Perry Smith In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

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At first glance, Perry Smith in the novel In Cold Blood does not seem like a heartless killer. It is only later in the book that we gain a better understanding of him. Truman Capote demonstrates a brilliant use of rhetoric to reveal the many components of Perry’s character, and does it in a way that the reader is made to feel for him. The first time Perry appears in the text, he is studying a map of Mexico in a café in Olathe, Kansas. In the next few pages, Capote provides many seemingly insignificant details about Perry that actually serve an important purpose. For instance, we learn about the belongings Perry always brings with him: his suitcase, guitar, books, maps, songs, poems and old letters (Capote 14). This, by itself, indicates that

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