A Study On The Split Personality Of Anti - Heroic Perry In "Cold Blood"

Based on a true story, In Cold Blood is one of the masterpieces of Truman Capote. The novel centers around a criminal named Perry, who is also a typical anti-hero in the post-war period of the 20 th century. The thesis attempts to analyze Perry’s schizoid personality in the Freudian approach.The thesis states that the strong ego of Perry is always under depression caused by self-dissatisfaction, while his rough childhood experience is an impediment to the shaping of his perfect superego, and his disintegrated id can hardly follow the superego’s command to control his ego. Hence the unstable mental state of Perry. His immanent contradiction impels him to kill the whole family of Clutter. His inner ambivalence as well as loneliness endow him with a grievous image, and eventually lead to a tragic end.Through the in-depth analysis of Perry, a typical anti-hero, the thesis indicates that self-development, family influences and social environment impose a dramatic impact on the personality and acts of an individual. To a certain extent, only by keeping the dynamic balance of id, ego and superego to establish a healthy personality can the formation of criminal psychology be prevented.