Mental Illness In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

Every minute that one experiences in life has the potential to affect their entire future. That effect can be positive or negative, depending on the experience and the mental state of the person experiencing it. For some, many moments will only create a small impact, one which is barely noticeable. For others, however, experiences, especially negative ones, can create life long barriers and detriments. Truman Capote demonstrates some of these effects in his book In Cold Blood. In his story, Capote included a character who had a rough upbringing, and grew up to eventually murder a family, which is attributed to having many mental illness related issues stemming from his past. Capote utilized ideas from Sigmund Freud, a psychologist who explored …show more content…
His mother, while still in his life, “was not…temperamentally suited to motherhood” (Krebs). She would lock him in hotel rooms when she would go out, and told the staff to ignore him (Goad). Like his character, Perry Smith, Capote’s mother was an alcoholic, and died due to that illness. He also shares a feeling that he was “so different from everyone, so much more intelligent and density and perceptive”. Capote was not musically gifted like the character of Perry Smith, but he did have the creative outlet of writing, where he put down all the feelings he felt no one else could understand (Krebs). Capote is known for “his insight into the psychology of human desire [being] extraordinary” (American Masters). He incorporates a great deal of Freudian Psychology in his writing style, describing fears, past trauma, and coping …show more content…
As a child, Perry grew up in traveling the country with his parents, who were rodeo performers. His father was physically and emotionally abusive, as well as being untrustworthy with money. His mother, who was an alcoholic, “strangled to death in her own vomit” after leaving her husband and taking the children with her (Capote 110). After the death of his mother, Perry and his siblings were sent to a Catholic orphanage, where he was beaten by the nuns for his bedwetting habits, which he blamed on malnutrition. From here, Perry went to a shelter sponsored by the Salvation Army, where he “nearly drowned” due to punishments from the nurses for his Indian heritage and coloring (Capote 132). Capote includes these experiences to develop a background for Perry. He aims to, as the story continues, develop the readers view of Perry’s past in order to show how ones history, specifically their childhood, can have a massive impact on who that person turns out to be. One of the adult characteristics that Capote implies that Perry takes away from his childhood is his introversion. He is not overtly social, and has a very small number of people in his life that he cares about, due to his difficulty trusting. Capote connects this lack of desire to be social to childhood events. In a letter to the courts to assist in Perry’s parole, his father

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Mental Illness In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

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