In Cold Blood and Truman Capote

Reading "In Cold Blood" reminded me all too well of shows like Dateline, 20/20, Cold Case, etc, that I am completely obsessed about. The beauty of this book and his masterful skills in creating such environment with such intrinsic details made me feel like I was THERE. I was there talking to The Clutters, with Smith and Dick, etc. It was beyond eerie and wonderfully done. The very "psycho" structure made it seem all too real. But in a way, I like to believe that Capote was not doing this for theatrical gain but more as a respect for The Clutters. He gave them a voice, he made them come alive just one last time. I felt that he wrote this out of affection, a weird affection for someone or a family that you have never met. I also can't help but to mention that ever since that clip we saw in class, I read the book hearing Capote's narration. It makes me feel like he's retelling me everything personally, in the same room....but not in a creepy way.

Overall, as we've heard in class, this book, this journey, this literature, basically broke Capote down. After reading such an inhumane action towards a family, it strikes me impressive that something so human happens to Capote himself. Real life, no matter how crafted in the literary form, is just as moving. That's also why I think that he wrote it out of respect, affection, and love. It is evident that he comes to feel closer to the characters he writes about. This isn't just reporting. It's not journalism, or a reconstruction of characters and interviews based off "100%" of memory. It's about the fact that Capote couldn't help but have a human reaction with everything. I think apart from his skillful writing, this is the other element about the book that I really enjoyed.