3 Matching Annotations
  1. Nov 2020
    1. If June's name was mentioned her mother's tone was approving, and if Connie's name was mentioned it was disapproving. This did not really mean she disliked Connie, and actually Connie thought that her mother preferred her to June just because she was prettier, but the two of them kept up a pretense of exasperation, a sense that they were tugging and struggling over something of little value to either of them. Sometimes, over coffee, they were almost friends, but something would come up—some vexation that was like a fly buzzing suddenly around their heads—and their faces went hard with contempt.

      This passage really stuck out to me because of how Connie differentiates herself from June and her mother. The air of teenage superiority that Connie projects is vastly different from the disorientation she develops by the end. She likes to believe that she is different from everyone and isolates herself in an egotistical jail. Arnold Friend does the same when he goads her to leave her house and to escape with him, as her "lover". The delusional thinking of both of them is very transparent yet is strong enough to guide them to their demise.

  2. Oct 2020
    1. Perry, on the other hand, was without appetite; he subsisted on root beer, aspirin, and cigarettes.

      To me, this is foreshadowing how Perry may crack. Earlier, the police investigators discussed how the crime scene was interesting in the way that the killer(s) had shown some softness toward the Clutters, such as propping Kenyon's head up and laying Mr. Clutter on the mattress frame. The fact that Perry isn't eating while Dick is eating more than usual shows how Perry is undergoing anxiety both mentally and physically.

    2. "Perry, baby," Dick said, "you don't want that burger. I'll take it."

      The way that Dick dotes on Perry seems genuine but we already know it's pretty superficial. Perry is experiencing anxiety from reading newspaper coverage from the Clutter murders, yet Dick is trying his best to calm him down. This might be seen as an act of kindness, but we know that Dick doesn't share the same affections for Perry has Perry does with him.