Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Dick vs. Perry
Though both Dick and Perry are equally guilty for the murder, Perry tends to receive more sympathy because he has justification for his insane actions where as Dick does not. People are more resentful toward giving him sympathy because, unlike Perry, he had the means to better his life. Dick “got offers from two colleges to play ball, but never attended any of them” (276). He could have gone to school to lead himself on a path to a more successful future, but instead he chose to take up multiple mechanical jobs. Also, his “home life was normal” with his mom and dad both working their hardest to support their kids (277). Dick had the resources to change his poor lifestyle, but instead was too lazy to pursue any better way of life. What makes him even less deserving of sympathy is the fact that he tries to blame his actions on his accident messing him up. He claims that he has “had sickness. I think caused from the car wreck I had” when it was proven that his criminal behavior started before the incident (279). Perry, on the other hand, tried extremely hard throughout his life, but his poor existence kept bringing him down. He attempted to educate himself, but he could only learn so much without the guidance of others. Also, he was beaten and abandoned as a child, which completely scarred his emotional state. Since he could not better his circumstances, he came to have “unreasonable anger at the sight of others who are happy or content” (43). Since those people have what he can never attain, he becomes jealous of them. Perry was extremely jealous of all of the potential of the Clutter family, thus being his incentive to kill them. Although their crime is inexcusable, Perry deserves a bit of sympathy because there was no way out of his poor lifestyle.
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I completely agree with Jamie on the fact that Perry gets the sympathy vote because of his past, and that he learned all of his aggression and violence from past trauma and neglect. From the way that the characters are portrayed and the stories of both their backgrounds, Perry's is clearly more scarring. It obviously affects him today, as represented perfectly by Doctor Jones, "who, if had been permitted to discourse on the cause of his indecision, would have testified: '...his childhood... was marked by brutality and lack of concern on the part of both parents. He seems to have grown up without direction, without love, and without ever having absorbed any fixed sense of moral values'" (297). He goes on to say, "... open expression of primitive violence, is born out of previous, and now unconscious, traumatic experiences" (299). Dr. Jones, I believe, describes Perry better than any of the people from whom he has received letters from - people who know Perry Smith well. Dr. Jones, without knowing Perry, is able to pinpoint on exactly what and who he is better than Willie-Jay, Barbara, and Tex.
ReplyDeleteBecause of his lack of attention and love early in life, Perry is the vaguely endearing person we see him as because he wants this affection and attention he never had. In fact, he craves it. When once more thinking about suicide, Perry explains, "That's what I ought to do. While you're still here. Somebody who cares about me a little bit" (292). And, just earlier in speaking with Don Cullivan, informs, "You've done more for me than any... God ever has... by writing to me, by signing yourself 'friend'" (291). He also shows this affection with Ms. Meier. She explains, "I held his hand, and all he said was, I'm embraced by shame... I said first thing tomorrow I'd make him Spanish rice - but he just held my hand tighter" (308). This theme has also shown up in previous sections; Perry seeking love and his acts of endearment.
I agree with Jamie as well in saying that we feel sympathetic for Perry more than Dick because Perry didn't have any opportunities like Dick. Like Jamie mentioned, Dick got offered to go to college, Dick got married, Dick had a normal home life, but the huge theme... the part that makes the audiences lose sympathy for Dick and pity Perry, is that he screwed it up. He messed up everything he could have had. Dick was brought up well and was presented with what could really have ben a bright future. He messed up these opportunities. And the thing that gets readers about Perry, is that he never got the chance to even try and succeed.