Is one born a murderer or does one become a murderer? That is the question that Truman Capote asked without asking in his novel "In Cold Blood". Capote focused on Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, and their motivation to kill the clutter family. Out of the two, Perry Smith was the most complex character, who displayed a natural ability to kill, but whose personality had been shaped because of all the bad things that had happened to him, which in addition to his sweet and compassionate personality made him a more likable character than his partner Dick. But the protagonist was not born an assassin. There are several factors that molded Perry's personality and led him to become a murderer. .
One of the factors that influenced Perry was his childhood trauma. At first Perry's family was united, but they were very poor. His parents "Tex and Flo" were rodeo champions and they lived in their car for some time, because the economic situation was very bad. Then, Perry's mother started to cheat on his father which caused him to become abusive with her and their children. Thus, Julia divorced him, took Perry and his siblings and moved away, becoming an alcoholic. But Perry's childhood got worse after his mother died. Perry and his siblings were placed in a Catholic orphanage, where nuns abused him physically and emotionally for his problem of chronic bed wetting. He was also placed in a Salvation Army orphanage, where one of the caretakers tried to drown him. Finally, in his adolescence, Smith reunited with his father, but their businesses kept failing, so one day after arguing, his father tried to shoot Perry out of frustration, but the gun was not loaded. This scene deeply traumatized Perry for his entire life. His criminal record seems to be a natural extension of the experiences he had as he grew up. .
The second factor that may have lead Perry to become an assassin was his relationship with Dick.