Capote's Solemn View Of Holcomb example essay topic
438 words
Truly successful authors have the ability to convey their view of a place without actually saying it, to portray a landscape in a certain light simply by describing it. In the provided excerpt taken from the opening paragraphs of IN COLD BLOOD, truman capote does just this. Through his use of stylistic elements such as selection of detail, imagery, and figurative language, Capote reveals his own solemn and mysterious view of Holcomb, Kansas, while setting the stage for an imminent change. Beginning in the first line of the passage, Capote selects the most boring details of life in the small town in order to portray its solemnity. He draws attention to the physical isolation of Holcomb by referring to it as the place that "other Kansans call ' out there. ' " In addition, he speaks of the parameters of the small town, pointing out that it is enclosed on all sides by rivers, praises, and wheat fields. He describes the town as remote and unaffected, desolate and boring, continually mentioning the old, peeling paint and "irrelevant signs" that dot the landscape. Capote also gives the village a feeling of laziness in his writing, describing it as an "aimless congregation of buildings" and a "haphazard hamlet". He obviously feels that the town lacks liveliness, that it is bland and unchanging, simple and average. Almost looking down on the village and uts inhabitants, the author characterizes the people in broad categories and focuses in their outward appearances and superficial similarities instead of delving more deeply into their abilities or livelihoods. This reveals that he views the people and their surroundings as one-dimensional and simplistic. The idea hat he may summarize an entire town, generalize about its people and not be far from the truth, contributes greatly to Capote's solemn view of Holcomb.
One gets the feelings from the author's selection of detail that he wishes there was something more interesting, deeper, to share with his audience, and is disappointed by the cursory nature in which he must approach the description of such a melancholy place. Through his use of stylistic elements, Capote builds the perfect scenery for the setting of a murder, the perfect simple town waiting for a complicated twist, a faded flower or ghost town that has surely sen better days. By the end of the passage, he has already warned the reader that everything he has stated about holcomb is about to change, that the quiet and solitude, the blandness of the small town, may soon be replaced by very different descriptions.
