ?goodhearted? if he is treated right. He sa!s that err! does have a tendenc! to rebel against authorit!. The letter, especiall! the #a! it leaves out certain details and is generall! self5righteous, fills err! #ith self5pit!, love, and hate. err! remembers #atching his parents, ?Te. C 1lo,? ride buc%ing horses at rodeos. He remembers his parents( divorce, ho# he #ent to sta! #ith his mother and tried to run a#a! to his father but #as turned a#a!. He remembers ending up in a Catholic orphanage, #here nurses beat him because he #et the bed. 1inall!, his father too% him in and he finished the third grade, the last schooling he ever got. His father built a mobile home and the t#o traveled the countr! together. err! ;oined the merchant marine #hen he #as 1@ and the arm! after that. He #as on his #a! to ;oin his father in 'las%a after finishing his service, but a motorc!cle #rec% dela!ed him in &ashington "tate for a !ear. He helped his father build a roadside lodge, but it never gained much business. He and his father began to starve, and the! have a falling out over the last biscuit. He headed for ,assachusetts, #here he planned to meet up #ith an old arm! man, but along the #a! he fell in #ith ?bad compan!? and robbed an office suppl! store in Kansas. The! #ere arrested, but err! escaped in a stolen car. He #ent to ,assachusetts, but failed to find his friend. He moved to Ne# Dor% for a #hile, but eventuall! the 1ederal *ureau of )nvestigation caught up #ith him and brought him bac% to ;ail in Kansas55#here he met $ic%. *! this time, his mother had died, his brother :imm! had %illed himself, and his sister 1ern had ?fallen? out of a #indo#. He finds a letter that his remaining sister *arbara #rote him #hile he #as in ;ail. )t scolds err! for feeling sorr! for himself and for blaming their father and his childhood for his troubles. err! loathes his sister. err! also finds an interpretation of his sister(s letter, #ritten b! his prison friend &illie5 :a!. )n 4uasi5intellectual language, &ille5:a! #rites that *arbara is obviousl! a conformist. He #rites that it sho#s she is full of human frailings. The interpretation is full of 4uotations from *arbara(s letter. err! also finds some of his o#n noteboo%s. -ne is a ?dictionar!? of odd #ords that err! has learned, such as ?Thanatoid? or ?$epridate.? 'nother is a %ind of diar! that includes odd facts and 4uotations. 'll this time, $ic% has been ma%ing love on the other bed to )ne3, a prostitute he has promised to marr!. $e#e! has been #or%ing ver! hard on the case, almost to the point of e.haustion. He is on his #a! to chec% over +iver 2alle! 1arm, a habit of his. -n the #a!, he stops at Hartman(s Cafe, #here some citi3ens harass him, as%ing him to arrest somebod! soon so their #ives #ill stop being afraid. $ic% and err! are hitchhi%ing in the ,o;ave $esert. The! have almost nothing. The! are #aiting for a car that the! can rob. Commentary The huge chapter on err!(s bac%ground is the longest of the boo%. )t reflects the fact that err! is the most #ell5developed character in the novel. Capote reports that of the t#o prisoners, each of #hom he intervie#ed countless times, he #as closer to err!. This is a considerable statement #hen one ta%es into account the fact another Capote

statement. *efore the! #ere e.ecuted, he claimed, he #as closer to err! and $ic% than to an!one else in the #orld. &e learn much about err!. )n the first place, it is ver! eccentric to carr! around so much memorabilia, a tendenc! that seems to indicate a romantic narcissism. His noteboo%s reveal that he considers himself an intellectual. The recorded 4uotes and thoughts are generall! trite, and the #ords in his ?dictionar!? are 0atinate monsters too cumbersome to ever use. The language of &illie5:a! is similar. err! holds &illie5:a! in the highest esteem, but &illie5:a!(s letter is full of needlessl! big #ords, and the fact that he #rote an interpretation of *arbara(s letter for err! e.hibits a condescending attitude. -ne #onders ho# Capote felt, giving the reader information that #ould reveal err!(s lac% of education. Ho#ever, &illie5:a! is correct in noting the antagonism in *arbara(s letter. "he certainl! does not feel friendl! to#ard err!. 'fter this chapter, one feels a great deal of s!mpath!, even though he is a murderer. He has almost no one left. He has fallen out #ith his father, and his sister has probabl! #ritten him out of her #ill. The rest of his famil! is dead. 1urthermore, err!(s most recent crime seems to flo# from previous events. The first time he committed a felon!, it #as at someone else(s suggestion, as in this case. err! has al#a!s been a #anderer, moving from home to home. He has no roots to ground him, and clings to $ic% simpl! because he is there. $ic%, on the other hand, has a famil! and feels more independent. The Answer: 1 of 2 1lo!d &ells hears ne#s of the Clutter murders over the radio #hile reclining in his ;ail cell. He is shoc%ed. He never thought $ic% Hic%oc%, his former roommate, #ould go through #ith his plans. &ells, a former +iver 2alle! 1arm emplo!ee, told Hic%oc% of the Clutter fortune, and Hic%oc% bragged that he and err! #ould steal it. He #aits for several #ee%s and then, about the time $ic% and err! are hitchhi%ing, &ells nervousl! reports this information to the authorities. 'lvin $e#e! enters his home to find his #ife preparing dinner. He listens to her for a #hile, then brea%s the ne#s, sho#ing her mug shots of the t#o men. He is ver! e.cited. Harold N!e, another K*) agent assigned to the Clutter case, visits the home of $ic% Hic%oc%(s famil!. He doesn(t mention the Clutter case, and leads $ic%(s parents to believe that he is interested in $ic%(s spree of hot chec%s. He learns that $ic% supposedl! visited 1ort "cott on the #ee%end of the murders, and he spots a shotgun leaning against the #all. "till hitchhi%ing, $ic% and err! finall! get a ride #ith a lone man #ho seems fairl! #ell5to5do. :ust as $ic% gives err! the s!mbol to club the driver(s head #ith a roc%, the driver sees another hitchhi%er and pulls over to pic% him up, blissfull! ignorant of almost being %illed. N!e goes to 0as 2egas, #here he spea%s to err!(s old landlord. "he is not much help, but he does find a bo. of memorabilia that err! left behind. N!e visits *arbara in "an 1rancisco. Her children and husband are pla!ing in the bac% !ard, and she is e.pecting guests. "he reports that she has not heard from err! and #ould report it if she did. 0ater that night she settles do#n #ith a photo album and remembers ho# her love for err! #aned and ho# he al#a!s blamed her for having an education. No# in )o#a, $ic% and err! ta%e refuge from the rain in a barn b! the high#a!. $ic% #ants to return to Kansas Cit!, because he is sure he can pass some chec%s there. )n the barn, the! find a 195@ Chev! #ith the %e! in the ignition. The! steal it.

$e#e! is careful to %eep &ells( confession a secret. There are a fe# rumors in /arden Cit!, but none in Holcomb, #here the murders have become a forbidden sub;ect in Hartman(s Cafe. err! is nervousl! sitting in a laundromat in Kansas Cit!. $ic% dropped him off and promised to return. He is late. err! is haunted b! visions of police. 1inall!, $ic% returns, having s#itched the license plate on the car and passed several big chec%s. $e#e! is having a nightmare. He #al%s into a cafe and sees the %illers. The! leap through the plate glass #indo# and he chases after them. He #a%es up in his office. 's he gets read! to leave, he gets a phone call. )t is N!e, reporting that $ic% Hic%oc% has been #riting chec%s all over Kansas Cit!. Commentary &ith the introduction of 1lo!d &ells, the narration shifts bac% to a #ee% after the murders. 'lthough $ic% and err! have hinted at the e.istence of &ells, it #as not %no#n that the! #ould be so li%el! to confess. This information could have been given a #ee% after the murders, about the time $ic% and err! entered ,e.ico. *ut it has been #ithheld. This techni4ue is similar to Capote(s decision not to describe the murders e.cept through the confessions of $ic% and err!. *! #ithholding this information until the police learn of it, Capote puts the reader into the mind of the police. The case becomes suspenseful, even though the reader %no#s that $ic% and err! are the %illers. -ne #onders #hether the! #ill be caught. 'nother contribution to the gripping 4ualit! of the narrative is the #a! in #hich the reader is made s!mpathetic to $ic% and err!. &hile err! is #aiting in the laundromat, #orr!ing about being caught b! the police, one both loo%s for#ard to and dreads his eventual capture. No#, as #hat #as a m!ster! becomes a manhunt, the suspense becomes less cerebral and more ph!sical. :ust as $e#e! dreams of chasing the %illers do#n the street, so does the reader imagine #hat the confrontation bet#een err! and $ic% and the K*) #ill be li%e. The Answer: 2 of 2 Summary $ic% and err! sit under an umbrella at a beach in ,iami. )t is Christmastime. $ic% goes for a #al% and tries to befriend a !oung girl. Noticing this is enough to disgust err! and interrupt his contemplation of suicide. -n Christmas morning, *obb! +upp remembers ho# he #ould al#a!s brave the sno#s to #al% over to the Clutter house and give Nanc! her present. *obb! goes out running mindlessl! and ends up in ,r. Clutter(s pri3e orchard, #here the fruit is rotting in the )ndian summer. $ic% and err!, having run out of mone!, are returning to the &est, loo%ing for #or%. )n Te.as, the! pic% up a !oung bo! and his decrepit grandfather. $ic% is scared the grandfather #ill die in the car, but is mollified b! the bo!(s abilit! to spot empt! bottles along the roadside55#hich the! pic% up and cash in at a roadside restaurant. -n $ecember E>, 'lvin $e#e! is called out of the sho#er to ans#er a phone call. 's his #ife #onders #h! he is dripping #ater ever!#here, he suddenl! hugs her. He has not ta%en a minute off from the case since it began in mid5November. ' police officer in 0as 2egas spots the %illers( license plate, ;ust after err! pic%s up the memorabilia he mailed from ,e.ico Cit! to his old hotel. )n the 0as 2egas police station, the four K*) agents55$e#e!, N!e, Clarence $unt3, and +o! Church55are preparing to 4uestion $ic% and err!. N!e has the flu. The prisoners believe the! are being 4uestioned for passing hot chec%s. N!e and Church 4uestion $ic%, #ho is coc%! and reminds them that he has been 4uestioned before. The! lead up to the hot chec% spree in -lathe, and $ic% tells them

that the! #ent to 1ort "cott, failed to find err!(s sister, and spent the night #ith t#o prostitutes. $ic% ta%es pride in recounting the e.act addresses of ever! place the pair sta!ed in their cross5countr! travels. 1inall!, N!e comes to the point, and accuses $ic% of the murders. He denies them but is visibl! sha%en. ,ean#hile, $e#e! and $unt3 4uestion err!. The! repeat the process used #ith $ic%, #ith the same result. err! is ver! upset, and after#ard lies troubled in his cold cell, as does $ic%. The ne.t da!, $ic% brea%s. The t#o officers sho# him photographs of the footprints from the scene of the crime, #hich match $ic%(s boots. $ic% blames the actual %illing on err!. *ac% at Hartman(s Cafe, ne#s comes over the radio that t#o suspects have been arrested. eople are shoc%ed and s%eptical. The suspects are ta%en in t#o different cars on the long drive to /arden Cit!, Kansas. err! does not confess until $e#e! tells him the stor! about %illing a blac% man55 something that onl! $ic% #ould %no#, it proves that $ic% has confessed. He gives a full confession. $ic% had thought that Clutter had a large safe. &hen the! didn(t find it, err! #anted to leave. *ut $ic% #anted to loo% around more. The! #a%e and tie up the entire famil!. The process ta%es hours. err! is frantic. $ic% #ants to rape Nanc!, but err! threatens to %ill him if he does. 1inall!, err! shoots the t#o do#nstairs and then $ic% shoots the t#o upstairs. &hen the police cars arrive in /arden Cit!, a large, stunned cro#d #atches the criminals #al% from the cars to the ;ail. Commentary The chapter in #hich err! confesses is ver! long and detailed. )n some #a!s, it is the clima. of the novel. )t is told in the present tense, #hile the rest of the boo% is recounted in the past tense. This temporal shift highlights the significance of the chapter. The beginning of the ne.t chapter is in the present tenseA it simpl! describes ho# cats constantl! pro#l the main street in /arden Cit!. The confession is a clima. insofar as it represents the end of the m!ster! and chase that occupies the police for most of the novel. Throughout, it is clear to the reader that $ic% and err! %illed the Clutter famil!, but the details are unclear. No# the! are revealed. The motive is also revealedB The! #ere hoping to find a safe full of mone!. )t is a robber! gone #rong. 0ater, err! #ill change his stor! some#hat, admitting that it #as he #ho actuall! %illed each of the Clutters. *ut, for the most part, all the m!steries are solved, and all that remains is the slo# and inevitable approach of the e.ecution. The Corner: 1 of 2 Summary The /arden Cit! ;ail is on the fourth floor of the count! courthouse. That floor is also the home of &endle ,eier, the assistant sheriff, and his #ife, :osephine. The ?ladies( cell? is part of their apartment, and so err! becomes a part of it. :osephine finds him gentle, but her husband, #ho #as at the scene of the crime. err! %eeps a ;ournal in his cell. He corrects his earlier confession, sa!ing that in fact he personall! shot all four victims. He hears on the radio that the district attorne! #ill see% the death penalt!. Neither err!(s sister nor father come to visit him. He receives a letter from an old arm! friend, $on Cullivan, #ho read about the case in the papers. $on #ants to be err!(s friend and tell him about Catholicism. err! crafts an enthusiastic response, e.plaining ho# he doesn(t believe in religion but #ould love to be $on(s friend. ,ean#hile, $ic% seems ver! rela.ed, smo%ing and reading, but he is #or%ing on an icepic%5li%e ?shiv? crafted from a brush he stole, and planning escape.

err!(s diar! continues. He notes that the sheriff searched the rooms and found $ic%(s ?shiv.? He fantasi3es that some men he sees outside plan to rescue him, but nothing comes of it. He dreams of the big, !ello# parrot that #ill rescue him. The trial begins. The state5appointed counsel suggests a change of venue, but it is denied. ' ps!chologist is called in. There is a re4uest to dela! the trial, because the Clutter estate sale #ill ta%e place the da! before the trial, but it is denied. -n the first da! of the trial, the ;ur! is selected. err! pa!s little attention, focusing on the ?autobiograph!? that the ps!chologist as%ed him to #rite. He #rites dis;ointedl!, but intensel!, mentioning some of the more traumatic events of his life. $ic% does the same, but is more casual, and pa!s some attention to the ;ur! selection. The ne.t da!, the state begins to present its case. +outine #itnesses are called, such as those #ho #ere at the scene of the crime. 1lo!d &ells testifies. The trial progresses through the #ee%A $e#e! is the last to testif!. His testimon! is ver! important, because it is the first time the public has heard a description of #hat actuall! too% place on the night of the murders. The fact that $ic% #anted to rape Nanc! Clutter shoc%s the courtroom. $on Cullivan visits err! in his ;ail cell. 'ttempts to convert err! fail, but the t#o share a dinner ,rs. ,eier has prepared. -n ,onda!, the defense ma%es its case. The onl! #itness of substance is the ps!chologist. 'ccording to Kansas( ,(Naghten +ule all a ps!chologist can do is testif! #hether or not a defendant could tell right from #rong at the time of the crime. )n regards to err!, the ps!chologist sa!s that he is not sure, but the ;udge does not let him sa! an!thing further. Capote includes #hat the ps!chologist #ould have said, carefull! diagnosing err! as a potential paranoid schi3ophrenic. Commentary )n these and the concluding chapters, Capote(s opinion on the death penalt! comes to the fore. )t is obvious that Capote #ants to ma%e a political statement. 1irst, he clearl! opposes the ,(Naghten +ule, or he #ould not have transcribed the ps!chologist(s #ould5be statement. He #ants to tell the reader #hat the court did not allo#. 'lso, after this section, he 4uotes at length from a stud! done regarding insanit! and the death penalt!. ,uch has been #ritten about the #a! societ! regards insanit! and punishes or addresses insanit!, but here it is enough to sa! that Capote feels as much information should be made available to the ;ur! as possible before the accused are condemned to death. )t is important to remember that the ps!chologist is not sure #hether err! is a paranoid schi3ophrenic or not. erhaps one of the greatest challenges the reader faces is deciding for him5 or herself #hether err! is cra3! and #hether his actions merit death. 's issues of insanit! and s!mpath! circle err!, $ic% remains a simple character. He is the straight manA err! is the comple. figure. $ic% tries to escape but failsA he curses at 1lo!d &ells as the snitch leaves the #itness stand. $ic% is the classic criminal. )t is in err! that Capote ma%es his case against the death penalt!, and gives the novel a general sense of ambiguit!. The Corner: 2 of 2 Summary The high societ! of /arden Cit! comes to the courtroom to hear the summations of the case. :udge Tate is famous for his addresses to the ;ur!. He calls for the death penalt!, and the! return it. He had as%ed the ;ur! not to be ?chic%en5hearted,? and as the t#o prisoners leave the courtroom, err! sa!s to $ic%, ?No chic%en5hearted ;urors, the!,? and the! both laugh out loud.

)n the corner of 0ansing enitentiar! is a small enclosure, $eath +o#. )t is %no#n as ?the Corner.? 'long #ith $ic% and err!, there are three prisoners. -ne is the famous 0o#ell 0ee 'ndre#s, a !oung biolog! student #ho slaughtered his famil! and then confessed. He is certifiabl! schi3ophrenic, and a boo% arguing against the ,(Naghten +ule #as based on him. $ic% passes the time smo%ing and reading erotic novels and la# boo%s. He constantl! #rites to various organi3ations re4uesting help #ith appeals. ,ean#hile err! tries to starve himself to death. Then55upon receiving a letter from his father55decides he #ants to live. T#o !ears of postponed e.ecution dates fl! b!. The prisoners are eventuall! ;oined b! /eorge Dor% and :ames 0atham, t#o '&-0 6absent #ithout leave9 soldiers55teenagers #ho #ent on a %illing spree across the countr! having decided that the! hated life. -ne of $ic%(s letters #or%s. ' representative of the Kansas bar association, a man named "hult3, ta%es up the case. ' hearing is held, claiming that the ;ur! #as pre;udiced, that the state5appointed defense did not tr! hard enough, and that :udge Tate #as biased. *ut Tate, the la#!ers, and the ;ur! 4uic%l! and fiercel! dispel an! doubt that $ic% and err! had a fair trial. Tal%ing to a ;ournalist #ho is periodicall! allo#ed to visit, $ic% describes the night 'ndre#s is e.ecuted. $ic% li%ed 'ndre#s, but 'ndre#s anno!ed err! because he #as ver! educated and #as constantl! correcting err!(s speech, as err! once corrected $ic%(s. $ic% spea%s about ho# he li%es the other prisoners and about ho# he has tried to get along #ith err!, #hom he thin%s is al#a!s ;ealous and t#o5faced. $ic% sa!s that he is not against the death penalt!, for he understands the impulse for revenge. 'fter a total of five !ears55the case has been to the "upreme Court t#ice55 err! and $ic% are hanged on 'pril 15, 19@5. $e#e! attends the e.ecution. He is surprised b! ho# casual ever!one is. $ic% enters, sa!s that he holds no hard feelings against the state, sha%es hands #ith the four K*) officers, and is hanged. err! enters and #in%s ?mischievousl!? at $e#e!. &hen as%ed for his last #ords, he sobers up. He sa!s that he is against the death penalt! and that he is sorr!, and he is hanged. 's he e.its, $e#e! does not feel reliefA instead, he remembers a recent trip to the grave!ard. There, he ran into "usan Kid#ell, #ho #as visiting the grave of Nanc! Clutter. "usan told him about ho# #ell she #as doing and ho# *obb! +upp had ;ust been married. The #ind blo#s over the grass. Commentary 's the novel labors to its close, Capote again pla!s #ith narrative time at the e.ecution. 1irst, it is reported in the papers, then $e#e!(s e.perience at the e.ecution is described. This removes the reader from the criminals. $ic% #as spea%ing intimatel! to a ;ournalist, and then suddenl! the reader learns about the macroscopic details of the court case and of the e.ecutions. Then the reader actuall! sees the e.ecutions, through $e#e!(s e!es. 'mong other techni4ues emplo!ed to bring to the novel a tone of closure, Capote increasingl! refers to err! and $ic% as "mith and Hic%oc%. =sing last names is a mannerism native to official uses55Capote is s!mbolicall! representing the distancing effect the trial has on the characters. The trial refers to them b! their last names, and the ?$ic% and err!? of the rest of the novel fade into courtroom entities. )n man! #a!s, this difference in name usage represents the fact that the trial and the boo% are other#ise similar. 'lthough the trial is official, Capote(s boo% is in man! #a! a second trial, an attempt to ma%e the average reader s!mpathi3e #ith $ic% and err!, or at least to ma%e the reader understand the ?traged!? of their deaths.

)f an!thing about )n Cold *lood is more significant than the e.tent to #hich it ?retries? $ic% and err!, it is its e.perimental nature. )s the ?nonfiction novel? successfulF Capote himself brings up this 4uestion as he begins to introduce himself as a character. Throughout the novel, he has painted detailed emotional portraits of man! of his characters, ma%ing it obvious that he has intervie#ed them at length. *ut #hen, in the last section before the e.ecution, $ic% tal%s #ith ?a ;ournalist #ho #as allo#ed to visit,? that ;ournalist(s identit! is as clear as da!light. Capote in a sense ac%no#ledges the fact that he #as a part of the events of the novel, too, because he #as in communication #ith all the characters. <arlier, he #rites that err!(s onl! friend #as $on Cullivan, and one thin%s that surel! Capote #as also becoming a friend. Throughout the novel, one is curious about the 4uestions Capote as%ed. No#, finall!, he ma%es a concession and admits that $ic% #as tal%ing to a ;ournalist #ho is surel! Capote. )t is a gracious gesture. 'nal!sis Capote #rote )n Cold *lood as a literar! e.periment. He #anted to #rite a ?nonfiction novel.? He felt that he #as one of the rare creative people #ho actuall! too% ;ournalism seriousl!. The 4uestion is #hether a boo% such as )n Cold *lood is actuall! a novel, a creative #or%, or ;ournalism. &e can pinpoint several artistic aspects of )n Cold *lood. 1irst, Capote has to ma%e choices about the structure of the boo%. Capote chose a starting and ending point, and in bet#een he choose the order and sub;ect matter of the chapters. )n the first section, ?The 0ast to "ee Them 'live,? chapters on the activities of the Clutter famil! alternate #ith chapters on the preparations for murder being made b! Hic%oc% and "mith. +eading about Nanc! Clutter ba%ing an apple pie and then reading about the %illers( tattoos creates a montage, contrasting subse4uent images to create a specific impression. No ne#spaper article #ould have such a creative structure. &hen )n Cold *lood #as first published in :anuar! 19@@, Hic%oc% and "mith had been dead for less than a !ear. The murder and trial had garnered big headlines, and man! readers probabl! %ne# the details of the novel before the! began reading it. Capote had to ma%e it interesting even to people #ho %ne# the outcome55the boo% had to be good literature as #ell as be informative and accurate. The novel is saturated #ith details that #ould never have been included in a ne#spaper. ,oreover, the details are carefull! pic%ed. Kno#ing that Capote compiled 8,>>> pages of research, the boo% seems to be a ver! carefull! edited selection of facts and descriptions. 1or e.ample, ver! little is said about the t#o older Clutter daughters, although Capote doubtless intervie#ed them. He left them out for artistic reasons. This sho#s that the facts of the Clutter case #ere the building bloc%s for #hat #as ultimatel! a creative #or%. )n arranging the facts of the Clutter case into a novel, Capote gave them a number of meanings. Not onl! are some of Capote(s opinions apparent55as in the case of his opposition to the death penalt!55but the novel itself has several ma;or themes. 1irst, it is a commentar! on the 'merican $ream. Herb Clutter has made a #onderful life for himself55his daughter, after all, ba%es apple pies. *ut Herb Clutter(s 'merican id!ll is abruptl! and arbitraril! shattered b! t#o pett! criminals. The 'merican dream is fragile, and it onl! functions if marginal people 6e.5cons9 are not present. Themes &ature versus &urture

Capote includes, almost in their entiret!, long te.ts #ritten b! "mith(s sister, his father, the court5appointed ps!chiatrist, and his friend &illie :a!, #hich detail "mith(s childhood, motorc!cle accident, pre;udices, and mental state. The composite image of "mith derived from these accounts is one of an innatel! intelligent, talented, sensitive being #arped and eroded b! neglect, abuse, humiliation, and unresolved emotional trauma. "mith(s mother, an alcoholic, cho%ed on her o#n vomit. His brother and sister committed suicide and another sister diso#ned him. His father moved him from house to house during childhood, preventing "mith from going to school. Nonetheless, "mith has taught himself to pla! the guitar and harmonica, to paint, and to spea% #ith e.acting grammar. He reads constantl! and, ?being a bit of a prude,? avoids vulgar literature and materials. )n prison, he paints a portrait of :esus for the prison ch..... Style 'oresha$owin# Capote points out fatalistic and ominous clues from the Clutters( last da!s. The *ible ne.t to *onnie Clutter(s bed is mar%ed at the passage, ?Ta%e !e heed, #atch and pra!, for !e %no# not #hen the time is.? Herb Clutter ta%es out a fort!5thousand5 dollar life insurance polic!, #hich pa!s double indemnit! in the case of murder. &ell5 %no#n for not carr!ing cash, Herb Clutter also does not %eep a safe containing ten thousand dollars in the house, although the %illers thin% he does. The famil! dog is gun5 sh!. <ven Hic%oc% and "mith(s plans seem ill5fated from the startA "mith tears the glove that the! plan to use during the robber!, #hich seems highl! unluc%! to him. Sym(olism The s!mbols in the te.t serve largel! to detail the persona and interior life of err! "mith. 1rom childhood, "mith has dreams in #hich a large !ello# bird, ?taller than :esus,? rescues him from his abusers.