"The expert execution of the crimes was proof enough that at least one of the pair commanded an immoderate amount of coolheaded slyness, and was--must be-- a person too clever to have had become aware of several particulars that reinforced his conviction that at least one of the murderers..." (103).
In this passage, the words such as "coolheaded," "slyness," "clever," and "reinforced" add to the tone of arrogance in this passage in that the inspector Dewey is self-assured that he understands this case although he does not know who the victims are. He feels as though regardless of the crime committed, the people who committed it are geniuses. They are able to engage in such activity without getting caught by the police and inspectors that inhabit the town.
Later on, in a passage describing the characteristics of Perry Smith, words such as "tough," "refinement," "dreamy," "actorish," and "sensitive" create a sense of acceptance although throughout the rest of the novel, Capote held a negative tone towards this character. In this case, Perry was viewed through the eyes of Marie therefore her way of speaking puts Perry in a positive light. Although he is a criminal, his physical attributes make him seem like a kind person.
Later on, one sees low and informal diction a prisoner is being interviewed by Dewey creating an ominous tone. The prisoner repeatedly uses the word "n*gger" and shouts "goddam." This shows that the prisoner is of a lower class, creating an evil persona. As opposed to using the words "says" or "states, when speaking of the prisoner's speech, Capote uses the word "spits" making this prisoner seem undisciplined and serpent-like.
"'--and the punishment is death'; each time he came to the sentence, Tate enunciated it with a dark-toned hollowness that seemed to echo the train's mournful, now fading call" (307).
These dark words creates an eerie and ominous tone within this passage. Tate is portrayed as grim man adding to the insensitiveness of Train, the speaker in this passage. These men were also convicted of misdeeds within Kansas, and it is obvious that it is not something that they are proud of. Murder is not something to celebrate, therefore making these words appropriate for this situation.
In this passage, the words such as "coolheaded," "slyness," "clever," and "reinforced" add to the tone of arrogance in this passage in that the inspector Dewey is self-assured that he understands this case although he does not know who the victims are. He feels as though regardless of the crime committed, the people who committed it are geniuses. They are able to engage in such activity without getting caught by the police and inspectors that inhabit the town.
Later on, in a passage describing the characteristics of Perry Smith, words such as "tough," "refinement," "dreamy," "actorish," and "sensitive" create a sense of acceptance although throughout the rest of the novel, Capote held a negative tone towards this character. In this case, Perry was viewed through the eyes of Marie therefore her way of speaking puts Perry in a positive light. Although he is a criminal, his physical attributes make him seem like a kind person.
Later on, one sees low and informal diction a prisoner is being interviewed by Dewey creating an ominous tone. The prisoner repeatedly uses the word "n*gger" and shouts "goddam." This shows that the prisoner is of a lower class, creating an evil persona. As opposed to using the words "says" or "states, when speaking of the prisoner's speech, Capote uses the word "spits" making this prisoner seem undisciplined and serpent-like.
"'--and the punishment is death'; each time he came to the sentence, Tate enunciated it with a dark-toned hollowness that seemed to echo the train's mournful, now fading call" (307).
These dark words creates an eerie and ominous tone within this passage. Tate is portrayed as grim man adding to the insensitiveness of Train, the speaker in this passage. These men were also convicted of misdeeds within Kansas, and it is obvious that it is not something that they are proud of. Murder is not something to celebrate, therefore making these words appropriate for this situation.
As you mentioned, I found that the authors tone was vastly influenced by his strong choice of words. It seemed whenever the two villanous characters, Dick and Perry, were mentioned the words brought out the worst side of the author and it became obvious that he felt a strong aversion to them. He used such negative words that it would be nearly impossible to not pick up the author's angered tone. Capotes word choice revealed how dastardly the two convicts really were and his repulsed tone becomes outright blatant as a result.
ReplyDeleteHis tone is very varied throughout the novel. It is mirroring his feeling to those people as Emily stated. Sometimes he was sophisticated though he also showed low diction.I think it was odd when Perry was put into a positive light, but I guess it kind of tied into the fact that he was mentally unstable and not a cold-blooded killer.
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