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Character Analysis: The Talented Mr. Ripley

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1. In the novel The Talented Mr.Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, live life on a whim was a theme represented through the actions of Thomas Ripley. Repeatedly Tom was put into situations, where terrible thoughts would creep into his mind, and he would dive right at them. “He wanted to kill Dickie… He would have to tint his hair a little lighter.. He had only to look enough like Dickie to be able to use his passport..” (Highsmith 96-97). An hour ago, Tom and Dickie were best buddies, but after getting a feeling that Dickie was growing tired of him, Tom found no use for their relationship any longer. He began to think about how he would be able to kill Dickie, and then later impersonate him. At this point, most would think he would just toss the side away, but later that day he went on with his plan. Tom didn’t have any second guesses. He knew what he wanted to do, and got it done.
2. Through time, our society has changed, but in the latest 20 years security, identity, and scandal has been increasingly cracked down on. The Talented Mr. Ripley tells …show more content…

Over the course of the novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, by Patricia Highsmith, Thomas Ripley developed into a diverse, well-rounded character. In some moments, he seems like a completely ordinary young man. “Tom had been very friendly with a Princeton junior who had talked of nothing but Princeton…” (Highsmith 21). Then sometimes he seems like a complete sociopath. “There was a freshly pressed suit he had never seen Dickie wearing… He took off his knee-length shorts and put on the gray flannel trousers. He put on a pair of Dickie’s shoes… He reparted his hair and put the part a little more to one side, the way Dickie wore his” (Highsmith 75) Tom had a few weird impressions before this, but this officially established his queer, odd side. Thomas Ripley can seem like another young fellow, always up for a nice conversation or brunch, but if exposed to his deep, twisted mind most would believe he does not belong free in

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