Quotes and Themes:

Colour code: already asked possible themes

Themes:

• religion

• 1950s

• prison & incarceration

• family life

• Victims

  “the town darling Nancy” - describing Nancy, section 1

  “it was a dress in which she was to be buried” - describing Nancy putting on what to wear, unknown to her that it is her last day, section 1

  “girlish, and as frothy as a ballerina’s tutu” - describing Nancy Clutter’s bedroom, section 1

  “white-and-pink” “pink-and-white” - describing Nancy’s bedroom, section 1

  “death-dulled, still-staring eyes” Dewey describing the photographs of Bonnie, section 2

  “Richard Hickock and Perry Smith bound and gagged and slaughtered four helpless people.” - Nye interviewing Dick after getting him and Perry in Nevada, section 3

  “four gunshot that, all told, ended six human lives” - referring to Dick and perry killing the Clutters, section 1

• Setting

  “whispers of wind voices in the wind-bent wheat” - imagery describing Holcomb, section 4

  “High wheat plains” - repeated imagery describing Holcomb, section 1 and 2

• death

  ‘the black Chevrolet’ the car Dick and Perry were travelling in marking their movements leading up to the deaths of the Clutters, section 1 and 2

• the death penalty

  “They’ll vote to hang fast as pigs eat slop” - Perry referring to the Southern jury, section 4

  “it’s a helluva thing to take a life in this manner. I don’t believe in capital punishment, morally or legally.” - Perry about death row just before he died, section 4

  “he don’t stand no chance. They’ll hang them both. And,’ he added, fatigue and defeat glazing his eyes, ‘having you boy hang, knowing he will, nothing worse can happen to a man.’” - Dick’s father visited Dick in jail and was speaking to reporters, section 4

  “steps, noose, mask” - Perry about to be killed, death penalty, section 4

• Good and evil

  “four gunshot that, all told, ended six human lives” - referring to Dick and perry killing the Clutters, section 1

  “fragmentary indications of ironic, erratic compassion” - Dewey after hearing Perry recalling him using the mattress box for comfort, section 3

• Holcomb and residents

  “whispers of wind voices in the wind-bent wheat” imagery describing Holcomb, section 4

  “High wheat plains” - repeated imagery describing Holcomb, section 1 and 2

• journalistic style

• road trips

  ‘the black Chevrolet’ the car Dick and Perry were travelling in marking their movements leading up to the deaths of the Clutters, section 1 and 2

• the trial

• law & order

  “They’ll vote to hang fast as pigs eat slop” section 4, Perry referring to the Southern jury, section 4

  “it’s a helluva thing to take a life in this manner. I don’t believe in capital punishment, morally or legally.” Perry about death row just before he died, section 4

• masculinity

  “O.K., honey. If that’s the way you feel.” - Perry vocalising what Dick said to him the night of the murders when he averted Dick from raping Nancy, section 3

  “weepy, womanly eyes” - Dick describing how he had had enough of Perry, section 3

• The Clutters

  “the town darling Nancy” - describing Nancy, section 1

  “it was a dress in which she was to be buried” - describing Nancy putting on what to wear, unknown to her that it is her last day, section 1

  “girlish, and as frothy as a ballerina’s tutu” - describing Nancy Clutter’s bedroom, section 1

  “white-and-pink” “pink-and-white” - describing Nancy’s bedroom, section 1

  “die-hard community booster” - referring to Herb Clutter, section 1

  “Always certain of what he wanted from the world, Mr Clutter had in large measure obtained it” - Herb’s hard working nature, section 1

  “although unrelaxed herself, had a relaxing quality” - description of Bonnie Clutter described by Jolene, section 1

  “as a kind of ghost” - Bonnie describing her fear about what Kenyon will think of her (speaking to Wilma Kidwell), section 1

• criminal justice system

• Murder

  “Richard Hickock and Perry Smith bound and gagged and slaughtered four helpless people.” - Nye interviewing Dick after getting him and Perry in Nevada, section 3

  “death-dulled, still-staring eyes” Dewey describing the photographs of Bonnie, section 2

  “four gunshot that, all told, ended six human lives” - referring to Dick and perry killing the Clutters, section 1

  “I didn’t want to harm the man. I thought he was a very nice gentleman. Soft-spoken. I thought so right up to the moment I cut his throat” - Perry about Herb, section 3

• American justice system

  “They’ll vote to hang fast as pigs eat slop” section 4, Perry referring to the Southern jury, section 4

  “it’s a helluva thing to take a life in this manner. I don’t believe in capital punishment, morally or legally.” Perry about death row just before he died, section 4

  “steps, noose, mask” - Perry about to be killed, death penalty, section 4

• fathers and fatherhood

  “Hickock’s father, who refused to believe his ‘boy’ could have taken part in such a ‘horrible crime’ insisted the gun hadn’t been out of the house” finding the gun section 4

  “a work-worn old man, stooped and thinned down by the cancer” - Dick’s father walking out of the prison after visiting him, section 4

  “he don’t stand no chance. They’ll hang them both. And,’ he added, fatigue and defeat glazing his eyes, ‘having you boy hang, knowing he will, nothing worse can happen to a man.’” - Dick’s father visited Dick in jail and was speaking to reporters, section 4

• mothers and motherhood

  “although unrelaxed herself, had a relaxing quality” - description of Bonnie Clutter described by Jolene, section 1

  “as a kind of ghost” - Bonnie describing her fear about what Kenyon will think of her (speaking to Wilma Kidwell), section 1

  “Mrs Hickcock wept… worrying a rumpled hand-kerchief… flimsily constructed, affirmed her loyalty” - Dick mother at the trial, section 4

• children and childhood

  “The same childish feet, tilted, dangling” - Perry when he was hung, section 4

  “hated, hating half-breed child” - Perry being described as a child, section 2

  “impish features” “misshapen child-man” “flickering like the tongue of a lizard” - Nye describing seeing Smith being interviewed for the first time, section 3

• friendships (different)

• failed dreams and ambitions

• criminal investigation

• Police officers

• violence and its causes

  “I didn’t want to harm the man. I thought he was a very nice gentleman. Soft-spoken. I thought so right up to the moment I cut his throat” - Perry speaking about Herb and telling the officers about the crime, section 3

  "They [the Clutters] never hurt me. Like other people. Like people have all my life. Maybe it's just the Clutters were the ones that had to pay for it." - Perry speaking to Don Cullivan, section 4

• Perry and Dick’s relationship

  “O.K., honey. If that’s the way you feel.” - Perry vocalising what Dick said to him the night of the murders when he averted Dick from raping Nancy, section 3

  “weepy, womanly eyes” - Dick describing how he had had enough of Perry, section 3

  “two young men had little in common, but they did not realise it, for they shared a number of surface traits” - Dick and Perry’s relationship, section 1

  “two grey tomcats” - image similar to Dick and Perry, Perry sees the cats on the street outside the prison, section 4

“The same childish feet, tilted, dangling”

the black Chevrolet

“whispers of wind voices in the wind-bent wheat”

“High wheat plains”

“I promise you, honey, we’ll blast hair all over them walls”

“die-hard community booster”

“two grey tomcats”

“four shotgun blasts that, all told, ended six human lives”

“the town darling Nancy”

“it was a dress in which she was to be buried”

“girlish, and as frothy as a ballerina’s tutu”

“Always certain of what he wanted from the world, Mr Clutter had in large measure obtained it”

“white-and-pink” “pink-and-white”

“weepy, womanly eyes”

“two young men had little in common, but they did not realise it, for they shared a number of surface traits”

“although unrelaxed herself, had a relaxing quality”

“as a kind of ghost”

“hated, hating half-breed child”

“death-dulled, still-staring eyes” section 2 Bonnie (Dewey photographs)

“Richard Hickock and Perry Smith bound and gagged and slaughtered four helpless people.” - Nye section 3 interviewing Dick after getting him and Perry in Nevada

“his legs were so short that his feet, as small as a child’s couldn’t quite make the floor” - Nye’s thoughts seeing smith for the 1st time being interviewed

“impish features” “misshapen child-man” “flickering like the tongue of a lizard” - Nye describing seeing Smith being interviewed for the first time

“fragmentary indications of ironic, erratic compassion” - Dewey after hearing Perry recalling hi using the mattress box for comfort section 3

“a work-worn old man, stooped and thinned down by the cancer”

“he don’t stand no chance. They’ll hang them both. And,’ he added, fatigue and defeat glazing his eyes, ‘having you boy hang, knowing he will, nothing worse can happen to a man.’” - Dick’s father section 4 visited Dick in jail and was speaking to reporters.

"They [the Clutters] never hurt me. Like other people. Like people have all my life. Maybe it's just the Clutters were the ones that had to pay for it." - Perry section 4 speaking to Don Cullivan

“Mrs Hickcock wept… worrying a rumpled hand-kerchief… flimsily constructed, affirmed her loyalty”

“They’ll vote to hang fast as pigs eat slop” section 4, Perry referring to the Southern jury

“it’s a helluva thing to take a life in this manner. I don’t believe in capital punishment, morally or legally.” Perry about death row just before he died, section 4