Can someone please give me some feedback on this text response? Advice doesn't have to be text-specific.
Spoiler
“Tom Ripley does evil things, but he is not an evil person.” Discuss.
Patricia Highsmith’s psychological thriller The Talented Mr Ripley explores the concepts of good and evil through the psychological complexity of Tom Ripley. He is amoral; cold and completely divorced from the depravity of his actions. Nevertheless, Highsmith gives us reason to pity Ripley, rather than simply condemn him. Tom’s evil actions are driven by his childish innocence, narcissism and self-loathing. This justification ultimately detracts from Ripley as a totally and inherently evil person. Lastly, Ripley’s superiority complex and narcissism are rooted in his deplorable upbringing and class, as well as his lack of identity. Throughout the novel, Highsmith simultaneously displays Ripley’s moral turpitude, as well as the influence of his insecurity and troubled childhood, to evoke varying amounts of sympathy in the reader – who may perceive his disposition as more intricate than simply being an evil person.
Highsmith encourages the reader to vilify Tom as an evil character due to his lack of remorse and disassociation of himself from his malicious acts. Following his brutal murder of Dickie, Tom “almost at once, fell asleep, happy, content and utterly confident.” From Ripley being able to sleep “at once” and the tripling of “happy, content and utterly confident”, Highsmith emphasises that Ripley is not ruminating on his wicked actions and suggests that he has no conscience. The juxtaposition of Ripley’s obnoxious actions and his “ecstatic moment” directly after shocks the reader, who may struggle to relate to his lack of morality. Furthermore, after the murder of Freddie Miles, Ripley justifies his actions by believing that Freddie is “a victim of [his] own dirty mind.” This demonstrates his lack of responsibility for his crimes, and precisely illustrates how Ripley is attempting to dissociate himself from his actions. Finally, after considering the consequences of his actions Tom believes that if he is caught, his murderous, deceitful ways have “certainly been worth it” to live the luxurious life of Dickie Greenleaf, despite facing a painful death in an electric chair. Highsmith highlight this egregious immorality and suggests that he has been corrupted by his newfound wealth and power. Ripley is so overwhelmed by his avarice and desire for material possessions that he commits unspeakable acts in pursuit of it. The reader is inclined to dislike Ripley for his extreme measures to obtain wealth and view him as a rapacious and sinister figure, Altogether, Highsmith portrays Ripley’s lack of morality and unexpected emotional response after killing Dickie, which may incline the reader to perceive him as an immoral and villainous character.
Concurrently, Tom’s evil actions are also driven by certain psychopathic tendencies such as his childish innocence and superiority complex, which inclines the reader to sympathise with him. Throughout the novel, Highsmith demonstrates Ripley’s naivety through his amoral nature and his tendency to play the roles of other people. Ripley’s belief that his opportunity was like “something in a movie”, as well his ignorance and naivety to morals, suggest that he suffers from a form of arrested development. His childish innocence is depicted when he plays the role of a “serious young man with an important job” on the ship, and “an athletic young man” after Dickie’s murder, suggesting that he finds impersonating others enjoyable, like a childish game. Tom seems to lack a sense of identity due to his insecure and self-conscious nature, and therefore attempts to impersonate others - simultaneously feeling “himself and yet not himself.” The reader can sympathise with Ripley’s lack of identity and easily relate to his incessant self-conscious thoughts. Furthermore, Highsmith also suggests that Ripley’s actions are a result of his narcissism. After seeing all of his “second rate” friends in New York revelling in his cabin, he describes them as “the riffraff, the vulgarians, the slobs,” conveying his belief that he is intellectually superior and more “talented” than them. Whilst aboard the ship, his self-conscious image of himself as an American with “something very important on his mind” reinforces his narcissistic attitude. Finally, Highsmith portrays Ripley’s self-loathing as being directly responsible for Dickie’s murder. When he receives a fruit basket from the Greenleafs, Ripley “bursts into tears”, suggesting that he is not worthy of the Greenleafs’ benevolence. Tom recalls a night where he stole a loaf of bread from a bakery, feeling that “the world owed a loaf of bread to him, and more.” Tom’s thoughts demonstrate his feelings of entitlement and dysphoria, encouraging the reader to sympathise with his suffering and financial distress. The juxtaposition of Ripley’s narcissism and self-loathing coalesce to create a superiority complex, where he attempts to flaunt a facade - only to make up for a lack of himself. Thus, Ripley’s multiple psychopathic tendencies allow the reader to distinguish him from the archetypal evil villain and even empathise with him.
Throughout the novel, Highsmith illustrates that Tom Ripley’s psychopathic tendencies occur as a result of his class and his troubled upbringing. In the cultural context of the novel, the upper class was considered out-of-reach and often excluded members of the lower class. As Tom comes from a modest background, he is perceived as an outsider to the expatriates, with his relationship with Dickie only lasting as long as Ripley can keep him amused. Tom is never welcomed as equal by Dickie, who often “replies with ingratitude and hostility.” Tom’s isolation from the upper class as well as his lower class friends in New York evokes sympathy in the reader, who pities Ripley for his lack of friends. Ripley’s narcissism is highlighted through his condescending description of Dickie as a “lousy amateur painter”, which insinuates Tom’s belief that he is more talented than Dickie, who is not deserving of his luxuries. Tom’s evil actions are rooted in his inflated ego and a sense of superiority over Dickie, which fuels his desperation and also his deep-seated anger. Highsmith initially depicts Tom as hardworking, with “a series of haphazard jobs, long perilous intervals with no job at all and consequent demoralization” and contrasts this with Dickie, who is characterised as leeching off his father’s trust funds. This juxtaposition prompts the reader to question whether it is fair for the expatriates to live such lavish lifestyles despite their lack of talent and hard work. Ripley has the tragic view that people have to be “animals”, “tough as the animals who worked with him” to avoid “starving.” Highsmith insinuates the tragic nature of Ripley’s feelings and suggests that by killing Dickie, he is rectifying the “horribly unjust” world that he lives in. Through Ripley’s impersonation of Dickie, Highsmith suggests that stealing identity does not have malevolent connotations; it is rather a desperate and reasoned way for Ripley to achieve the stability and acceptance that he was denied. After impersonating Dickie for longer, Tom finds it “strangely easy to forget Tom Ripley’s voice” and states that he had experienced the “annihilation of his past and himself… and his rebirth as a completely new person.” Ironically, it is only when Tom pretends to be Dickie that he feels a strong positive sense of self and is rid of his self-loathing, suggesting that his sense of self-worth is directly tied to social status. This reflects the social attitudes of the 1950s, where wealth was the defining factor of a person’s character. Finally, Ripley’s childhood under the care of Aunt Dottie is responsible for many of his psychopathic tendencies. Ripley states that he blamed Aunt Dottie for his “lack of perseverance”, as she would “never give him credit” and would “taunt” him. This suggests that Ripley’s insecurity as well as his self-loathing originated from the constant criticism of his Aunt. Ripley’s childish innocence and lack of morals seems to have developed from Aunt Dottie’s poor guidance. Her insult of Tom being a “sissy, just like his father” echoes in Ripley’s mind throughout the novel, especially when he feels ashamed of being thought of as a “queer”. Hence, the reader can sympathise with Ripley’s class and upbringing, as they are the root of his psychological problems
Ultimately, Highsmith’s The Talented Mr Ripley cleverly demonstrates the intrinsic complexities between good and evil. As we are introduced to the brilliant mind of Tom Ripley, Highsmith illustrates the flaws of human society, as well as how good and evil are not necessarily absolute, nor diametrically opposed. Ripley shows little empathy for his actions, and appears to be a cold and callous killer divorced, morally, from his actions. In and of itself, these actions seem inexcusable and may define Ripley as an evil person. However, through his psychopathic tendencies, upbringing, and status, Highsmith ultimately solicits a convoluted form of pity or even empathy within the reader.
p.s. I wrote this last year for my year 10 exam - probably some of my best writing
Home
Help
Search
Login
