Kobold 1

Rachel Knutson Kobold

Ms. Held
Honors English III
17 September 2014
Reading Journal 7
Quote 1: What is it, honey? That other deal? Why the hell cant you forget it? They never made
any connection. They never will. (Capote 188)
You could be wrong. And if you are, it means The Corner. (Capote 188)
These two pieces of dialogue show a huge contrast between the personalities of Dick and
Perry. Dick is confident that his plans are flawless and they will never get caught. Perry isnt
confident. He is more of a worrier. He thinks about what could go wrong and what happens if
they make a connection and know they killed the Clutters. Its interesting how Capote put two
men with such different personalities together to be partners in crime through the whole book.
Quote 2: We could nab those sonsabitches tomorrow, and never be able to prove spit. (Capote
190)
This quote shows how Dewey is worried they will never catch the killers. And even if
they did catch them, the police dont have enough hard evidence to prove it was them. This
line shows Deweys frustration after searching for so long and still not having good evidence.
Deweys lack of confidence in himself and the police unit make it seem like they really never
will catch the killers.
Quote 3: Very likely, at this very instant Dick sat trapped inside a circle of red-necked
detectives. (Capote 193)
Kobold 2

This is another quote that represents Perrys personality. He is always thinking about the
worst thing that could happen. The second that Dick is late to picking Perry up, Perry starts
imaging all the things that couldve happened to Dick. He thinks that the police might have
caught him while he was out. Perry doesnt seem like the type of guy that would just murder
someone. He has doubts about Dicks plans and knows that what theyre doing is wrong. When
Perry got out of jail he was probably lonely because he had no friends. He went along with
Dicks schemes and dumb ideas just to have a friend.
Quote 4: He stood at the curb retching like a drunk with the dry heaves. (Capote 194)
This is an example of a simile. It compares Perry to a drunk with the dry heaves. This is a
better way to create a picture in the readers mind. Perry is so worried that Dick has gotten caught
that he goes into a state of panic where he throws himself outside the Laundromat and freaks out.
All the crimes that Dick and Perry have committed have had an impact on Perry. They could be
caught at any moment and all this stress has made Perry jumpy. He constantly worried and the
second something seems out of order Perry panics.
Quote 5: The sound of Dicks voice was like an injection of some potent narcotic, a drug that,
invading his veins, produced a delirium of colliding sensations: tension and relief, fury and
affection. (Capote 194)
This is a simile but its also an example of imagery. It uses detailed and creative language
to create a more vivid image of whats happening in the scene. It has many metaphors within the
quote. To hear Dicks voice was such a relief to Perry that it had a similar effect as a drug would
have on somebody.
Kobold 3

Connection 1: I can connect to Dick and Perrys money situation. I have been in a situation
where I needed money and couldnt pay for something. Its difficult and frustrating. It makes you
worry about money a lot. The difference is that I would never steal or kill to get money.
Connection 2: Dick left Perry at the Laundromat and was late picking him back up. Perry started
to think about all the things that couldve gone wrong. I can connect to this because I went to a
Halloween dance in middle school and my dad was an hour late picking me up. I was the last
person waiting outside for their parent. I was by myself for a half hour. I started thinking that my
dad forgot me or maybe he got in a car accident on the way there. I had all the worst possibilities
going through my mind while I waited.
Connection 3: The simile where Dicks voice is compared to a drug reminded me of when I had
to take my mom to the hospital. Perry was in a state of panic. He was freaking out and the sound
of Perrys voice calmed him instantly and brought him back to his normal self and right state of
mind. At the hospital my mom was having severe pain. She was scared, hurting, couldnt sit still,
and was also most likely in a state of panic. Eventually the nurse gave her a drug to kill the pain.
The pain killer had an instant effect. It brought my mom from her pain and panic back to her
normal self where she realized everything would be fine.
Question 1: Why does Dick think its a good idea to go back to a city where hes violated his
parole and murdered four people?
Question 2: Perry is constantly worried about the decisions Dick makes. Why does he go along
with Dicks decisions?