The Sociopath Mr. Ripley

Conceptualize a world in which you have no conscience, no feelings of guilt or remorse -no matter what actions you take- no sense of empathy or concern of the well being of friends, loved ones, or even family members. This is the world of a sociopath. This is the world of Tom Ripley in Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley. Tom develops into an intelligent young man who eventually conjures a crime spree in Europe. His driving force behind this spree, though the spree may be sporadic, is freedom. His ability to be independent from a guilty conscience and the pleasure from concealing a false identity (characteristics of a sociopath) are his motives behind his acquisition for freedom.

We do not know much about Tom’s childhood; however it is clear that his life has progressed into a sociopathic lifestyle. We do know that, “[His] parents died when [he] was very small” and that “[He] was raised by [his] aunt in Boston.” (25) He disliked his aunt, hated her, and wanted to kill her.

"He had imagined - Aunt Dottie trying to hold him in the house, and he hitting her with his fists, flinging her to the ground and throttling her, and finally tearing the big brooch off her dress and stabbing her a million times in the throat with it." (42)

He was tormented and mocked at by his aunt; she repeatedly called him a sissy. Perhaps the fact that he wanted to kill her can be seen as the initial sign of his development into the enigmatic, sociopathic killer he has become. A personality disorder, such as sociopathy can be defined as a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood and continues into adulthood. These seem to be the exact characteristics of Tom Ripley. However, only a...

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...nd Mr. Greenleaf. Though Tom already knows he has gained Marge's trust, his sociopath, anti-social attitude comes out in San Spiridone. “He felt more frightened that night, walking through San Spiridone with Marge, than if he had been alone.” (222) He feels more frightened when having a possible connection with Marge than he did when violently murdering Dickie or Freddie. However, if he could pull off being Dickie around Marge, I wonder if he would feel the same way? That would be an ideal situation for Tom. “He wanted to see Greece as Dickie Greenleaf with Dickie's money, Dickie's clothes, Dickie's way of behaving with strangers.” (172) With the realization that this could not happen comes the strongest emotion out of Tom, “Tears came in his eyes as he stared up at the campanile of the cathedral, and then he turned away and began to walk down a new street.” (172)