Perry in Denial

After watching the "Capote" movie, the viewers could easily tell that Perry was extremely ashamed of what he had done, but was not quick to reconcile (or even admit) that he had murdered. In the movie we see that it takes Capote almost 3 years just to make Perry tell him what happened the night he murdered the Clutters. This becomes more apparent in the second part of "In Cold Blood" we read. On page 138 we read a letter that Perry's sister sent him during his first stay in prison. Despite the letter's genial beginning, Barbara (his sister), begins to condemn Perry towards the end of the letter, typing in bold caps, "IT IS NO SHAME TO HAVE A DIRTY FACE- THE SHAME COMES WHEN YOU KEEP IT DIRTY"(140). Barbara too can see the denial Perry is in; he blames other people for his trouble and then doesn't own up to his wrongdoings. She tells him later, "Dad is not responsible for your wrong doings...What you have done, whether right or wrong, is your own doing"(140). Here she is referring to the fact that Perry blames his father, who kicked him out of their house in Alaska, for his imprisonment. Instead of realizing that she is right, and only he can choose what he does, he forgets his resentment towards his father and channels all of his blame and hate towards his sister. His friend Willie-Jay pushes him further into denial by writing a paper about how false the letter was. This makes Perry not only disregard the truth about him blaming his father and not owning up for his mistakes, but also makes him detest his sister. He says, "The only real regret I have-I wish the hell my sister had been in that house"(143). It appears Perry will never take responsibility for his heinous acts.