In our society, past and present, gender norms have been presented in a moderately rigid framework in which personality traits can be expected from males and females. In traditional expectations of the past regarding gender, the role of women was to be more passive and submissive, often preventing them from being involved in social and political situations. For men, the expectation has always been to assert dominance through their masculinity. The more masculine and dominant a man was, the more likely he was to be successful. Truman Capote's In Cold Blood presents the significant contrast within a specific gender role through how Capote chooses to present the relationship between Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Dick and Perry are the two ex-convicts and now murderers of the Clutter family. The criminal couple has a complementary and polarized gender relationship. Dick is portrayed as the most masculine person, fitting the socially standard definition of masculinity. He was often seen as “aggressively heterosexual” and well-liked by many women (Stuckey-French, 2015). Throughout the novel, Capote emphasizes Dick's masculinity, usually from the perspective of Perry who admires Dick. Unlike Dick, Perry is depicted as the more feminine and submissive figure. Perry often follows Dick's lead and can be easily persuaded to do whatever Dick decides. It is evident that Dick is aware of Perry's subservience and is often able to engage him when he uses endearing words such as calling him "sugar", "darling", and "baby" (Capote, 1966). The language used between the two could easily be interpreted as something more than just a friendly relationship. The 1960s were a time of social change, but homosexuality was still considered a mental illness (Burton, 1987). During this particular historical period, acceptance of homosexuality was minuscule. The need to integrate into society was desired by most people, even if it meant masking part of who one is. Dick's intense sexual inclinations towards women and young women are mentioned many times in the novel. As Capote had mentioned, Dick was seen as aggressively heterosexual, as if to intentionally underline that there was no doubt that he could ever be anything else. Perry has a more submissive role in the novel. Capote writes of Perry as a person who easily hurt his feelings to the point of crying a lot. These are traits that are often associated with femininity and weakness. Aside from a few mentions of one-night stands, it doesn't appear that Perry has ever had much interest in having sex with anyone. In fact, Perry was disgusted while in Mexico when Dick had sexual relations with another young woman there. He called it a nuisance (Aliana, 2017). Perry considered himself an intelligent, sensitive, and creative person who was not given the opportunity to develop his talents due to the circumstances in which he grew up. Perry understands the value of an education, but since he never received one, he thought his only way to gain respect was through his actions as a criminal. This is how he compensates for his masculinity. Both Dick and Perry use the other's version of masculinity to cover their own insecurities and feel more masculine and more powerful. Dick likes to identify and emphasize Perry's feminine qualities to compensate for his own insecurities and feel more dominant. Similarly, Perry always looks at Dick with/