Thursday, November 19, 2009

Cats

Capote uses cats as a way to represent Dick and Perry and their sly moves in life. Dick and Perry are both underdogs in life and never accomplished anything. Where as Mr. Clutter, a prosperous man, seemed to be an over achiever that could get anything he wanted. Mrs. Ashida is astounded by Mr. Clutter and says to him, “I can’t imagine you afraid. No matter what happened, you’d talk your way out of it.” (36). Mr. Clutter always held his composure in any situation but the night of the murder it doesn’t work out for him. Capote continually brings up cats and their mysterious ways. Capote says, “ The family cat had attacked the cocker spaniel that lived across the street, and now it seemed as if one of the spaniel’s eyes might be seriously damaged.” (163). It’s rare for a cat to beat a dog in a fight but it can happen. Since Dick and Perry were two scrubs who were always in prison, Capote uses the analogy to show Mr. Clutter as the dog who was beaten by the cat. Even Marie, Dewey’s wife had viewed Dick as a cat. Capote says, “Marie, transfixed by Hickcock’s eyes, was reminded of a childhood incident- of a bobcat she’d once seen caught in a trap, and of how, though she’d wanted to release it, the cat’s eyes, radiant with pain and hatred, had drained her of pity and filled her with terror.” (164). When Marie sees Dick she sees him as a cat. Dick was a man who brought terror to her just by the look of his eyes. Through this representation of Dick being a bobcat, Capote also uses Dick and Perry together as cats in the end of the third part. The last chapter starts off with Capote saying:

Among Garden City’s animals are two gray tomcats who are always together- thin, dirty strays with strange and clever habits. The chief ceremony of their day is performed at twilight. First they trot the length of Main Street, stopping to scrutinize the engine grilles of parked automobiles…Using their paws as though they are surgical instruments.” (246)

Dick and Perry’s representation of being cats seems to show two sneaky people. When Capote says the cats use their paws like surgical instruments its just like Dick and Perry uses weapons to kill the Clutters. Capote does a good job describing the two as sneaky because they did get away with a murder for a good sum of time. Capote says after everyone has left, “leaving the cold square to the two gray cats.” (248) Dick and Perry, the cats, are now alone in the world and have nothing left to offer to the world. Dick and Perry share the qualities of cats who beat the dog but in the beginning but by the end ultimately the cats lost.

No comments:

Post a Comment