In my reading of part four, The Corner, I was struck by some similarities between Perry Smith and another prisoner on death row, Lowell Lee Andrews. Andrews says himself that in the murdering of his parents and sister he “didn’t feel anything about it.” (p.313) Perry says the same thing about himself to Don Cullivan. He says, “Am I sorry?... I’m not. I don’t feel anything about it. I wish I did. But nothing about it bothers me a bit.” (p.291) Perry does mention some discomfort over the murders when he says to Dick, “I think there must be something wrong with us. To do what we did.” (p.108) But, just like Andrews, Perry does not seem to feel remorse for being a killer. Another similarity between Andrews and Perry is that neither of them had many friends. Dr. Jones states in his evaluation of Perry that “He has few close emotional relationships with other people, and these have not been able to stand small crises.” (p.297-8) Andrews was also “a solitary creature, withdrawn and seldom communicative.” (p.312) One more likeness between Lowell Lee Andrews and Perry Smith is shown in the way they value life. Dick says to Andrews, “The trouble with you, Andy, you’ve got no respect for human life. Including your own.” (p.318) Dr. Jones makes the same observation of Perry: “He has little feeling for others… and attaches little real value to human life.” (298)
Although both Andrews and Perry are alike in these aspects of their killings, Capote creates sympathy in the reader for Perry but not in any way for Andrews. Perhaps it is because Perry murdered strangers and Andrews murdered his own family. Capote tells, however, that Perry wished his sister Barbara was in the Clutter house when he killed them so that he could kill her too. Is this sympathy (or lack of sympathy) from the knowledge of Perry’s disastrous childhood, and the fact that Andrews was from a stable household? Or for some other reason?
Although both Andrews and Perry are alike in these aspects of their killings, Capote creates sympathy in the reader for Perry but not in any way for Andrews. Perhaps it is because Perry murdered strangers and Andrews murdered his own family. Capote tells, however, that Perry wished his sister Barbara was in the Clutter house when he killed them so that he could kill her too. Is this sympathy (or lack of sympathy) from the knowledge of Perry’s disastrous childhood, and the fact that Andrews was from a stable household? Or for some other reason?
I agree with your observation that Perry Smith and Lowell Lee Andrews are very much the same person. Both men are very deceiving in their appearances. They can come across as being sensitive and harmless, but they are really cold-blooded killers. Capote illuminates that a Kansas paper had perceived Andrews to be “The Nicest Boy in Wolcott.” (312). He then shows the contrary as he observed “…inside the quiet young scholar there existed a second, unsuspected personality, one with stunted emotions and a distorted mind through which cold thoughts flowed in cruel directions.” (312). Here, Capote shows that Andrew’s appearance was quite deceiving. His deception went so far that the supposed meek eighteen year old gruesomely murdered his entire family. Perry is subject to the same observations as he comes across as sensitive and easily earns sympathy from others but killed an entire family of four for no apparent reason. His own sister, recognizes this in saying “Oh, he can fool you. He can make you feel sorry for him…” (182). Many more similarities can be added to aid in proving the similarity, however, there was one difference between the two, which if it had been a similarity it may have changed Perry’s entire fate. The difference is that Andrews was educated and that Perry was not. Perry was angered by this, and may have come to the conclusion that if he had been educated, things might have turned out differently. Dick observes this as he stated, “ …he wasn’t sorry to see the last of Andy. Andy was the one thing in the world Perry wants to be-educated. And Perry couldn’t forgive him for it.” (333). Perry did not dislike Andrews as a person, but disliked that Andrews was given an opportunity that he was not. This makes me question whether Perry would have ended up in the same situation, if he had been educated. This small difference could have made the two complete opposites and drastically alter the fate that Perry faced.
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