Was Capote a Sheep?

Last Friday, Todd and I went to see one of the Academy Award nominated films—Capote. I figured it would be interesting at least to me because it is the story of the five years it took Truman Capote to write In Cold Blood, a novel based on the murders of three members of a family in Kansas in 1959 in a robbery gone wrong. As a writer, anything having to do with "the craft" is interesting to me, especially this year as I am really delving into learning how to improve my writing and seriously pursue it both as a career and a passion.

The movie was fascinating on several levels. Philip Seymour Hoffman was amazing. It was the kind of movie where you walk out saying, "Wow. That was a good movie. I think." At the same time, it is depressing and not uplifting. Reminds me a little of The Road to Perdition, although that movie had a more redeeming message in the end.

First, I was somewhat surprised that it did not get any of the publicity Brokeback Mountain has gotten on the political front—at least not that I've heard. Truman Capote was apparently also gay, and one subplot of the movie deals with his relationship with his significant other as well as hints at the possibility that he fell in love with Perry Smith, the convicted murderer he developed a relationship with as he wrote the novel. Todd said he thought it was because it was not what the movie was "about," whereas the overriding theme of Brokeback Mountain was homosexuality. I personally thought there were a lot of other themes in Brokeback Mountain, and that the homosexuality plot just took center stage. Anyway, enough about that, that's not really what this is about.

Before we went to the movie, I read the quick blurb about it in the Star-Telegram's movie page. The reviewer said it was a film that gave the viewer just enough information to leave them analyzing it, which was totally accurate. Being an analytical person (to a fault, most of my closest friends and family members tell me), this movie was a feast! One scene that was particularly riveting was when Capote describes Smith to someone. I think it was Nelle Harper Lee (yep, he was friends with the author of To Kill a Mockingbird). Capote says, "It's as if Perry and I grew up in the same house. And one day he went out the back door and I went out the front."

This quote stuck with me as Todd and I talked about the movie afterwards. It was a really profound statement to me about choices. Yes, we all have circumstances that may influence how we turn out, but in the end, two people with the exact same circumstances may have completely different lives because of the choices they make. It was as though Capote was saying, "There but by the grace of God go I." That was basically the premise of the novel, as far as I can tell without having actually read it. He wanted to prove to the world that this monster who had committed a horrendous crime was still at the core human. It's unclear what his motives were—to show this or to write the world's greatest novel, because he was such an arrogant person and knew that it would bring him much fame and riches. Strangely, the postscript notes that it was the last novel he published and he eventually died as a result of drug abuse and alcoholism, so it must have affected him in ways he never expected.

In another scene, Capote goes to visit Perry's sister, Rose. She shows him a family photo album and tells him he can keep it because she doesn't have any use for it anymore. She is obviously done with Perry and wants no reminders of him in her life. Capote carries it to Perry and tells him it is a gift from Rose—that she wanted him to have it. Perry lights up in the possibility that Rose, the most important person in his life as a child, still cares about him. Here goes the analytical mind. Your first thought is, "What a jerk! He lied to him!" Then, you think, "Wait. Is this an act of compassion or selfishness?" You find yourself unable to answer this question, because either answer could be true. Capote knows he will get more out of Perry because he has given him hope. Or…perhaps Capote really did want to give him hope. Who can know?

Finally, one other scene sticks out in my mind. Capote befriends Perry Smith and begins to visit him in jail in order to learn the whole story of the murders. For five years, he goes to see him, taking him aspirin or other items he needs. After Perry is transferred to the state prison to await his execution, he goes on a hunger strike. When Capote is finally convinces the warden to allow him to visit Perry, he begins to feed him and pours sips of water into his mouth while Perry lies weak in his bunk, and eventually nurses him back to health. Again, it is unclear whether he wanted to save him simply out of compassion, or because he needed to get his story. The scene was moving, but had more meaning to me later in the weekend. Sunday, our pastor started a new series on the book we're going to be studying as a church—God is Closer Than You Think. Part of the message was based on the scripture Matthew 25:31-46 (NIV):

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."

Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?"

The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

Then he will say to those on his left, "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me."

They also will answer, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?"

He will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me."

Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

Now, I certainly don't have the right or ability to judge Truman Capote on the basis of whether or not he had the "right stuff" to dwell with God for eternity. The message brought home to me was that there are people out there who are doing the things that God commands us to do, whatever their motives may be, pure or otherwise, while many if not most of us "Christians" are sitting on our duffs debating whether or not The Book of Daniel should be shown on television, or whether we should boycott Brokeback Mountain, Disney products, Colgate toothpaste, or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…or whatever the moral-offender-of-the-day happens to be.

Hmm. Hello.

Good movie, much food for thought!