The Sections of "In Cold Blood" Response

In the novel In Cold Blood, Truman Capote breaks up the murder case of the Clutter into 4 distinct sections. In the first section, Capote introduces the Clutter family and the two murderers- Dick and Perry. The first section of the book serves as an introduction- it gives readers an understanding of who the characters are in the book, and an idea of what will happen in the future. Capote drops subtle hits in the first section that something severe will happen to the Clutter family. For instance, in a passage about Mr. Clutter, Capote states: "Then, touching the brim of his cap, he headed for home and the day's work, unaware that it would be his last" (Capote 6). This hint prepares readers for what is to come in the next section, as Mr. Clutter will die. 

In section 2 of In Cold Blood, the murder actually happens. Capote explains the events of the murder, from a bystander's point of view. The readers know that Dick and Perry committed the murder, but they do not know why or how. The audience only knows what happened when the townspeople of Holocomb found the bodies. Section 2 then sets the way for the next section, in which the audience fully understands what happened the night of the murder. 

In section 3, we actually learn from Floyd Wells (a criminal who used to share the same cell as Dick) what Dick's incentives were for the murder. From there, the police and investigators are able to find Perry and Dick, and gather evidence to accuse them of the murder. This section then paves the way for the fourth section, in which the audience learns about the court trials surrounding this case.