In Cold Blood, written in 1966, is arguably Truman Capote’s greatest piece of literary work. The novel regarded the 1959 murder of four family members who lived in the small community of Holcomb, Kansas. This remarkable novel was noted for the author’s exceptional use of several literary elements. In an excerpt describing the small town in the story, Capote demonstrated his elaborate use of stylistic elements, such as diction, imagery, and tone. Using those tools, Capote characterized Holcomb as a disarrayed and rundown village; making it seem as the most dubious location for the crime which took place there.
Capote’s diction described the isolated, disorganized, and impoverished state which Holcomb appeared to be in. The village was a “lonesome area”, a place which many people in Kansas colloquially referred to as “out there”. It lied in the depths of nature. It was in the countryside and had “hard blue skies and desert-clear air”. He said that the views were “awesomely extensive” and said that the “grain elevators [rose] as gracefully as Greek temples”. The natural scenery seemed to make the town appear attractive at first. However, the “aimless congregation of buildings” made it a less than pleasant place to see. It was so disorganized that Capote referred to the village as a “haphazard hamlet”. Holcomb was “bounded on the south by a brown stretch of the Arkansas River, on the north by a highway… and on the east and west by prairie lands and wheat fields”. The village had dirt roads which were “unnamed, unshaded, [and] unpaved”. There were old and practically abandoned buildings, some of which had appeared to have been somewhat successful establishments. The bank had become “one of the town’s two ‘apartment houses’”, the other being a “ramshackle mansion known… as the Teacherage”. In general, it was not an evidently prosperous village. Capote’s detailed descriptions and imagery painted a vivid picture for the reader. …show more content…
He discussed the natural scenery, the overall layout of the town, and the condition of Holcomb itself. For previously described reasons, it could have been said that Holcomb was “in the middle of nowhere”. Capote said that “after rain… the streets…turn[ed] from the thickest dust into the dirtiest mud”. It had "an atmosphere that [was] rather more Far Western than Middle West”. “The men [wore] narrow frontier trousers, Stetsons, and high-heeled boots with pointed toes”. The only trains that ever seemed to pass through their were freight trains. The two gas stations doubled as a grocery store and a cafe. Capote went on by saying that the only “good-looking establishment” was the Holcomb School. People came to the the school from as far as sixteen miles away. It was "ably staffed" and had a "fleet of buses [that] transport[ed] the students”. “Money [had] been made not from farming alone but also from the exploitation of plentiful natural-gas resources”. The village was the perfect camouflage for the prosperity of the people. The tone throughout the excerpt indicated that Capote did not think very highly of Holcomb. The atmosphere that he created made the reader feel bad for the people who lived there. He stated that “Holcomb [could] be seen from great distances. Not that there [was] much to see”. One of the buildings had “an irrelevant sign” which read Holcomb Bank; “The
Capote’s diction described the isolated, disorganized, and impoverished state which Holcomb appeared to be in. The village was a “lonesome area”, a place which many people in Kansas colloquially referred to as “out there”. It lied in the depths of nature. It was in the countryside and had “hard blue skies and desert-clear air”. He said that the views were “awesomely extensive” and said that the “grain elevators [rose] as gracefully as Greek temples”. The natural scenery seemed to make the town appear attractive at first. However, the “aimless congregation of buildings” made it a less than pleasant place to see. It was so disorganized that Capote referred to the village as a “haphazard hamlet”. Holcomb was “bounded on the south by a brown stretch of the Arkansas River, on the north by a highway… and on the east and west by prairie lands and wheat fields”. The village had dirt roads which were “unnamed, unshaded, [and] unpaved”. There were old and practically abandoned buildings, some of which had appeared to have been somewhat successful establishments. The bank had become “one of the town’s two ‘apartment houses’”, the other being a “ramshackle mansion known… as the Teacherage”. In general, it was not an evidently prosperous village. Capote’s detailed descriptions and imagery painted a vivid picture for the reader. …show more content…
He discussed the natural scenery, the overall layout of the town, and the condition of Holcomb itself. For previously described reasons, it could have been said that Holcomb was “in the middle of nowhere”. Capote said that “after rain… the streets…turn[ed] from the thickest dust into the dirtiest mud”. It had "an atmosphere that [was] rather more Far Western than Middle West”. “The men [wore] narrow frontier trousers, Stetsons, and high-heeled boots with pointed toes”. The only trains that ever seemed to pass through their were freight trains. The two gas stations doubled as a grocery store and a cafe. Capote went on by saying that the only “good-looking establishment” was the Holcomb School. People came to the the school from as far as sixteen miles away. It was "ably staffed" and had a "fleet of buses [that] transport[ed] the students”. “Money [had] been made not from farming alone but also from the exploitation of plentiful natural-gas resources”. The village was the perfect camouflage for the prosperity of the people. The tone throughout the excerpt indicated that Capote did not think very highly of Holcomb. The atmosphere that he created made the reader feel bad for the people who lived there. He stated that “Holcomb [could] be seen from great distances. Not that there [was] much to see”. One of the buildings had “an irrelevant sign” which read Holcomb Bank; “The