Question #3

[ajguth]

The last words of Perry and Dick are very telling of true personality. Both men walk in rather casually; Dick acted "as if he were greeting guests at his own funeral" and Perry "grinned and winked at Dewey, jaunty and mischievious". However, while Perry seemed just as nonchalant and cocky as Dick at first, once he was asked for his final words he sobered up. Perry then explained how he did not believe in capital punishment and finishes by apologizing. Although the sincerity of this apology can not be fully determined, the fact that he did make the statement proves that Perry does feel some remorse for his actions, while Dick does not. Furthermore, this enhances the feeling of sympathy from the audience as we feel that Perry was just "along for the ride" and became too caught up, while Dick seems to be the one to blame even though he received less of a charge.

[kevonohanlon]

I agree with you AJ. I think the last words of Perry completely reflect him as a person. Perry had a rough upbringing, was questionably a paranoid schizophrenic, and was involved with Dick who obviously wasn't a good influence. Because of this he committed a crime that he FELT BAD ABOUT. Dick had an alright life prior to imprisonment the first time and had an opportunity to clean up his act after getting out of jail, but instead he kills the Clutter family and feels no remorse at all. Lastly, don't you thinks its just a little ironic that the better, more moral person, Perry, is the one who is blamed for the most and possibly false charges?