Perry's criminal identity due to Nurture

Tied to a question Morgan raised about whether or not Perry's being the way he is was due his upbringing, Perry's criminal identity is directly linked to his childhood. In terms of Nature vs. Nurture, Capote takes a closer look at Perry's childhood through his sister's, Mrs. Johnson's eyes. While nature is a contributor in shaping Perry's identity, it is apparent that nurture has taken a toll on Perry as a kid, which resulted in the individual he is today. Through his sister's eyes, we get a clear picture of how Perry's criminal life took an early start. On Page 182, Mrs. Johnson describes what Perry used to be like as a child, "He cries so easily. Sometimes music sets him off, and when he was a little boy he used to cry because he thought a susnet was beautiful. Or the moon." (182). Her memories paint an image of Perry being prone to be a better individual, righteous and compassionate, capable of "walking out the front door" like Capote did. In fact, her reference to him being easily moved by beautiful imagery gives me a sense of Perry possessing great artistic talent and capabilities. Therefore, Perry was perfectly capable of living a life similar to Capote-being an artist (Capote is also an artist in his own way-writing). Despite Dick claiming that Perry is a "natural killer", Mrs. Johnson exposes the way he used to be, proving that his nature was just as innocent and normal as any else's. Therefore, it becomes more clear that nurture is what is responsible for Perry's personality and behavior today. He further proves it himself when he remembers about some childhood escapades, "Like one time we sneaked up on an old lady, really old, and Tommy grabbed her handbag, but she wouldn't let go, she was a regular tiger. The harder he tugged one way, the harder she tugged the other. Then she saw me, and said 'Help me!Help me!' and I said, 'Hell lady, I'm helping him!'- and bopper her good. Put her on the pavement"(192-193). Perry's early childhood encounters with crime tell of the effect nurture had on him. It seems as if his friends, such as Tommy, were the influential power that led to him participating in small crime acts in his childhood. As Perry describes, Tommy initiated and completed the plan, clearly influencing Perry to help him out. Perry's story is just a piece of how his criminal life started, telling us the affect that his nurture environment, specifically the people in it, had an affect on how he came to be the person he is today.