Nature vs Nurture in Truman Capote’s Novel, In Cold Blood ...

Richard Mulcaster, a British instructor of English, once wrote, â€Å"Nature makes the boy toward, nurture sees him forward.† Mulcaster recognizes that both genetic and environmental factors determine the type of a person one becomes. Truman Capote’s nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood gives the reader an opportunity to see prime examples of how nature and nurture influence one’s character. Capote’s novel, In Cold Blood introduces the reader to two men; Richard Eugene Hickock known as Dick throughout the novel, and Perry Edward Smith whose lives of crime are almost identical; although both Perry and Richard come from very humble backgrounds, their childhood particularly their family life, has very little in common. It is not until later in their†¦show more content†¦Soon after his second marriage Dick is arrested writing fraudulent checks. While in prison Dick meets Perry, and together the two men commit fraud and execute the horrific murders of four innocent people. Cultural Dictionary defines psychopath as â€Å"A mentally unbalanced person who is inclined toward antisocial and criminal behaviors.† Dick’s childhood is normal; his parents love him and provide for him as best they can; despite his parents love, Dick is a psychopath who lives a life of crime simply because it is in his nature. Dick’s psychopathic nature is evident throughout the novel. For example, when he needs money, he resorts to writing fraudulent checks. Dick shows absolutely no remorse after he tricks people into giving him money. Dick simply feels that it is acceptable to scam people in order to get what he wishes. In addition, Dick shows his psychopath tendencies after he and Perry rob and murder the Clutter family, Dick goes on with his life and never feels any remorse about the murders that he committed. Dick obviously doesn’t see anything wrong with murdering innocent people because he is a psychopath. Dick’s lack of consideration for other people’s life clearly shows that he truly only cares about himself. An additional example of Dick’s antisocial tendencies is when he is arrested for the being involved in the deaths of the Clutter family, and he decides that to blame Perry for the deaths of all four members of the Clutter family in order to avoidShow MoreRelatedThe Murder Of The Clutter Family1135 Words   |  5 Pagesfamily is Truman Capote’s best work. It started out as an article for The New Yorker, and evolved into the non-fiction novel; the first of its kind. Capote traveled to Kansas with friend Harper Lee to research the killings. In the course of six years bringing this narrative together, Capote began taking drugs and drinking heavily due to the dark nature of the book. 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