Through the use of various forms of syntax, Capote is permitted to bring out a certain tone, purpose, or style in his distinctive way of writing, throughout In Cold Blood.
At the beginning of the story, Capote depicts Holcomb, the main setting of the story, and goes on explaining that “not that there is much to see—simply an aimless congregation of buildings divided in the center by the main-line tracks of the Santa Fe Railroad, a haphazard hamlet bounded on the south by a brown stretch of the Arkansas (pronounced “Ar-kan-sas”) River” (3). Due to the use of the dashed line, Capote is allowed to provide the reader the additional information as to why Holcomb does not have much to see. His purpose as to why Holcomb is not that great of a place to be in is permitted through Capote’s use of the dashed line. Also Capote’s use of the parenthesis towards the end of the sentence is to inform the reader how to pronounce Arkansas.
While describing the scene of the murder of the Clutter family, Susan, the friend of Nancy Clutter who was included in the murder, explained while looking at Mrs. Clutter’s dead body, “her eyes were open. Wide open. As though she were still looking at the killer—aim the gun. Nobody said anything.” (63). In this example of syntax, Capote uses short concise sentences to achieve the purpose of giving off a panicked and stunned tone of the person illustrating the scene of the murder due to her not believing what she is seeing. Once again it is seen here that through the dashed line Capote is successful in explaining what Mrs. Clutter might be watching the killer do, which is to aim the gun at her.
Your analysis of Capote's style of writing and unique forms of syntax is very simple. However, it provides a good understanding of the author's purpose for writing in such a distinct way. I agree that the novel In Cold Blood offers the reader a one-of-a-kind look at the story through the interesting sentence structure and use of specific types of punctuation. As you mentioned, hyphens play a major role in many scenes to help develop a clearer understanding. In the same way, the author used parentheses to provide further explanations as well.
ReplyDeleteIn your second body paragraph you may want to include how the syntax influences the tone of the novel. For example, in your first quote you depicted Holcomb as "not that great of a place." This demonstrates, along with the other imagery mentioned, a complacent and melancholy tone. Not only does this description relate to the location of the murders, it sets the mood for the rest of the plot. I liked the way you included that the additional information expands on what the author is trying to get across to the reader. The hyphen gives the author that ability to include the extra details. It also allows the reader to paint a picture of the setting.
The commentary regarding your second quote was insightful. I agree that the short sentences influenced the frantic tone. Not only does your example describe the tone when the neighbors found Mrs. Clutter's body, it also helps the reader imagine what the tone would have been at the time of the murders.