Partners?

Dick and Perry's relationship in In Cold Blood is full of distrust and manipulation. Dick in this case is the manipulator. He takes advantages of Perry in a variety of ways. He is the one that sets the tone for what the two do during their day. Even though Perry believes that he and Dick are partners Dick sees Perry in a different light. “Dick was sick of him-his harmonica, his aches and ills, his superstitions, the weepy womanly eyes, the nagging, whispering voice, self righteous, spiteful, he was like a wife that must be got rid of”(215). This quotation shows how Dick sees Perry now as a meddling annoyance that he just wants to get rid of. Dick wants nothing to do with a overbearing dramatic figure that follows him around. Dick truly only needs Perry for means of getting money and companionship, yet if Dick was given the opportunity to leave Perry from the readers stand point he would gladly do so. Dick truly is not a reliable and trustworthy partner to Perry, yet Perry is oblivious to the manipulation that Dick uses on him. Perry is easy to manipulate also due to the fact that at times he can be a very sensitive almost female like individual. Dick is a mastermind at using his words and his eyes to get what he wants from people or get them to do what he wants. As it is portrayed earlier in the novel Dicks eyes are “serpentine” this portrays how Dick can be compared to a snake which is an animal that is commonly used to portray despitefulness and treachery.