First off, a sociopath can be defined as "a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior and a lack of conscience." This personality disorder is called "Antisocial personality disorder," and any person suffering from it can be characterized as having "a long-term pattern of manipulating, exploiting, or violating the rights of others" and often ends up commiting a crime or series of crimes. Already, this definition seems to fit the character of Perry Smith fairly well. He is known for being rather antisocial and also displays a somewhat odd disinterest in human sexuality. The fact that he could kill the Clutter family members without batting an eye in the process also shows his lack of empathy for people he has no connection to or reason to care for.
Early signs of a sociopath that can be observed in children can also be seen in Perry. One sign is usually frequent bed wetting, which we have seen Perry experience as a child in the house run by nuns. Sociopaths, especially child sociopaths, often seek immediate gratification from others. Perry displays this behavior with the people he clings to, such as Dick and his father. A fairly obvious sign of an antisocial personality disorder is frequent violence. Perry is known for having spurts of extreme violence and an unusually short temper, which even Dick fears at times. The last common sign of a sociopath that Perry shows is a disinterest in intimacy. While this sign can be seen in children when they are disinterested in mild forms of intimacy such as a hug, Perry's all around disinterest in sexual intimacy is a red flag.
When you put Perry's traits alongside the common signs seen in sociopathic children, it is evident to me that he is at the very least a mild form of the common sociopath.
If you are interested in the many other signs of a sociopath (many of which can also be seen in Dick's personality), I recommend this article on children with an antisocial personality disorder: http://sandrarose.com/2008/03/are-you-raising-a-sociopath/
If you are interested in the many other signs of a sociopath (many of which can also be seen in Dick's personality), I recommend this article on children with an antisocial personality disorder: http://sandrarose.com/2008/03/are-you-raising-a-sociopath/
Hi Hannah!
ReplyDeleteYou definitely found some good points on this. I mad a lot of connections with what you said and Perry, especially when he explained killing the Clutters in part III. He wasn't even planning on killing them and then all of a sudden he slit Mr. Clutter's throat and was not even phased. And during the retelling of his tale, he calmly smoked a cigarette which really showed his lack of empathy like you mentioned! I think it's odd that readers and Capote still feel for Perry even though evidence leads us to believe he was a sociopath. People feel for the one that does not feel.