Capote’s representation of hope is probably one of the
strongest themes in In Cold Blood. He emphasises with Perry because of his
harsh and malicious upbringing, which makes his dream sound more like an escape
from a harsh reality rather than an aspiration or goal.
I feel that
the parrot is the most significant part of the dream. Capotes use of symbolism
and imagery here to make us visualise what is going on in Perry’s head. The
golden parrot is a creature that Perry hasn’t ever seen but he can imagine it
like it is real.
The parrot embodies a higher power that protects Perry from the
atrocious events in his life. I think that it could be a quintessence of his providence
at times. Perry still believes in this bird as a grown man, although it is a
symbol for hope, it denotes as childish so he hides the parrot from Dick to
save himself the embarrassment of explaining.
Similarly, the diamonds on
the trees denote the beauty and vanity that is right before your eyes. The
snake represents
the “catch” that typically exists in things and this is symbolic
of false hope. Perry is a risk taker though, so he "takes his chances.”
This sense of hope and vivid imagination that could have
saved him were beaten out of him, but he remained hopeful. Even though most of
the dream is used as a medium for a mental comprehension into Perry’s life and
childhood, the parrot shows the most about his personality throughout his years
of childhood and adulthood.
