Nature versus nurture is one of the oldest psychological debates concerning the inner mechanisms of our minds and the factors that affect them. Are people born with predefined, innate characteristics that will always decide their thoughts, emotions, and actions or are they molded by the events that happen to them? Most people can agree that it is a combination of both nature and nurture that contribute to human development, but it is not known which has the greater influence. In Truman Capote’s novel In Cold Blood the reader is able to identify how the nature and nurture of an individual can sway their decision making when two young men, Dick Hickock and Perry smith, kill the Clutter family in cold blood. Throughout Capote’s novel there are events that support both sides of the debate, but ultimately show that the nurture of a person has a larger influence than the nature.
To pick a side of the debate, the reader must understand the difference between nature and nurture. Nature refers to the hereditary factors and genes that a person is born with, whereas nurture is the environmental conditions influencing an individual such as culture, social relationships, upbringing, and experiences.
On one hand, Dick Hickock, presented in Capote's novel, is a prime example of the idea that nature defines an individual. Hickock was raised in a…show more content… Using the childhood and life experiences of two murderers, Capote creates sympathy for them arguing strongly that the nurture of a person is what defines a person’s character and that they should not be penalized for their actions because of it. There are many angles to look at in this debate and there will never be a definitive answer, but one can always hold to truth that all individuals must make an effort every day to overcome their environmental and physical factors to avoid evil doings every
