Chaos In Holcomb

Capote uses the innocence of Holcomb County in this book to show the reader how even the most serene and untouched communities can be driven to chaos. This concept is shown widely in the second part of the novel when the residents of Holcomb become paranoid and fearful of once the people in their community they considered family. Perry and Dick’s crime introduced a new innocence free era in the Holcomb community. The residents of Holcomb now wonder if their lives will or can ever go back to the way it was. Alvin Dewey’s wife states, “Now Mrs. Dewey said, “Alvin, answer me. Do you think we’ll ever have a normal life again?”(105). This quotation stated by Mrs. Dewey shows the uncertainty the community and their family have about the future and how they will approach living in the community. Along with the doubts the residents have about their safety many of the people that lived in the community decide to abandon Holcomb. “ Me and the Missis, we’ve slept our last night on this place, We’re movin’ to a house alongside the highway”(79).This quotation truly captures the emotions of the desperate residents of Holcomb. That they would actually flee from their Eden community to live along side a busy highway.