Kenyon Clutter

Kenyon resembled neither of his parents physically; his crew cut hair was hemp-colored; and he was six feet tall and lanky, though hefty enough to have once rescued a pair of full grown sheep by carrying them two miles through a blizzard--sturdy, strong, but cursed with a lanky boy's lack of muscular coordination. (Capote 38)


Kenyon is son to Herbert and Bonnie Clutter. Though he is the second man of the house, he favors his mother timid nature. Do not underestimate him, for he still has the Clutter strength. His character isn't very developed, like his mother. I still feel that they have something to add to the story.

Kenyon is opposite to his father and sister who are very outgoing. He feels handicapped by a "lanky boy's lack of muscular coordination". Socially, he doesn't stand out and tends to stick to what he knows. These traits also come from his mother. The parallelism between family members may have a deeper meaning later in the story. Like how his mother used to be, he cares deeply for his family and is "sturdy [and] strong" for them. He may be the strong base in a tough situation.

This strong base may be needed for the family. Mainly, I feel the author wants us to know the characters on a personal level. Each person, including Kenyon, has a story and a life. These are the people we want to root for and we know.