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In Cold Blood
By: Alyn Acosta

Our subconscious thoughts are harmless notion of the brain, but when they become
conscious actions, we must judge the extremity of this desire. Freud psychoanalytical lens needs
to be applied in the novel In Cold Blood, describing the murder of a Kansas family and the
storyline of the murders. The author, Truman Capote, write this novel based on personal
encounters, interviews, and investigation of this case creating the first imaginative nonfiction of
its kind. During this novel we see the development of each character's subconscious thoughts and
we can judge the seriousness of their impulse.

Mr. Clutter's subconscious desire is to be seen as a honorable man to all. The stigma
behind a great man lies within the man's family. As an educated man successful in his
profession, an eminent Republican and church leadereven though of the Methodist church
Mr. Clutter was entitled to rank among the local patricians, but [] their pleasures were not his;
he had no use for card games, golf, cocktails, or buffet suppers served at 10or, indeed,
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for any pastime that he felt did not "accomplish something The man is the head of the house
therefore if he is truly admirable his family must think so to thus being honorable as well. As
evident in the novel the Clutters are described as a well put family. Mr. Clutter's actions and his
accomplishment of his desire lies within how he treats his family. Mrs.Clutter's mental condition
is put under wraps by her and her husband from all. They go to such a great length that they do
not sleep in the same bedroom. As for his children, Nancy and Kenyon, they are raised to be
among some of the most respectable children. Although Kenyon lacks the friendship between
others in Holcomb, he is a handy young boy. As for Nancy she given harsher standards of being
the perfect lady always putting her accomplishments in the credit of her father. When readers are
judging Herbs subconscious actions they are seen as well intentioned therefore not of any harm
to anyone and people in the town of Holcomb admire him and his family. As for Nancy, his
actions are seen as toxic because she cannot separate herself from his want.

Nancy Clutter's subconscious desire is to be acknowledged beyond her father's prominent

recognition as a good member of society. Her subconscious actions arent to hate her father or
dissociate himself from him but it has lead her to do everything he wants even if she has her
doubts. Herb suggest that Nancy end her relationship with her boyfriend, Bobby, because of
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religious differences. While it obvious to readers that Nancy does not want to end her
relationship, they get to see her subconscious act on it own when she brings up what seems like
the end of her and Bobby's relationship. Readers can see how much effort Nancy puts into her
character which is why Nancy character is admirable to everyone. "One day she told the class,
'Nancy Clutter is always in a hurry, but she always has time. And that's one definition of a lady.'"
The only problem is that Nancy does not have time to bake pies and when she makes time she
always rushing out the door, thats the issue with being the daughter of Herb Clutter, her
accomplishments must go beyond the standards. Nancy Clutter is seen as the most put together
lady without the help of her mother, Bonnie, who struggles with a mental illness, so her
personality is credit by her father. Unfortunately since Nancy gets murdered he ID does not
accomplish this so it is impossible to judge how far she would have taken it, like her mothers.

Bonnie subconscious regrets marrying Herb Clutter. Bonnies subconscious is one of the
most neglected of the Clutter family which worsens her mental illness. Her mental illness is
hidden from society by her family especially her husband which has stopped her from achieving
anything. Yet to this day she regretted not having completed the course and received her
diploma"just to prove"as she had told a friend, "that I once succeeded at something."
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Instead, she had met and married Herb. Because Mr. Clutters and Mrs. Clutters seem to have an
ideal life to everyone it would appear that Mrs. Clutters desire to leave his husband is selfish act.
When the Clutter family was murdered it appeared that since Bonnie was the only imperfect
Clutter and her mental illness over looked her as a person she was aclaimed a suspect." . . my
first thought was Bonnie. Course it was silly, but we didn't know the facts, and a lot of people
thought maybe, on account of her spells. When discovering that the Clutters had been murder

DICK
Of course, Dick was very literal-minded, veryhe had no understanding of music, poetryand
yet when you got right down to it, Dick's literalness, his pragmatic approach to every subject,
was the primary reason Perry had been attracted to him, for it made Dick seem, compared to
himself, so authentically tough, invulnerable, "totally masculine."
That Dick had marriedmarried twiceand fathered three sons was something he envied. A
wife, childrenthose were experiences a man ought to have.