How does Truman Capote employ literary devices to tell his story and to create a "style" in In Cold Blood? Literary devices such as foreshadowing,...

In craftingIn Cold
Blood, Capote employs many tools of the novelist, shaping his non- work almost as if it were a
novel.

is used effectively and repeatedly throughout the book. Capote's
narration often presents information that suggests a knowledge of events which will take place
after the story has ended. The death of Dick Hickock's father is one example of this kind of
narrative omnipotence. 

Also, the narration employs foreshadowing to build
anticipation. This occurs when the deaths of the Clutter family are predicted with lines like
the one that describes Mr. Clutter being "unaware that his would be his last day
alive" (paraphrasing here). 

Flashback is also a tool used throughout
the book. Often these flashbacks are accompanied by a source material (letters, etc.) which are
written in a different voice than the rest of the narrative. 

The inclusion
of correspondence and journal entries can also be considered a literary element here employed by
Capote to create a style which is personal and factual with an emphasis on the personal aspects
of the narrative.

Extended quotations are also very important to the text
of , with Hickcock and Smith characterized largely through their own words. 

Finally, symbolism is another significant literary device used in the book. Perry's
painting of Christ and the big yellow bird from his recurring dream are primary examples of
symbolism from In Cold Blood.