In Cold Blood Controversy

Words: 878
Pages: 4

Throughout history many have attempted to pinpoint the purpose of art. Mexican poet Cesar A. Cruz famously stated that art should “comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable”. Art and literature have often served as the voices of the underprivileged and disenfranchised peoples of our societies. Truman Capote’s 1966 novel, In Cold Blood, serves as a prime example of this by allowing readers a peak into the complex minds of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. Although Truman Capote’s seminal piece, In Cold Blood, has been criticized for its inaccuracies, it still holds incredible value. In Cold Blood not only revived the nonfiction novel genre, but more importantly provided commentary on dividing issues such as the death penalty and social inequalities.
Capote not only resurrected the
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Many Holocomb locals have come forward in recent years to make their version of the tale clear, including Bob Rupp. He was Nancy Clutter’s boyfriend prior to the murders, and he had called out Capote for changing certain scenes in the novel. Capote’s novel states that Rupp ran three miles to the Clutter farmhouse after heading news of the deaths. Meanwhile Rupp himself asserts that he did not run, but instead drove to the Clutter’s (Lee). While Capote’s version is more dramatic, it does exemplify the little exaggerations present in In Cold Blood. Tucker Shaw of the Denver Post commented on this dilemma, stating that even though the novel might contain historical errors “Capote is just too important a writer to ignore, and the story…is too compelling to drop” (Shaw). The significance of In Cold Blood is not diminished by the fact by Capotes intentional or unintentional inconsistences. Capote intended for his novel to push limits of journalism’s artistic qualities. This endeavor inherently requires