Setting in In Cold Blood Essay

Essay D

As the novel In Cold Blood by Truman Capote begins and introduces its setting, much of the characters of the story are defined very specifically and detailed. The story begins by specifically defining the town of Holcomb Kansas and the people who live in it very calmly and informing. The author then ends by specifying on one family in Holcomb that introduces the story.

The Clutter family of Holcomb Kansas is picked out of the story as one of the well known families in the town as the main focus of the book early on. The family is defined by having a dad, Mr. Herb Clutter, a mom Bonnie, two younger kids, Nancy and Kenyon, and two older daughters that have moved out of the house already. The author clearly picks out Mr. Clutter as a type of protagonist is his descriptions and defines him as a very simple man with basic wants and needs in life. In the town of Holcomb, Mr. Clutter is considered one of the most successful farmers and wealthiest man but keeps his families image as a simple family with large town involvement. The town of Holcomb, as described in the story, is a lonesome area that other Kansans call out there . It is a small town with very little to see or do but maintains its togetherness and closeness with their customs and has its markings that the people of the town are known for. The town begins to be seen as a very simple farming town, with a church that is visited by the people every Sunday, a caf that the local members meet and eat in, and the local school which kids from grades K-12 attends. The author, Capote, emphasizes strongly how the town is a simple, sufficient are.

The simple features of Holcomb Kansas and the setting from the story help to define the characters of the novel due to its specific wording. The characters that emerge in the story to be mentioned constantly such as the Clutters and other local town members are easily pictured in image and emotion throughout the story. The author, Truman Capote, uses imagery to try to help the readers picture specifically what the town looks like, the energy of the town, what certain people look like, and other detailed features. This imagery and descriptive writing used by the author helps to describe and easily picture the characters in the book. In the setting, the author also uses conflict to enhance the story by foreshadowing a problem that might have occurred or to occur in the story that ended six human lives of the town. The author doesnt mention exact names or reasons, but leaves off on foreshadowing a problem with the town. The author also goes on to mention how the killing begins to separate the town based on the trusting of all the people around them. When the foreshadowing statements end, the setting is over and the rest of the story begins.

So as one can see, the setting of a story, such as the setting presented in In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, can define and explain many aspects and information to a book in very few pages and parts. The setting used in the story explains much of the characters in the book by specifically explaining the town and the people in it without specifically explain people. The author used his setting to specifically explain the town and the people and then veered right into a foreshadowing conflict.