Sympathy for Perry

One character that I feel sympathy towards is Perry Smith. Though he is essentially a villain, his deep insecurities cause me to feel for his terrible emotional state. These insecurities, though they draw many into commiserating for him, lead to his demise as a sane person. This lack of confidence derives itself from the neglect his parents had for him during his childhood. Because he never felt like a worthy candidate for their love, Perry always tries hard to impress others and resentes those who receive attention and affection. He attempts to impress Dick by telling him about a man that he supposedly killed and “there was some truth to the story. Perry had known, under the circumstances stated, a Negro named King. But if the man was dead today it was none of Perry’s doing” (112). Perry thinks that since Dick values his toughness, he can impress him even more by making up this story, thus gaining his affection. Not only does Perry try to impress others, but he also attempts to stray from offending or repulsing them. When on a beach he “refused to expose his injured legs—he feared the sight might ‘offend’ other beach goers” (199). Perry believes that he must be flawless in order to be admired, thus stresses hiding every imperfection he has. This extremely low self esteem ultimately leads to his unstable emotional state, which in turn causes him to murder the Clutter family. He is jealous of their respect for one another and despises them because as Willie-Jay says to him “their morals, their happiness is the source of your frustration and resentment” (44). Though many would wonder how one could sympathize with such an evil man, I believe it is because his insecurities make him so relatable. Everyone has had a moment in their life when they try to impress another person because they feel insignificant and desire to change that feeling. Although his insecurities are the cause of his slight insanity, they are also what connects him with the reader, making him a character to sympathize with.