‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ by Patricia Highsmith is a novel that revolves around a young man, Tom Ripley. He is assigned a task by Herbert Greenleaf to persuade his son, Dickie Greenleaf, to come home and join the family business. Ripley exhibits a lack of identity that sees him commit desperate acts to impersonate people of higher social status than him. He self-loathes and is determined to achieve greater things at the expense of others, even if he has to kill. The novel explores the themes of masculinity, identity, social relationships, narcissism, and amorality, which are discussed below.
Ripley’s fascination with Dickie’s lifestyle and perceived masculinity is associated with the latter’s wealth and carefree spirit. The theme of masculinity is manifested in Dickie’s possession of wealth, privileges, and societal freedom. Ripley’s pursuit of such a lifestyle reflects the societal expectations that wealth and social class are associated with masculinity. He is willing to go to extreme lengths, including murdering and impersonating Dickie. This underscores the pressure individuals may feel to conform to norms of success and power.
The theme of masculinity is also evident in Ripley’s act of killing Dickie Greenleaf. Earlier on, Marge, Dickie’s lover, had expressed her concerns to Dickie that Ripley is queer due to the way he acts. “Marge thinks you are queer…It’s just the way you act,” Dickie tells Ripley (Highsmith 77). He recalls an incident from his childhood where his aunt, Dottie, cruelly humiliated him, calling him “Sissy! He’s a sissy from the ground up.” On a short holiday to San Remo, Ripley and Dickie sail in a small rented boat. They get into a heated argument when Dickie accuses Ripley of being a leach; whenever he moves, Ripley moves too. Dickie confesses his relief that Ripley is leaving. This is after Ripley confesses his feelings for him and is disappointed when the latter mentions that he is about to marry Marge. Ripley beats him to death with an oar and dumps his body into the water. This portrays the aspect of toxic masculinity whereby he exerts violence as a means of declaring dominance. The murder mirrors societal expectations involving how a man should respond when faced with challenges or threats to his status.
The theme of identity manifests throughout the novel through Ripley. Tom Ripley struggles with self-doubt and fear that others are ridiculing him. While on the ship, he knew that his aloofness was causing a little comment among the passengers. He imagined the speculations of the passengers: “Is he an American? I think so, but he doesn’t act like an American, does he? He’s terribly serious, isn’t he, and he can’t be more than twenty-three. He must have something very important on his mind,” (Highsmith 41). He feels out of place, and this revokes feelings of paranoia. As he lies in his hotel room, he hears some Italians laughing, and he is sure they are laughing at him.
Ripley’s insecure sense of identity makes him impersonate people whom he admires. Being a lower-middle-class man, Ripley greatly detests his life and is convinced that he is destined for better things: independence, wealth, and social status. These are the things Dickie has and takes for granted. Ripley assumes Dickie’s identity, leading to a life full of the ‘better things.’ He depends on Dickie’s trust fund for sustenance by forging checks, writes letters to Marge informing her that Dickie has dumped her, and changes his appearance to resemble Dickie to sustain the lavish lifestyle he has always envied. He hates his former self excessively, that he cannot bear to impersonate the old Ripley when he needs to deceive the police about the murder of Freddie.
The theme of social relationships manifests in Ripley’s attempts to establish an emotional connection with Dickie. Ripley offers friendship and companionship to Dickie, who in turn responds with ingratitude and hostility (Highsmith 95). This reveals the challenges faced in forming and maintaining social bonds. Ripley desires to be accepted and to belong to a certain social class. However, his efforts are met with rejection, and this prompts him to assume Dickie’s identity. Ripley’s interactions and intense obsession with Dickie, show the extent people may go to fit into a certain lifestyle.
The social relationships in the novel constrict gender roles. Marge’s character represents the expectations placed on women in the 1950s. She is depicted as a supportive girlfriend considering her reactions to Dickie’s behavior. His relationships with other men and women, such as Silvana, emphasize the norms imposed on women to adhere to societal expectations and love their male counterparts regardless.
Ripley portrays many aspects of narcissism. He craves the approval of those with a status higher than his and wants to associate only with people with a lavish lifestyle. “The first step … was to make Dickie like him. That he wanted more than anything else” (Highsmith Chapter 8). Ripley desperately seeks for attention and approval from Dickie with whom he is obsessed. He envies Dickie’s lifestyle and would do anything to become wealthy like Dickie and his friends, that is, Freddie and Marge. He is overwhelmed by self-entitlement and, as a result, does not hesitate to kill Dickie for personal gain and anyone who stands in his way, revealing his narcissistic vices.
The theme of amorality unfolds in Ripley’s justification for murdering Freddie, a friend of Dickie, when he becomes suspicious of Dickie’s disappearance. To him, the act was a form of self-preservation. He convinces himself that the murder is not evil since he has to save himself. However, at some point, Ripley seems remorseful when he thinks of how brutal and unfair Freddie’s death was. Nonetheless, he still thinks that Freddie is at fault and deserves his fate because he got involved when he should not have. The fact he kills two people, Dickie and Freddie, and contemplates killing Marge, proves that he has no remorse for performing actions most people perceive as immoral or evil.
In conclusion, the themes discussed above portray a selfish man who is full of himself and willing to perform heinous acts to satisfy this selfish nature. Ripley is amoral as he seeks to justify the wicked activities by assuming that the victims were at fault and that they deserved what befell them. Formation of healthy social relationships is also encouraged. This is because relying heavily on others can lead to rejection. As a result, this messes with the mental health of an individual, leading to the performance of monstrous activities such as murder and impersonation.
Work Cited
Highsmith, Patricia. The Talented Mr. Ripley, 1999.
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