KATHERINE FLORES

Appearances may not be as they seem.  In Out There, from In Cold Blood, author Truman Capote verbally illustrates for us a small town where nothing seems to happen.  Everything leading towards the end of the reading shows us the image of a wholesome, American town [where nothing seems to happen.] This image is then shattered by the murder of six townspeople, mentioned at the end of the reading.  But, the reader asks, why did the author start the story by describing the town and its surroundings instead of going straight to the murders?  The author wanted to first capture the essence of a town where it appears nothing much happens so that, later, he could make the reader more interested after announcing the murders, and to also show how these murders then created a strange vibe among the townspeople, which was full of mistrust. 

 

For instance, the author first started with the description of the town and its surroundings to create a picture in the reader’s mind.  He used objective and subjective descriptions because he wanted the images of these people and the quiet town to look real.  The facts of the town such as the highway’s name, the number of students in the school, and the population, all create an image in the reader’s mind that nothing bad could happen in this town because it is described as a small, isolated, quiet place.  The author also uses comparisons when he describes the knowledge of the town of Holcomb to the “waters of the river,” to give the reader a reference point.  An example of such a reference point is when he is describing the graceful picture of the town from afar, with its silos, to the Greek temples that are seen in the distance long before the traveler reaches them. 

 

In summary, these facts and descriptions create realistic images of a small, quiet, country town that becomes disturbed by the murder of this family.  The author’s purpose in doing this is to make the reader see the kind of town where nothing bad could happen. The reader has the image of the town pictured in one’s head and feels part of the story.  The author then introduces the murders at the end which makes the reader think:  “Who would do this, why was this done, and what will happen next?”