Tom's Thinking

Before killing Dickie, Tom had the idea of actually becoming Dickie. It was interesting how fast Tom thought of the idea. It had seemed as though the entire trip Tom had been working towards this plan of action. He had been studying the way Dickie spoke, walked, and dress from the beginning however, Highsmith makes it seem as though Tom just thinks of the idea 5 moments before the murder scene takes place. It makes me question whether or not Tom, subconsciously, has always wanted to be Dickie or if that is just how it fell into place during his thought process. At this point in the novel, the reader would question how someone could pull off an act like this or would even think of it.

RIP

Well it has just happened… Tom snapped and has killed Dickie. Tom has felt as though he has “failed” Dickie and that lately Dickie has pushed Tom away. Tom’s emotional unstableness resulted in his impulsive decision to murder Dickie Greenleaf. I found it so interesting that Tom reasoning and thought process, as well, as the murder only took one chapter to tell. This shows how fast Tom made this decision. There was no second guessing on whether this was what had to be done. Once again, we see that Tom does not have the same thought process as “normal” individuals. It is not “normal” to believe someone must be killed due to the fact they were being “rude” or “unwelcoming”.

Why Mirrors?

Why are mirrors such symbolic objects in this novel? We constantly read about Tom looking and analyzing himself in the mirror. I believe that the mirror symbolizes the way Tom views his identity. This novel is all about Tom creating a new identity for himself. When Tom looked at himself towards the beginning of the novel, he saw a person who he was not fond of looking back at him. When he looked in the mirror this time (now wearing Dickie’s clothes), he saw the luxurious Dickie looking back at him. These reflections represent the change of identities Tom is undergoing. Looking into a mirror is the only way we are able to see what others see when they look at us. Tom is impressed with how much he looks and sounds like Dickie and if he believes he can pass as Dickie, he may feel as if anyone will believe he looks and sounds like him as well.

Is Dickie Finally Starting to See Tom's Obsession?

Throughout the novel, Tom’s character keeps unfolding. Like I had mentioned in my previous post, Tom is now making it very clear to the reader that he has sociopathic problems. The most insightful scene in the novel, thus far, was when Tom models Dickie’s clothes in the mirror. This was after Tom had both mimicked Dickie’s walk and spied on Dickie and Marge when they were intimate. Tom’s fascination with Dickie reached the all time high when dressed as Dickie, parted his hair like him and mimicked his voice, all while admiring himself in the mirror. To Tom’s surprise, Dickie was standing in the door way.
Is Dickie finally starting to see that Tom is obsessing over him? I asked myself this question again in the next following pages when Dickie calls Tom out on his jealousy of Marge. It is typically not seen as normal to be so emotionally attached with someone after only knowing the person for three months, especially if they are of the same gender. At this point Dickie alerts Tom that he is not gay. It seems to me that Dickie is starting to get the idea that Tom may be more interested in just an overseas friendship.

The Real Tom Ripley

In chapter ten, the real Tom Ripley starts to unfold. Previously, we were presented with different instances that made us question whether Tom was sociopathic. In most cases, I was able give a reason or two why another normal person may have acted the way Tom did. This chapter of the novel, however, provided the reader with evidence that Tom is indeed a sociopath.
First of all, Tom admits to the fact he is using the Greenleafs for their money. He admits to planning on living off of Dickie once the money from Mr. Greenleaf runs out and has no feeling of guilt, what so ever. Tom is completely betraying Mr. Greenleaf. He commits to helping bring home his son but has now planned trips with Dickie which happens to encourage Dickie to stay in Europe. Was this Tom’s plan from the start? We know that he was not happy with his life in New York City, but had he always planned on starting a new life in Europe after this journey?

Profile of a Sociopath http://www.mcafee.cc/Bin/sb.html

Has Tom Lost Focus?

I am starting to see Tom lose focus on why he is in Europe. Dickie clearly has no interest of coming home anytime soon. He is very satisfied with the way he lives and even joked about his father’s worry. If this is the case, why does Tom continue to get close with Dickie? They spent the entire day and night traveling through Italy together and never once spoke of Dickie’s potential return home. I think that Tom is now more interested in developing the friendship with Dickie than the task he was originally asked to complete.
Tom enjoys the life Dickie lives and we start to see how envious Tom is becoming. It is interesting that Tom is hoping to spend alone time with Dickie when Marge isn’t around. Why is this so important to Tom? Is Tom’s company equally as valuable to Dickie? Marge is starting to notice this interesting friendship as well and “she seemed to know that Dickie had formed a closer bond with him in twenty-four hours, just because he was another man, than she could ever have with Dickie, whether he loved her or not, and he didn’t.” This statement shows both the importance a relationship with a man is to Tom as well as the jealousy that Marge is starting to develop. This relationship will only grow closer between the men and push Marge farther away.

Friendship in Twenty-four Hours

I found it quite strange how fast Dickie and Tom became friends after Tom had opened up that it was Dickie’s father who sent him. What made me question this quickly formed friendship was the fact that the first meeting was so unbelievably awkward between the two men. Tom tried to impress Dickie but failed miserably. The conversation was forced and the fact that Tom just happened to be in Europe with no explanation made Dickie feel uneasy.
However, when Tom had explained that Mr. Greenleaf had actually sent him and was paying his way, there was a door for bonding and conversation. I think Tom explaining his real motive of his trip so soon could have either helped the friendship blossom or it could have caused Dickie to become infuriated. Luckily for Tom, this worked his favor.

Highsmith's Use of Forshadowing

While reading this novel for the second time, I am picking up on events that foreshadow other key aspects that come later in the novel. One of these was the fact that Tom is already playing “a role” on the ship. “He began to play a role on the ship, that of a serious young man with a serious job ahead of him.” Based on this statement we see that Tom enjoys acting as others. He is not satisfied with himself; therefore he takes on different personas. From already reading the novel, we know that Tom not only creates a new self but furthermore impersonates Dickie.
On the ship, Tom admires himself in the mirror one more time. When he first looks at himself he sees a “conformist face” but when he places on the conservative English wool cap he sees a “young man with a private income.”Once again, the mirror is symbolic for how Tom views himself and how he will later see someone else staring back at him.
Does this foreshadowing make the story more interesting or does it rather give the reader more insight on the thought process of Tom Ripley?

The growing obsession..

Tom Ripley has now boarded the boat for Europe. He has made it certain that he is leaving his past life behind and starting new. As of now, his new life consists of luxury clothing and spending the afternoon relaxing on the ship. I am beginning to notice Tom starting to become obsessed with the first class. Tom even asks the librarian for a book that happens to be Mr. Greenleaf’s favorites. I began to question why Tom is so eager to drop his previous life and become someone new. Once Tom spoke of how he suffered from an emotionally damaging childhood, I saw how his past life has much to do with how he lives his life today. He had never been surrounded by the luxury he is currently. I think anyone would react the way Tom does at first. However, I would imagine that most people would get a custom to the new opportunities of wealth and come to realization that there is more to life than boats and wool caps. Tom is not like most people.

Cleo Dobelle

Before getting ready to venture to Europe, Tom stops over at a friend, Cleo’s, house. He tells her (and only her) about his recently planned trip. It is interesting to me why Tom only wants to tell Cleo. The reader is not informed of the relationship between these two characters or how they had met. He mentions that he didn’t know how old she was. He thinks she could be anywhere from twenty three to thirty. This shows that Tom is either not very close to Cleo or that he is not one to get very close to anybody. When Cleo is excited about his trip, Tom is relieved he has some reassurance that he is doing the right thing. Cleo asks if she will ever see him again. He says yes, but do we really believe everything that Tom says? It will be interesting to see how Cleo pops back up again in the novel, since she has made such an impact in Tom’s life.

Transforming Into Dickie, Already?

Once again, Tom has this feeling he is being followed home. “If there was any sensation he hated, it was that of being followed, by anybody”. This creates some interesting things to think about. Does Tom have a reason to be paranoid? What kind of baggage or history does Tom have that makes him feel like this? The whole notion of being followed late at night gives the story an eerie feel as well. Was Highsmith just creating this paranoia to enhance the mysterious tone?
Nearly right after, we find out that Tom is a con artist who has the skill and intelligence to steal money from clients, who think they are paying taxes to Tom’s company. His sneaky antics may have something to do with his paranoia. In this chapter, we start to see that Tom may not be so suave and humble after all.
Lastly, on page 17, Tom takes off his clothing in the mirror “watching every move he made as if it we somebody else’s movements he was watching”. In reading this for the second time I couldn’t help but think of the scene that appears later in the novel, where Tom is acting as Dickie in the mirror. Is the process of Tom mentally transforming into Dickie happening already?

Whose really the Talented One?

The novel opens with the protagonist, Tom Ripley, having a paranoid feeling that someone is following him. When Tom is finally approached by the mystery man, we find out that it is a man named Herbert Greenleaf. He approaches Tom because he is in hopes that Tom will travel to Europe (on Greenleaf’s dime) and bring back his son, Richard Greenleaf. Even though Tom is not that close to Dickie, he thinks much about this offer since he is ready to get out of the rundown apartment he is staying at, in Manhattan.
The first chapter introduces us to Ripley and Mr. Greenleaf. We also get to know what Dickie is about without meeting him. I noticed how much Mr. Greenleaf misses his son. It is apparent when he talks about his son with so much passion. He thinks the world of Dickie. He mentions that Dickie is “talented” in boating, math and art (all in different conversations). I found this interesting since the novel is titled "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Highsmith is using a hint of foreshadowing by constantly mentioning Dickie’s talents, when we know that he may not be the talented one after all.

Who is Tom Ripley?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Ripley