People and the Food they Consume

By describing very specific details about the characters choices in food, Capote is able to imply much about each person without actually having to describe their emotions. After Perry murders the Clutter family, Dick acquires “a hunger that nothing—three successive steaks, a dozen Hershey bars, a pound of gumdrops—seemed to interrupt. Perry, on the other hand, was without appetite” (90). Dicks insatiable hunger not only lets the reader view his physical state, but also alludes to his feelings about the massacre. Though he never admits it, he is jealous of Perry for doing all of the “dirty work” thus explaining his constant thirst for more. Mrs. Clutter is also better described through her sustenance choices while “pouring herself a cup of coffee. Though all the other members of the family observed her husband’s boycott of this beverage, she drank two cups every morning and often as not ate nothing else the rest of the day” (25). Mr. Clutter describes this drink as a stimulant and that is exactly what Mrs. Clutter views it as. Herb does not need anything to stimulate him because he is already perfectly functioning where as Mrs. Clutter drinks the coffee in hopes of stimulating normal function in her body. Though Mr. Clutter does not drink coffee, the fact that “he was not a hearty eater” well describes his personality (9). In life he is never gluttonous or excessive and only takes what is earned and needed. He abstains from eating excessively just as he abstains from performing any unnecessary functions. Because of the details about what each character eats, the reader obtains a better understanding of each person.