ARGUMENTS
259
nection with his inner self, living by forced intention, by conscious de–
sign, programmatically, rather than by any happy disposition of natural
impulse. His response to anger could not have been more contemporary
in its "enlightened" propitiatoriness and in its lack of instinctual man–
liness. Otherwise, would it not have allowed for something other than
the guilt-ridden reaction-if these people less fortunate than himself
wanted his money, he must give it to them-which was his only re–
action to an invasion of his home? Mr. Clutter was a towering figure
in his community. One of the last things said to him on the day of his
death was said by a neighbor: "Can't imagine you afraid. No matter
what happened, you'd talk your way out of it." This sounds like a
compliment to courage. But then one thinks of what is actually implied
in the idea that we now can define fearlessness as the ability "to talk your
way out of" danger: is there nothing beyond the reach of reasonable
persuasion? Certainly Mr. Clutter was a talker-not a conversationalist–
and this is an American and contemporary thing to be. But according
to most folk wisdom, it is also not a very masculine thing to be; it is
not supposed to go along with power, force or any other older principle
of manliness.
In
men who had come to his home "to splatter hair on
the walls," Mr. Clutter confronted a spirit which he was unprepared to
meet and before which he was fatally disarmed.
Diana Trilling
