1. Journal 1 10.6.14 In Part I of In Cold Blood, author Truman
Capote describes the town of Holcomb,
Kansas. Explain how the town of Holcomb is
the typical 1950s small town. Use Part I of
the novel to help you. Respond in a
paragraph (5-6 sentences).

2. Journal 2 10.7.14 What is the definition of the “typical”
American Dream? How do the Clutters fit this
definition of the American Dream? What do their
murders say about the American Dream? Dick and
Perry fail to achieve the American Dream. What
does their failure to achieve the American Dream
suggest about social outcasts in America?
Respond in a paragraph (5-6 sentences).

3. Journal 3 10.14.17 Part II (“Persons Unknown”) of Truman
Capote’s In Cold Blood closely examines the
backgrounds and lives of Dick Hickock and Perry
Smith. Using Part 2 of the novel, describe each
man’s upbringing. If Dick and Perry had been
raised in an environment such as Kenyon and
Nancy Clutter’s, would the outcome of their lives
have been any different? If so, how? If not, why
not? Explain. Respond in a well-constructed
paragraph. (6-8 sentences).

4. Journal
Alvin Dewey, head of the Clutter investigation and member
of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), is obsessed
with the Clutter case. What is the cause of his obsession?
How does his obsession affect him personally? How does
his obsession affect his family? What does his obsession
suggest about the American Dream? Is there any job, goal,
etc. that is worth risking one’s health and family for?
Explain. Respond in a paragraph (5-7 sentences).

5. Journal 5 10.21.14 In his nonfiction novel In Cold Blood, Truman
Capote challenges the American Dream. He
suggests through the murder of the Clutters that
the American Dream is fleeting, and it can be
taken away in the blink of an eye. Through Dick
and Perry he suggests that the American Dream is
not available to outcasts. Find 5 quotes from Parts
1, 2, and/or 3 to support the above ideas
concerning the American Dream. Record the
quotes with page numbers.

6. Journal
Capote ends his novel In Cold Blood with the quote, Alvin
Dewey “walked toward the trees, and under them, leaving
behind him the big sky, the whisper of wind voices
in the wind-bent wheat” (343). Explain the metaphor of the
“wind voices.” How has the Clutter murder changed Alvin
Dewey and the town of Holcomb? Is this change good,
bad, or a combination of both? Explain. What does this
change suggest about the American Dream?