Five themes to watch: The Talented Mr Ripley
If you're just getting started with our latest book pick, here are five early themes to watch as the story unfolds.
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Five themes to watch: The Talented Mr Ripley
Whether you’re a few pages in or halfway through, here are some themes worth keeping an eye on.
Identity and Invention
What kind of person is Tom Ripley, really? Does he know? You get the sense early on that he’s trying to become someone else, but it’s not clear who (or why, at this point).
Watch how he shifts depending on who’s watching him. Is it self-preservation, performance, or something else altogether?
Class and Aspiration
Tom Ripley doesn’t just want a better life. He wants a different one, and he’s convinced it’s just out of reach.
How much of what he does is driven by money, and how much by resentment? Take notice of how he reacts and thinks about wealth.
Outsider Perspective
Ripley always seems to be one step outside the circle. He observes people closely, perhaps too closely.
What does he pick up on that others miss? And what does being an outsider let him get away with?
Performance and Deception
How often do people in this book say what they really mean? Who's acting, and who’s lying?
Tom spends a lot of time adjusting to other people’s expectations. Does he ever say something without angling for a reaction?
Subtle Unease
Even in the calmest scenes, there’s something off (this is one of my favourite aspects of the novel). A slight wrongness in tone.
Is it the setting? The way the characters speak? Or just the sense that something is about to slip out of place?
Tom is a child who was not loved, and has not yet found anything within himself that is lovable. Everything he does seems to be research to find out what makes, or doesn’t make, someone lovable. He tries on personas in this quest. I don’t, so far, think it is just about wealth. Dickie seems to be very comfortable in his own skin. I am concerned that Tom will just try to become Dickie instead of finding his own self. We’ll see, I guess.