The Revolt of Mother

Question 1:

Although the father is mostly absent from The Revolt of Mother, his presence is clearly felt. Compare and contrast this character with the father in El Patron. Does either man change or grow during the course of the story? Responses should be at least 200 words.

Question 2:
In the Week 4 forum (Part II), we discussed the potential of skewed characters in In Cold Blood. Choose one classmates response to that question. Discuss whether you agree or disagree with his or her analysis. Is the character an accurate portrayal? Please include the classmate’s full name in your response. Your response should be at least 200 words and should include sufficient support for your argument.

Part II: As Truman Capote got to know many of the characters involved in the story behind In Cold Blood, his depictions were undoubtedly influenced. Select one character from the movie that you believe was portrayed in a different light and discuss why you think this character was skewed. Keep in mind that there are a lot of possibilities to consider. Capote’s own feelings could influence the work, the character may be too distasteful (for a variety of reasons), or the exaggeration could simply make a better read. Since we are dealing with a film, the possibility is also there that the change translates better to film. You are welcome to investigate this possibility as well. Please support your ideas. In this assignment, you may want to read other reports of the crime or excerpts from the book.

The most topical choice is Dick Hickock’s portrayal in the film. It was said that he was in an automobile accident that left him disfigured. However, in the film it was mentioned that he had reconstructive surgery to give him a great smile. This makes the movie more interesting, in my opinion, because it gives a more honest perspective of his swindling ways. It would be more difficult to pass off a disfigured person being personable with employees at a suit store and writing bogus checks, especially while requesting some extra walking around money. Overall, this may have been the work of the movie industry wanting to make more money.

Also, there was not much of a backstory to Hickock during the film. We learn that Smith (Robert Blake), had a short fuse and was a Korean war veteran, who killed a man in Las Vegas. This makes it more believable that Smith committed the murders and Hickock did not have anything to do with it. It also tends to focus on Smith having shell shock, or post traumatic stress disorder, as there were many flashbacks and bouts of depression that field his anger. But with Hickock, it does not go into detail that he committed petty crimes before this infamous night. This may be due to Capote getting better acquainted with Smith during his time in prison.