The End That Never Comes

[natalieneace]

In my opinion, I liked where the book stopped. It left the reader feeling somewhat resolved but not completely. The ending of this book truly relates to its genre and its context in life itself. Life never ends completely resolved and as us humans we desire to have a happy ending due to our childhoods being filled with fairytales and happy ever after. With this genre it cliff hangs and not in a way where a sequel will exist but the kind that which is everlastingly unfinished. In reality, there is always something we wanted to say or wished wouldn’t have happened but it did. In actuality, this ending is perfect with the reflection in the cemetery when Dewey sees Susan and compares her to a way Nancy would’ve looked had she not been murdered. If the ending would’ve been sooner, it wouldn’t have had such a harsh reality to it that which encompasses the premise of this story anyways.
In another light, the justice department feels that they have served justice and resolved this crime but that greatly differs from the opinions and emotions of the people of Holcomb and even the world’s opinion. This ending wasn’t an ending, merely a beginning. In relation to modern day, it relates quite well to Ferguson. This grand jury decision wasn’t the end for this case. This verdict has fanned out to the whole country and even World. This “ending” or “final” decision has brought to the surface past incidents such as the police chokehold in New York. In Cold Blood all in all teaches about the vast repercussions of any and every action humanity commits as an individual and as a whole.

[sethfrost]

Does anything truly have an ending? Wars and events in history and even this book have dates in them that could be used as ends, the end of life of the family or the end of the trial; but by reading this book it makes the events live longer than their end dates. An event may not be going on at this moment but it still has an impact on people. The book may end but we still think about the messages and morals that it teaches us. When a book ends and all of the questions are answered then you don't think about it as much as a book that ends with questions; books that answer all of the questions are not realistic because we will never have all of the answers. Good books make you think and make you wonder, they make you think about what it means to be human.

[brennapayne]

I agree with Seth in that a well written novel should leave you thinking, but I also agree with Natalie on the fact that the ending was fitting. The ending is brief enough to leave you room to ponder and create an ending of your own while still offering the bit of closure necessary after a book with such heavy subject matter. I also feel that the ending was effective due to it following the characteristics of popular crime by incorporating more emotional appeal than cold hard facts. Right from the beginning, Capote established a connection between the reader and the victims and, later on, continued this connection to several other characters, such Dewey, Smith, Hickock, etc. Because of this deeper connection to the crime that the audience feels, they crave an ending with emotion and closure about these characters. As the novel progressed, the readers heard less about the Clutter family and more about the murderers. Consequently, the readers become curious about how their deaths ring throughout the town. Towards the end, the book also shifted focus from the family to Al Dewey, therefore, it was very fitting that he be the one ending the book and showing how it all affected him.

[mayaotto]

Dec 9, 2014 1:22:14 GMT sethfrost said:

Does anything truly have an ending? Wars and events in history and even this book have dates in them that could be used as ends, the end of life of the family or the end of the trial; but by reading this book it makes the events live longer than their end dates. An event may not be going on at this moment but it still has an impact on people. The book may end but we still think about the messages and morals that it teaches us. When a book ends and all of the questions are answered then you don't think about it as much as a book that ends with questions; books that answer all of the questions are not realistic because we will never have all of the answers. Good books make you think and make you wonder, they make you think about what it means to be human.

I agree with what Seth said about how good books makes you think about more than just the story itself but the morals and messages hidden within. i enjoyed the ending of the book because it illustrated Dick and Perry's self reflection on the crimes they committed. The ending of the book not only brought closer to the readers but also left readers with questions which causes the reader to analyze possible morals they have in reality. Also, I always enjoy books that leave you with questions to think about because it causes you to make your own endings and express your opinion through the use of imagination and connection to real world situations.