By Jess

AUTHOR

• Truman became friends with the author of the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird ‘ (Harper Lee) .Harper Lee also accompanied Capote when he travelled to go and research the Kansas murders. This is what ‘In Cold Blood’ is based around.

• Truman Capote was born in New Orleans and he lived from 1924 (30th of September) –1984 (25th of August) .

• Capote was not just an American author but a comedian as well.

• His mother , Lillie Mae , rejected him. However he was raised by his cousins. He later joined her in New York but was pushed away again by her. This was partly due to him being Homosexual.

• Truman was extremely successful & he decided to celebrate by hosting one of the best social events ever. It was known as ‘The Black and White Ball’. He invited people from the highest parts of society and it was hosted at the Grand Ballroom at the New York City Plaza Hotel. It took place on November 28, 1966. This event was talked about for years. It is known as the highlight of his social career.

• Truman however, like his mother, turned to alcoholism. A heavy drinker and regular drug taker lost him his status of being a ‘genius’. He would end up only coming out to appear in few interviews. He would then simply disappear.

Genre

• ‘In Cold Blood’ is a piece of Non-fiction Literature. The genre is True crime.

Plot synopsis

‘In Cold Blood’ is set in the village of Holcomb of western Kansas. It is based on a real murder that took place. The author himself travelled to the actual place to research, through for example interviews, this crime. ‘In Cold Blood’ portrays the lives of the ‘Clutter’ family. Herbert Clutter is a ‘strict Methodist’ and a wealthy man. He lives with his wife Bonnie. They have four children but only two (Nancy and Kenyon) live with them. Bonnie is struggling with depression and she is said to spend most of her time in bed. On the 14th of November 1959 the two murderers Richard ‘Dick’ Hickock and Perry Smith (from a broken home) find the Clutter home and entered while the family were sleeping. They then slit the neck and shot Herb Clutter. The other three family members were shot as well. The two were after the safe and money. However they didn’t find what they were looking for. Alvin Dewey is in charge of the investigation and thinks that the killer must be someone close to the family. However finally the two are caught after a manhunt and are condemned to death. They were actually executed in 1965. This is due to the inmate Floyd Wells at Lansing prison (Dick’s past cellmate) telling the authorities he is sure it was Dick. Dick eventually confesses after questioning.

Key Themes

• Death

• Crime

• The American Dream (criticised)

• Family

• Illness (mental)

Literary Significance-

Truman Copate ‘publicized’ the real murder of the ‘Clutter’ family. Through interviews with many people he was able to gain enough research to spend 6 years writing ‘In Cold Blood’. He made the 1,700km journey to the home of the terrible crime.

‘In Cold Blood’ brought Truman Capote fame and fortune.It also put Holcomb on the map and therefore has changed it forever. However many of the townspeople do not appreciate this.‘In Cold Blood’ has been translated into 30 languages as well as selling millions of copies, making it a huge success. Also in 1967 it was made into a Film in black-and-white. However in 2005 a movie was released called ‘Capote’. This was the story of how it came to be written.

Websites used:

• http://www.kansascity.com/2009/07/23/1342035/kansas-citys-most-notorious.html#slide-2

• http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/nov/16/truman-capote-in-cold-blood

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Cold_Blood

• http://www.capotebio.com/

•http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/incoldblood/summary.html

• http://www.gradesaver.com/in-cold-blood/study-guide/major-themes/

Also the first few pages of the Book.