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Part 4 - The Corner - Coggle Diagram
Part 4 - The Corner
Issues and Themes
Compassion
certain citizens of Holcomb including Mrs. Meier place pity on the murders and believe they are deserving of sympathy and forgiveness despite their actions. "It must be a terrible experience - to be stared at by a horde of strangers."
Mrs Hickock alludes to the other side of the picture, in that not only the lives of the Clutters ended, but that of the murders lives, Perry and Dicks, have ended through their actions. Through this Capote draws readers in to feel a certain sense of sympathy for Perry and Dick.
"Strangers have wrote letters to say they know how hard it must be and how sorry they are. Everyone has gone out of their way to be friendly...I pray for Dick, too. And this boy Perry. It was wrong of me to hate him, I've got nothing but Pity for him."
The community of Holcomb and its spirit is centered around being good Christians, holding that it is not ethical to kill someone, in spite of any immoral actions they have committed, even if that may be murder. "And most of the ministers are opposed to capital punishment, say its immoral, unchristian....hes been preaching against the death penalty."
Capote portrays certain morals in that all people are born with human dignity and no one has the right to take ones dignity away by murdering them, even in the case of capital punishment and the death penalty. Through this Capote foregrounds the notion that Perry and Dick are underserving of their fates to come. "Man in not an animal. He has a body, and he has a soul that lives forever." Fleming
The death penalty is "almost as wicked as the crime it punished...It doesn't deter crime, but merely cheapens human life and gives rise to more murders."
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Sympathy
Capote epitomizes Perry's disconnection from humanity and society in general, alluding to the idea that his lack of relation stemmed from childhood whereby his "mother was always drunk, never in a fit condition to properly provide care for us...no rule or disciplie...to show me right from wrong."
Capote reinforces the pain in which Perry grew up with as a child and into adulthood, being unfairly treated and the "hatred and bitterness I [he] held for others" due to this
Capote directly addresses the idea in that Perry believes he has felt "I was very unjustly dealt with." Through this Capote epitomizes Perry's further disdain for humanity whilst lying in prison.
Capote suggests to readers that those in prison deserve sympathy because despite their terrible actions, they can never get the right treatment by society to get help and recover from any underlying psychological or mental issues they had that drove them to commit crimes. Capote highlights instead that prison opens the doorway for prisoners to become further hated by society and in turn they themselves increasingly resent society, seeding new crimes once they are released from prison after their sentence. "I became very bitter while I was in prison."
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Purpose
Motivations
Capote highlights Perry's underlying issues, anger and resentment of humanity which he takes out on the ones he decides to hurt including the Clutters who he murdered as a form of comfort
Capote aims to build further sympathy for Perry as Perry is not aware of what is right and wrong and struggles to discern the full gravity of his actions in taking the lives of the Clutters.
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