The Talented Mr Ripley Character Analysis

Imagine taking over your friend’s life, taking their money, living under their name while still trying to maintain yourself. This is the life of the main character Tom Ripley from the book The Talented Mr. Ripley, written by Patricia Highsmith. This highly suspenseful book takes you through the colorful mind of Ripley. Anxiety, lying and impersonation are three topics that come up a lot in Ripley’s journey. Each aspect reflecting why Tom does what he does in the story, realizing why he feels the need to do what he does. Seeing him impersonate his friend shows the mindset that Tom is in; the panic attacks show how he is uncomfortable in his own skin; the lying shows the readers how he is able hide behind his deception to others. The pieces of Tom’s mind that we see shows us how he does not
Throughout the book, Tom is able to show through his actions how much he despises being himself. Tom believes his life is boring and has no purpose because of his lack of riches and luxuries. When he has the opportunity to become someone else and take their life he jumps at the opportunity. That opportunity did not come with a cheap price, it came with murdering someone who considered Tom a friend. By murdering Dickie, it gave Tom the perfect chance to take over his life and continuing his legacy. Tom did not just pretend to be Dickie, he assumed many other roles during his stay in Italy. One of those roles is when he has to pretend to be an athletic man after the murder of Dickie. “Now he was playing the role of an athletic young man who had spent the afternoon in and out of the water because it was his peculiar taste”(105)” Even though this quote does not pertain to him being Dickie, it still shows the reader that Tom is able to take over others life. He is willing to do anything to stop being Tom and to start being someone