IN COLD BLOOD

 

Reading Guide for Part I  (Remember to answer every question in sentence form.)

 

1. Identify the following locations:  Holcomb Hartman’s Café    River Valley Farm    Garden City

2. Describe the initial setting and mood of the book.

3. What did the “four shotgun blasts…” do to the town of Holcomb? P. 5 Explain.

4. For each of the following characters, describe his/her physical appearance, personality, likes, dislikes, etc. (This is a personality analysis.)

Herbert, Nancy, Kenyon, and Bonnie Clutter

Perry Smith and Dick Hickock

Susan Kidwell  Bobby Rupp    Willie-Jay

 

5. Why was Nancy’s relationship with Bobby Rupp doomed to fail?

6. Descibe how Mr. Clutter treated his “ranch hands”?

7. Why did Mr. Clutter file a law suit against a pilot of a small plane?

8. What is the significance of the section where Nancy teaches a neighbor’s child how to bake a cherry pie? What might the pie symbolize?

9. What is ironic about Bonnie Clutter’s saying on her book mark?

10. What is the most important affiliation a person has in regards to living in Garden City?  Explain.

11. Why does Dick decide against wearing stockings over their faces?

12. What did Kenyon and his friend Bob do for fun?

13. What were the killers planning to do after they committed the crime?

14. What was Perry forbidden to do once he was paroled from prison?

15. Describe the relationship between Nancy and her father.

16. According to Bobby Rupp, how did the evening of the Clutter’s murder end?

17. According to Dick, what made Perry a “rarity”?

18. Who was the last Clutter family member to go to sleep?  Was there anything special about the last entry in her diary?

19. Who found the Clutters’ bodies in the home? As it relates to their murders, what did they have in common?  What was different?

20. Specifically, what clues were found at the scene?

21. The initial motive was believed to be robbery.  What was stolen?

22. What had Mr. Clutter just paid for the day before his murder?

 

Reading Guide II “Persons Unknown”

 

  1. Who cleaned the Clutter’s house?  What did they do with the blood stained items?  How is this act symbolic?
  2. Who heard “…nary anothin” the night of the murders?  Why?
  3. Who was the main K.B.I. agent assigned to the murders?  What did he initially focus on reading during the investigation?  Did this ultimately provide any solid clues?
  4. After the initial investigation, what were the two theories about the murders? Which one seemed to make the most “sense” to the agents and why?
  5. What clues did the K.B.I. agents not reveal to the media?
  6. Who was Mrs. Myrt Clare?  Describe her personality.  What was ironic about her statement, referring to the townsmen, “ a lily-livered lot, shaking in their boots afraid to shut their eyes.  This old girl, she’s sleeping good as ever.  Anybody wasn’t to play a trick on me, let ‘em try.” ?
  7. Which killer corrected the article’s grammar referring to the murders?  What does this reveal about him?
  8. What does Perry mean that he has “extrasensory perception”? Provide an example.
  9. What is Dick unable to satisfy since the murders?  How could this be symbolic?
  10. According to Dick, who gave him the information about the Clutters?  How was the information both correct and incorrect?
  11. Describe Perry’s recurring dream. What is the role of the yellow parrot? What does this dream reveal about Perry’s life?
  12. How did Dick and Perry raise money for their trip to Mexico?
  13. What about Dick made Perry envious?
  14. How are Perry and Dick going to make money in Mexico? Why are they planning to send some of it back to Dick’s parents?
  15. What makes Dewey believe one of the killers is emotionally connected to the Clutters?
  16. On p. 108, why does Dick both make fun of Perry as well as act scared of him?
  17. What does Dick do when they spot a dog in the road? Why?
  18. Initially, how did Perry and Dick live while in Mexico? Who helped them?
  19. What happened to Perry’s Gibson guitar?  Why did this put him in such a fowl mood?
  20. Once Perry’s father removed him from the care of the nuns, where did they go?  What d id they start? Describe the success  and failure.
  21. Describe the letter Perry’s sister sent him and his reaction.
  22. Why might Perry be hanging onto all of his “treasures”? Do they share anything in common?
  23. What are the four main “truths” Dewey believes about the Clutters’ murders?  Explain the accuracy of each.