Proof - Ambiguity

It strikes me as appropriate that this one deal with ambiguity. The post below didn't quite lend itself to answers because I posed no question. Thank you Kailie and Randa for responding anyway.

Let's talk about ambiguity. Perhaps as it relates to the title, Proof. Or perhaps at it relates to madness. Or the ending. Address one concrete perhaps.

In Cold Blood - M'Naghten Rule

I think one of the coolest parts of this book is its structure. Capote brilliantly weaves two seemingly disjointed stories into one compact book. But the book is not airtight. There is a case to be made here that might suggest Capote deliberately structured In Cold Blood in such a way so that the reader feels sympathy, not contempt, for the killers. Look at how many times Capote mentions Perry's short legs and soft, sweet singing voice. Look at how many times Capote reminds us that poor Perry used to wet the bed. Look at how many times Capote shows us Perry's horrible childhood and dysfunctional family life.

It's like saying, yes, Jack the Ripper was terrible, but (but!) he did recycle and he never forgot his mother's birthday, so...

Closely examine the M'Naghten Rule, best described on pg. 277. Know it. Apply that law not to Dr. Jones' testimony beginning on pg. 294, but rather, to Capote's blatant and egregious inclusion of Jones' inadmissible testimony, the part negated in Kansas court rooms. How can Capote get away with sharing with his readers information the jury never learned? Why did Capote do this? Is Capote being irresponsible? Unethical, even? Just what is so dang important here that Capote would explain a law, then proceed to break it right in front of our faces?

In Cold Blood - Sources

 

Truman Capote includes several primary sources in his book in order that we may better understand Perry Smith and Dick Hickock (but especially Perry). These documents include letters from Perry's father and sister, a pseudo-psychological profile of Perry's sister written by Willie-Jay, Perry's personal diary*, and later, "autobiographies" written by both Dick and Perry.** How important are these documents? What do we learn from them? How do they illuminate the men's personalities (or personality disorders)?

*All from about pg. 125-155.

**Pgs. 273-279

In Cold Blood - Last Line(s)

Pay attention to the last lines of the sections before the narrative perspective switches from the Dick and Perry story to the Clutter story. What do you notice about them? Choose one or two different "last lines" and discuss their importance.

In Cold Blood - Best Sentence(s)

"It was ideal apple-eating weather; the whitest sunlight descended from the purest sky, and an easterly wind rustled, without ripping loose, the last of the leaves on the Chinese elms. Autumns reward western Kansas for the evils that the remaining seasons impose: winter's rough Colorado winds and hip-high, sheep-slaughtering snows; the slushes and the strange land fogs of spring; and summer, when even crows seek the puny shade, and the tawny infinitude of wheatstalks bristle, blaze" (10-11).

One of the best passages in the first half of the book, in my opinion. Find your favorite sentence or passage. What do you like about it? What makes it great?

In Cold Blood - Transitions

“A car horn honked. At last – Dick.”

“’Good grief, Kenyon! I hear you.’ As usual, the devil was in Kenyon. His shouts kept coming up the stairs: ‘Nancy! Telephone!’” 

Notice how the two sections on page 17 are linked together by sounds – the car horn honking in one section becomes the sound of Kenyon yelling in the next. Why do you think Capote links these two narratives together this way? What is the effect? Can you find another of these Capotean transitions?

Mama Day - Belief

"You have a choice, she said to me. I can tell you the truth, which you won't believe, or I can invent a lie, which you would. Which would you rather have? (266).

There are several passages in Mama Day that discuss George's inability to believe in the island's magical atmosphere. Find another such passage and unpack its meaning.