“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!’”
Thursday, June 28, 2012
In Cold Blood - Transitions
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In one of the many apt rhetorical techniques the author employs to provide a distinct sense of abrupt transition between opposing narratives, Capote distinguishes the two stories by affixing each with similarly harsh sounds. In doing so, the author accomplishes several feats crucial in crafting an effective, thrilling narrative. First, Capote references the two common sounds of a ringing telephone and a blaring car horn in order to paint a very vivid mental picture for his audience. Because the reader hears these noises regularly, it is not difficult to mentally recreate them. The ease with which we are able to conjure up the jarring sounds and the imagery that accompanies them (an ominous black sedan and an old-fashioned, brightly colored desk telephone) serves to underscore the reality of the story. The familiarity of the noises and the objects that produce them assist the audience in accepting the fact that, despite the truly unbelievable nature of the violence depicted in the coming pages, the story is a plausible one, an eerily viable possibility rather than a sinister, outlandish myth.
ReplyDeleteAnother effect achieved by the tactic of parallel occurrences in opposing settings is the heightened tension integral to the success of the narrative as a dramatic account. The correspondingly discordant sounds forge a kind of connection between the two groups, implying that the counterparts are engaging in similar activities. In one sense, this bond presents a certain irony. As the focus shifts from one narrative to the other, the Clutter family continues to go about their daily rituals, blissfully unaware of the brutal fate that will imminently befall them. The criminals, however, are steadily zeroing in on their unsuspecting targets. This disquieting juxtaposition is emphasized by the interruption of the seemingly unrelated stories with subtle likenesses between the two stories and imparts the tension characteristic of a successful thriller.
Capote utilizes this technique several times in the first section of the novel, though not restricting the parity of the two narratives to sounds or images. For example, in a passage located on p. 24, a segment detailing the felons’ endeavors to refurbish the vehicle that will soon serve as their getaway car culminate in Dick’s satisfaction. Likewise, after a morning of teaching a friend to bake an award-winning cherry pie, Nancy Clutter is also described as “satisfied.” Because identical language is used to depict the attitudes of the two individuals, this instance, too, conveys the distinct irony and tension necessary in the creation of a compelling tragedy.
At this point in the book, the characters are not very well defined therefore the reader doesn’t immediately associate Dick as the bad guy or Kenyon as an innocent kid. Since this is one of the first few transitions in the book, the reader is still adjusting to Capote’s style so the transition may not seem very important at first glance. Perhaps Capote links them by sound to make them seem more on an equal playing field, or to relate them together. They both make common (although obnoxious) noises; therefore, they are equal in some way (both male, both loud, possibly showing signs of immaturity).
ReplyDeletePerhaps he links the two stories by sound to make the transition smoother. In most cases when transitioning it goes from speech to narration, rather than a sometimes used technique of sense to sense—speech to speech, or sight to sight—or narration to naration but in this case it is sound to sound. At this point, Capote doesn’t let on to the fact that Dick and Perry are about to murder the other side of the story. Capote wants to keep them appearing neutral. The overall effect is a lessened transition. It doesn’t appear as abrupt as it truly is. It makes Kenyon and Dick seem more equal, something ironic considering shortly after these events occurred Dick will murder Kenyon.
Another example of a transition like this can be found on page 24, still early enough in the book that the reader doesn’t distinguish between the two very different sets of people, although context clues are giving way to their true nature. Dick has just finished overhauling his boss’ car and is “satisfied that a thorough job had been done.” Nancy on the other hand also feels rather accomplished, or as Capote puts, “also satisfied with her morning’s work.” She, however, had helped a thirteen year old girl makes her very first pie. Capote relates these together as he did in the above example, but this one has a truer inclination towards the characters true nature. It has more depth as one character (Dick) is overhauling his boss’ car while the other (Nancy) is helping a simple teenage girl perform her first cooking feat.
Overall, these transitions keep the reading smooth, although switching between the stories that aren’t visibly connected yet, they tie the two sets of characters together in a relatable manner as they perform and feel similar things.
To be totally honest, I have no idea why he links these passages the way he does. I guess because he wants to. The transition of a sound in one scene to a sound in another is unique though. This is just another way that Capote links the victims and the killers. Capote might have possibly wanted this scene transition to be included in a movie that could have been made based upon the book. It seems to me that I have watched many a movie in which a sound in one scene transitioned into another sound. The effect that it has on the reader is that it feels as if you are witnessing the two scenes personally. With distinct sounds, the reader can easily visualize what is going on, and how the characters interpret each scene. If Capote just said a car drove up the reader would not have the exact way in which Perry knew his ride was awaiting him. Maybe I'm reading too much into this but is it ironic that the devil was in Kenyon at the same moment his two killers were uniting? Did he have some premonition that the forces that would bring about his demise had joined together? Possibly that was what the unique mind of Capote was suggesting... he just needed a brilliant thinker like myself to expose his unconventional tactics. You sly dog, Truman.
ReplyDeleteAnother great example of this kind of transition is on page 48 as Mr. Clutter is closing the first meeting with the insurance agent. There is a section in which a little song is listed, possibly being sung by Mr. Clutter, Capote makes it unclear. When the four lines end, though, the next section begins with Perry playing the guitar to "[sing] himself into a happier humor". These two musical scenes are yet another way Capote relates the killers and the victims. For me, it shows the partial fundamental sameness Dick and Perry have with the Clutter family. After all these comparisons the killers shift from the title of killers to a more mild title. The title of misguided people possibly.
I truly believe that there was not a single word that was placed in Capote's book that was not done without care and specific intention. The cadence that unite these two particular narratives creates a connection between two seemingly different yet simultaneously parallel and intertwined story lines. As readers, we devour the detached narratives reading through each one as its own to promulgate what appears to be two separate stories - that of the Clutters and that of Dick and Perry. However, the sounds tactfully chosen create a connection between the two that didn't exist before, weaving them together. The narrative even begins and ends with a sound, with Nancy saying on the telephone: "Sorry, Susie. I've got to go. Mrs. Katz is here" (22). The word that is conjured with this farewell is simply eerie. We appear to be passengers in a car with the knowledge that it is about to crash yet lacking the power to do anything but buckle up.
ReplyDeleteThe same form of Capotean transition is created with his various mentions of the full moon. Capote closes one chapter on Dick and Perry with: "A full moon was forming at the edge of the sky" (49). Near the end of the next chapter on the Clutter family, Capote includes an observation from Bobby Rupp that again mentions the moon and also the wind: "It was as clear as day - the moon was so bright - and cold and kind of windy: a lot of tumbleweed blowing about" (52). A few chapters later, when Dick and Perry have arrived in Holcomb, Capote writes: "The headlights disclosed a lane of Chinese elms; bundles of wind-blown thistle scurried across it. Dick doused the headlights, slowed down, and stopped until his eyes were adjusted to the moon-illuminated night" (57). The inclusion of these transitions seem to show time while in turn displaying a sense of indubitable continuity between the two narratives, creating a unity where it initially seems there is none; and the effect is an overwhelming sense of foreboding.
Throughout the novel, Capote takes two narratives and synthesizes them by constantly switching between the two every few pages. If one has not read the book, he or she may consider this device impractical. One might assume that if the author constantly switches between two very different narratives, there would be a dizzying effect on the reader, causing him or her to be confused and off balance throughout the book. However, anyone who has read the book knows that the opposite is true. Capote’s constant shift in narrative actually sheds more light on the story because the reader sees it from many different angles. Capote’s transitions between sections of the book also help to reduce confusion when switching from narrative to narrative because they are often very smooth. In most of the transitions, there are subtle details that link the two together. Even though the subject matter and tone of the two sections are often completely different, the reader does not feel jarred because of Capote’s clever transitions. I posted one of my favorite transitions above. In the first section of this transition, the detectives assigned to the case are discussing their theories regarding who killed the Clutter family while the second section deals with Myrtle Clare’s thoughts on the murders. The former section is very analytical and logical, while the latter section is written in Mrs. Clare’s folksy voice. Clearly, the tone in each of these two passages is very different, but they seem to fit perfectly together thanks to Capote’s transition. In the first section, a phone call from Al Dewey’s terrified wife interrupts the detectives’ meeting. After Dewey hangs up the phone, one of the other detectives asks him if his wife, Marie, is scared. Dewey replies, “Hell yes. Her and everyone else.” This quote concludes the section, and the next section begins with the words, “not everybody.” Capote then begins to talk about Myrtle Clare. Capote starts the new passage by qualifying Dewey’s comment in the former passage. This clever device bridges the tonal gap between the two passages by shifting seamlessly from an atmosphere in which everyone is nervous to a new atmosphere where one character discusses why the murders do not faze her.
ReplyDeleteI think that in linking the narratives together we are able to see, and remember, that the stories are in fact connected. Capote mainly employs these transitions in the beginning of the novel, when it is harder to relate the two ongoing narratives. Perry is waiting for Dick early in the novel where we first encounter the two men. Nancy, on the other hand, is receiving a call about helping a young girl bake a pie. The stories have seemingly no connection at that point, so Capote may have been trying to tie the stories together without making it prevalent to the reader. After the murder occurs, though, it is not necessary to remind the reader of the link between the two narratives.
ReplyDeleteBy employing this technique it has an effect on the reader that may not be easily seen. In keeping the two stories together you realize that the story of the men may not be far off from that of the Clutters, and that they may in some way be related. In doing so the reader has a better understanding of the story, and that the two are in fact related.
Another reason, though, that Capote may have used this technique was to show a sense of similarity between the two narratives. It, in a way, provides a connection between the two worlds that otherwise may not have been seen. Although extremely subtle, Capote finds a way to create similarities, and in doing so has a great effect on the reader. Anything that can connect cold-blooded killers to the simple Clutter family before the murder occurs is extremely difficult to do, for they seemingly have nothing in common, yet Capote finds a way to do so.
There are many other examples of these Capotean transitions throughout the novel, yet most of them occur in the beginning when it is more vital to the story. A good example takes place on page 48, where a song is being either sung or thought right after Mr. Clutter takes out his life insurance policy. When transitioning to the next section, Perry is then also singing. Although different songs, both men are singing religious tunes, again showing a subtle similarity.
Another example occurs on page 57, although this one is slightly different from the rest. Instead of a sound or a topic of conversation being the same, in this instance the actual syntax is similar. Both Nancy’s last diary entry and Dick’s last few mumbles were structured in short, staccato ways. Although not about the same topics, the few lines seem to read the same in the rhythm of their structure. Also, they are connected further in that both characters are reciting some of their last thoughts before the murder actually occurred.
Upon first reading this part of the book I found myself puzzled at the transition not quite realizing what happened. Now looking back I see the clever, careful, and thoughtful placement of the transition. This transition reminds me very much of a song that was taught to me by our very own Grace cook. One verse goes as follows "Aunt Sally had a steam boat the steam boat had a bell, The steam boat went to heaven Aunt Sally went to hello operator..." The word hello being clever transition, links the two versus together unexpectedly. Capote's transition has the same affect, yet the meaning is deeper than a whimsical children's' song. His transition, the car honking, shows though the two people may be completely different there is some sort of a correlation between the two. Previous to this transition we have not seen the two stories paralleled in such a close way. We have only received the narrative of each group, the clutters and that of Dick and Perry. Though it may not be perfectly clear to the reader the full significance of each person to the crime we know somehow there is a homology not only between Dick and Kenyon but between their stories as well. It is not until the end of the book do we know how specifically their paths cross.
ReplyDeleteOne example of another seamless "Capotean transition" resides on page 48. Mr.Johnson has received a check from Mr. Clutter for a good amount of money, and ironically Mr. Clutter has just been told by Mr. Johnson he is in such good health he should be around for "a few weeks more." After Mr. Clutter leaves Mr.Johnson sings a spiritual song and the next chapter opens with perry singing a song of the same genre. Mr. Johnson was singing due to the happiness he felt from his successful transition with herb clutter ,and the text states soon thereafter "Perry had sung himself into a happier humor."
Truman Capote made a wise and economic decision in choosing to tell the opening sequence by the killer and victim’s perspective. Is there a better way for the author to provide drama, suspense, and irony? No. The victims and killers are on a colliding path like a missile zooming in on its target, in this case the black Chevrolet driving to the Clutter farm. Transitions, though clever and well done, are secondary the way the first act is told. Switching perspectives like in a film (a great example is the movie “Vantage Point”), the reader is kept on their toes and even though the reader knows the tragic fate of the Clutter family, there is still suspense. The progressively shorter and shorter chapters to the point of a one paragraph chapter (p. 57) at the height of the drama provide such suspense to the point that the reader wants to futilely scream to the Clutter family that the killers are coming. The dry voice of Capote casually describing Mr. Clutter’s “last” day of work, Bobby Rupp’s “last” visit to the home, Nancy’s “last” pie, the family’s “last” day, “last” hours, add even more to this effect.
ReplyDeleteBack to the “Capotean” transitions, the p.52 transition highlights Capote’s use of suspense:
(Bobby Rupp account) “…I think someone must have been hiding there. Maybe down among the trees. Somebody just waiting for me to leave.”
“The travelers stopped for dinner at the restraint in Great Bend. Perry…”
The description of the killer’s casually eating while just before we see Bobby in emotional ruin provides a chilling juxtaposition of emotions between the characters, sure to leave an impression on the reader. With such suspense presented, how can the reader stop reading!
Capote uses the transition on page 17 in order to smoothly link two very different situations in a seamless fashion. Using sounds made it easy for the reader to imagine the noises and voices of the scenes presented, an effect that is not always easy to accomplish but is necessary when telling a story involving an exorbitant amount of detail. An excessive amount of detail is precisely what Capote aims to give while recounting the tale of the Clutter murder as these details establish ethos in the reader: the more detail the more likely the scene actually took place. Capote tries to pull the reader into the town of Holcome, into the old truck with Dick and Perry, into Nancy Clutter’s blood stained bedroom and to do so he must not only provide airtight details, but he must do so with four or five different characters. Because of the constant switching back and forth between scenes, it is important for Capote to use transitions that feel appropriate and effortless.
ReplyDeleteOn page 93 and 94 Capote transitions between a description of Dick and Perry’s friendship to a description of Nancy and Suisan’s. This transition, though much subtler than the one mentioned on page 17, accomplishes much of what I said above while also adding another layer of contrast between the victims and the victimizers. Nancy and Susan had a wonderful relationship; they were like sisters. On the other hand, Dick and Perry seem to have a manipulative, unhealthy, and dishonest friendship. This comparison is not surprising to the reader. It is logical for the murderers to be socially inept. Yet, still, these details add a layer of realism to the novel as well as evoking even more pity for the death of Nancy, a girl so loved and cherished.
I found it interesting that Capote would go back and forth between creating sympathy for the murderers and sympathy for the victims. It seems the normal approach to a novel like this would be for the author to choose a side they agree with the most and push the sympathy on them while pushing hatred on the other. Capote does not take this road; instead, he attempts to give an emotionally charged support for both parties involved: the murderers and the victims. This effect truly does leave it up to the reader to decide their opinions of the characters, instead of having an author force down their beliefs.
I think that this method of linking the two stories together is very poignant and opens the novel up more for discussion. I have seen this tactic used in movies before and it provides a neat and distinct way of seamlessly interweaving two stories. The use of this tactic can be making a statement about the two stories.
ReplyDeleteI think that it may be saying that the two stories are both integral parts of life, that the honking of a horn in the violent story, is as much a part of life as a ringing phone. Violence is as common as everyday life; they are one in the same. The sounds leading up to a violent act sound the same as everyday life. Capote is making the violent acts similar to the act of living; therefore in the life of man violence will always be present.
This tactic of interweaving the two stories adds two more factors to the book, suspense and mystery. The suspense is added because the reader is left hanging with one point of view, and then another point of view is given to enhance the the novel. The mystery is added because the reader must piece together the two stories and try to figure out how different aspects of the story affect each other.
ReplyDeleteI believe Max makes a great point by stating that violence is a fact of everyday life. In an essence, Capote is telling us that there will never be "world peace". This question relates to the "last lines" question stated earlier. The "last lines" leave the reader hanging and are the transitions between the two viewpoints.
Given all of the transitions made throughout the novel, it would be almost impossible for Capote to make seamless transitions the entire time, with all of them being clever and unique. The use of transitioning stories with parallel sounds is not a seamless transition in my opinion, but it is apt considering all of the transitions that he had to make. This is not to say that Capote copped out by using this method of transitioning, but that I personally do not think that it is a great transition, like some of the others in the novel. The effect that it has on the reader is to connect the two scenes through sound and connects the two scenes to seem like they are happening together or at the exact same time.
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