A majority of people around the world would agree that random killing is unethical and deserves severe punishment, especially if that killing is committed against an innocent and kind family. However, there is much debate about the extent of punishment that random murder deserves. Should capital punishment be authorized? What is human life worth and who has the power to declare it? In the nonfiction novel In Cold Blood, author Truman Capote fully characterizes the victims, the Clutter family, using dialogue and outside descriptions in order to help the reader better understand the loss and murder of the family and to ironically humanize the murderers Dick and Perry using parallelism; this is done in order to subtly suggest Capote's belief that capital punishment is wrong. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay As the reader gets to know the members of the Clutter family through dialogue and outward description, the characters become more real to the reader, so their deaths seem more personal. First, we read a description of Nancy, "a pretty girl... [whose] eyes... made her immediately sympathetic, [they] immediately announced her lack of suspicion" (Capote 19). Nancy's eyes stand out, particularly for the reflection of her innocence. She is personified here as a doe-eyed gazelle unaware of the hunter's presence, or as an innocent lamb to be slaughtered. This gives the reader increased sympathy for Nancy, because the damsel in distress is a familiar character - and the damsel who was not saved is by far a tragic story. Second, the reader sees Mrs. Ashida's opinion of Herb, when she tells him, "I can't imagine you're afraid." Whatever happens, you will manage to get through it” (Capote 36). Herb is the father figure. He is supposed to protect his family. Ideally, he is practically invincible. With Herb's murder, the reader sees the failure of a hero and thus further understands the family's loss. Finally, we see the nature of Bonnie and Kenyon. In one of her fits, Bonnie tells Wilma, "I'm missing... The best years, the kids, everything... And how will [Kenyon] remember me? Like some kind of ghost." (Capote 30). All Bonnie hopes for is a chance to connect with Kenyon, who is in every sense "Bonnie's child, a sensitive, reluctant boy" (Capote 39). However, with the murder of the Clutter family, any possibility of a close relationship is removed with the brutality of chance and a gun. In all of these cases, the author plays on the reader's sympathies by using intertextuality, because familiarity with the character types helps one better understand the characters' loss and the value of human life. Additionally, Capote uses stock characters to develop the reader's expectations, and then he modifies the narrative from the traditional role of the stock character in order to further engage the reader emotionally. While Capote continually quotes and references the Clutters throughout the book, he also characterizes the murderers. . So while the reader grimaces upon hearing Perry's testimony of Nancy's final cries, which sounded like, "Oh, no! Oh, please. No! No! No! No! Don't do it! Oh, please don’t!” (Capote 245), the reader also feels a pang in the heart when hearing about the immense neglect and abuse Perry suffered (Capote 130-136). As Capote himself said: "If [Perry had] had a ;.