In Cold Blood Analysis

In Capote's In Cold Blood, Capote sets out to paint a picture of Holcomb, Kansas. Although his methods are masterful, Holcomb is not. A dead, boring, and forlorn town can be seen that anyone would do anything to avoid. Capote's use of imagery, structure, and tone creates a vibrant picture of a not so vibrant town. The reader can almost breathe the dust and hear the people of Holcomb, Kansas as the story progresses.

Capote's imagery in In Cold Blood not only gives the reader a view of the simple city, but also a feel. Capote's description ranges from simple details such as "the land is flat" to more complex ones like "swollen grain elevators". The bland city that is "seventy miles east of the Colorado border" slowly begins to take shape under the wings of Capote's words. The "prairie twang" spoken by the people of Holcomb begins to ring in the ears of the reader as the "thickest dust" blinds and chokes them. Capote uses strong force of imagery to paralyze the reader, and make them truly suffer the sight of Holcomb, Kansas.

In addition, the structure of In Cold Blood contributes to characterizing the dull Kansas city. Long, verbose sentences aid Capote in helping the reader understand the "great distance" it takes to get to Holcomb. "And that, really, is all". This quote is the grand slam that really drives home the kind of city Holcomb, Kansas really is: mediocre and run of the mill. Parallelism can also be seen in the last paragraph, demonstrating how a myriad of things, including drama, had "never stopped there". Ironically, the only emphasis seen in the whole story stems from an establishment that had been shut down for 26 years. Capote's language, although somewhat detached at times, does an impeccable job in portraying a city that is as dull as a lead balloon.

The tone that Capote uses is the final tool that drills memories of Holcomb, Kansas into the reader's mind. Capote uses countless words with a negative connotation such as "aimless", "irrelevant", and "haphazard" to set an awfully dull tone for an awfully dull town. Capote does not even stop there, characterizing the Kansas establishment as a quiet, boring, deserted "village". Capote also describes signs in the city as "dark" and "flaking gold". As flaky as the sign in, the city itself outdoes it. Capote recognizes and exploits the listless blemishes of Holcomb, Kansas, forcing the reader to recognize them as well. An under-stimulated tone from In Cold Blood is then passed on because of its exquisite choice of words.

In conclusion, Capote pulverizes the reader with imagery, structure, and tone to create the scene of an awfully desolate town. From its "ranch-hand nasalness" to its "ramshackle mansion", Holcomb, Kansas is nothing to be envied. In Cold Blood takes the reader to a place that they could not get away from fast enough. As "dry" as the city is, the words used to describe it practically trickle with vividness. For as dull as Holcomb is, Capote uses the right words and pushes the right buttons to make a story of it.