Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Climax
The climax is as a rule the biggest turning point in a novel. The turning point in this book might have been in the third part of the book “Answers”. In my eyes the climax has two parts the first being when Perry and Dick- Perry in particular- admit to the murder of the Clutters. This is the first turning point because arguably the two most important characters got caught and will go from a life of freedom to that of solitary confinement in jail and eventually death. This first part is alluded to quite a lot in the book a few examples of this is when in part two it talks about yellow birds. Those yellow birds that fly away represent the freedom that they have flying away when they get caught. The second part of the climax is from what I saw in the movie when Perry admits that it was actually him that killed the clutters and how although dick thought of the plan it was Perry that put it into action. This changes capotes whole outlook on Perry because in the first part of the book we are supposed to feel sympathy towards him however now we just see his evil cold blooded killer side of him. After seeing Perry slit Mr. Clutters throat and shoot all of the Clutters in the face I felt mortified because I felt the same reaction that the rest of the town did which was, if it could happen to the Clutters, a nice family that never did anything to anyone could be killed then so could I and that fact alone scares me. These two points are what I believe to be the first turning point and the climax.
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I agree with Ryan that the main climax in the story occurs in The Answer. This is true for three main reasons. Firstly, the suspense led up to this point makes this section truly climactic. Throughout the answer Alvin Dewey, Harold Nye, and the citizens of Holcomb are eager and anxious to find out who the killers were. Also, after the introduction of Floyd Wells the reader finds out who the killers are. With this information about the killers, the suspense heightens as to whether they will get caught or not. Through watching the movie we know they get caught. We see them being held in Jail cells in Holcomb. We also saw their eventual sentencing, which was the death penalty. This still serves as the part with the most suspense. Mr. Dewey and Nye can't stop working on the case and they are determined to find the killers. Secondly, the scene in which Perry and Dick are questioned, and ultimately confess is the scene where the murder is described. In part two Capote skips talking about the murder itself and it is now evident that he saved it specifically to use it in the climax. Thirdly when Perry confesses the tense changes. Throughout the whole book, the tense is in the past. During the scene when Perry confesses, the tense suddenly becomes in the present. Not only when Perry speaks, but when the others in the room speak as well. This is interesting because in my mind it highlights this specific part as the main climax of Capote’s In Cold Blood. In conclusion, Perry’s confession is the climax in the book because Capote tries to single out this part by making it a tense never seen in the book.
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