The After Math of Holcomb

Capote proves that what was the sweet, innocent town of Holcomb morphs into an unsafe place, where nobody feels comfortable, all because the people of the town believe that if it happens to such a perfect family in a such perfect family in such a picturesque town, then it can happen again. For example, Capote describes a hunt in Holcomb after the deaths of the Clutters. He says, “…a car load of pheasant hunters from Colorado- strangers, ignorant of the local disaster-were startled by what they saw…windows ablaze, almost every window in every house, and, in brightly lit rooms, fully clothed people, even entire families who had sat the whole night, wide awake, watching, listening” (88). This proves that a town that once left their doors wide open at night, will never recover and restore to what Holcomb was before the murders. The fact is that even if this crime never happens again, people will lay wide awake, listening for gun shots, because Holcomb’s innocence is shattered, and the town is unable to pick up the pieces; the crime is too serious to forget and simply go back to the ways things were before. Furthermore, with the true belief, “It might happen again”, no one in the town can ignore the murder; the risk of it happening again is too high (88). Next, a school teacher describes the after math. She says, “Feeling wouldn’t run half as high if this happened to anyone except the Clutter’s. Anyone less admired. Prosperous. Secure…and that such a thing could happen to them, well its like being told there is no God. It makes life seem pointless” (88). This shows that the Clutters represent the town of Holcomb. If this happens to any other town, other that the secure, sweet, Holcomb, it will not have this affect on people. Many towns admire Holcomb’s safety previously. If such a thing happens to this town, it is like saying there is no God. The town of Holcomb has simply lost faith. The Clutter’s are very closely related to the God of Holcomb; with them being murdered, it is like being told that there is no such thing as an innocent, clean town in this country anymore. The idea that the town was once an innocent, happy, place is pointless because nobody cares what Holcomb was, people are scared.