In our society, past and present, gender norms have presented themselves within a moderately strict framework in which personality traits are expected of both men and women . In past traditional expectations regarding gender, women's role was to be the more passive and submissive caretakers, which often prevented them from getting involved in social and political situations. For men, they have always been expected to assert dominance through their masculinity. The more masculine and dominant a man was, the more likely he was to succeed. Truman Capote's In Cold Blood presents the significant contrast within a specific gender role through the way Capote chooses to present the relationship between Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Dick and Perry are the two ex-cons and now murderers of the Clutter family. The criminal couple maintains a gender relationship that is both complementary and polarized. Dick is portrayed as the most masculine person, fitting the socially standard definition of masculinity. He was often seen as “aggressively heterosexual” and popular with many women (Stuckey-French, 2015). Throughout the novel, Capote emphasizes Dick's masculinity, usually from the perspective of Perry admiring Dick. Unlike Dick, Perry is portrayed as the more feminine and submissive figure. Perry often follows Dick's lead and can be easily convinced to do whatever Dick decides. It is evident that Dick is aware of Perry's submissiveness and often manages to convince Perry by using endearing words such as calling him "sugar", "honey", and "baby" (Capote, 1966). The language used between the two could easily be interpreted as going beyond a simple friendship relationship. The 1960s were a time of societal change, but homosexuality was still considered a mental illness (Burton, 1987). At this particular time in history, acceptance of homosexuality was minimal. The need to fit into society was desired by most people, even if it meant hiding part of who you are. Dick's intense sexual inclinations towards women and young women are mentioned several times throughout the novel. As Capote had mentioned, Dick was seen as an aggressive heterosexual, almost as if to intentionally make the point that there was no doubt that he could one day be something else. Perry plays more of a submissive role in the novel. Capote writes of Perry as a person who was easily hurt to the point of crying a lot. These are traits often associated with femininity and weakness. Aside from a few mentions of one-night stands, it doesn't seem like Perry is ever very interested in having sex with anyone. In fact, Perry was disgusted in Mexico when Dick had sex with different young women. He called it a nuisance (Aliana, 2017). Perry considered himself an intelligent, sensitive, and creative person who was simply not given the opportunity to develop his talents due to his childhood circumstances. Perry understands the value of education, but since he never received one, he figured his only way to gain respect was to act like a criminal. This is how he compensates for his masculinity. Dick and Perry each use their version of masculinity to cover up their own insecurities and make them feel more masculine and more in power. Dick likes to spot and highlight/