The Depiction of the Criminals

Neither Perry nor Dick are the heros or anti-heros of this story (due to its journalistic writing style), but Perry seems to be cast in a better light than Dick. Capote describes Dick's tattoos as "self-designed, self-executed," (30). He goes on to describe each tattoo, though the style in which they are described is as if they are helter-skelter, and unorganized. It seems that Capote is trying to make Dick seem less sophisticated, and more barbaric. It is even clearer that Capote has an affection for Perry more when he describes, "While he had fewer tattoos than his companion, they were more elaborate-not the self-inflicted work of an amateur but epics of the art contrived by Honolulu and Yokohama masters," (31). Not only does this previous quote, demonstrate Capote's liking for Perry, it also better describes his distaste for Dick. His description makes Perry look more like an artist, more thoughtful, and more sophisticated. Perry's good light is cast even deeper when Capote describes the accidents that they have both been in. Dick is said to have been in a car crash, "It was as though his head had been halved like an apple, then put together a fraction off center. Something of the kind had happened; the imperfectly aligned features were the outcome of a car collision in 1950-an accident that left his long-jawed and narrow face tilted..." (31). While Capote tells this brief story, the style seems impersonate and neutral. Such a tone is appropriate according to Capote's preference in Perry. Capote also tells the tale of a motor accident that Perry has experienced, "Perry, too had been maimed, and his injuries, received in a motorcycle wreck, were severer than Dick's; he had spent half a year in a State of Washington hospital and another six months on crutches, and though the accident had occurred in 1952, his chunky, dwarfish legs, broken in five places and pitifully scarred, still pained him so severely that he had become an aspirin addict," (31). This latter description is much more passionate and attached to the subject then with former. The former is more report like, while the latter tries to be more affecting. It is clear that Capote had grown closer to Perry than Dick in his research for this book.*

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