Tom Ripley
A clever, insecure young American who discovers that he can imitate a wealthy man's identity more easily than he can build a life of his own.
To escape shame and uncertainty by securing the beautiful, wealthy life he believes should be his.
The book
At a glance
- United States
- Poor and unsettled
- Imitation and forgery
- The story stays close to him
Who they are in the book
Spoiler-freeTom begins in New York with little money, no secure profession, and a minor fraud that he fears may bring the police to his door. He is good at mimicry and quick invention. Herbert Greenleaf's mistaken belief that Tom knows Dickie gives those talents a respectable purpose and a paid trip to Europe.
Tom studies voices, signatures, clothes, manners, and the behavior expected in expensive places. The same skill that makes him entertaining later makes him dangerous.
He wants affection and status, but experiences rejection as humiliation. The book stays close to his explanations without treating them as reliable.
How the book draws them
- Gifted at imitationHe copies voices, gestures, handwriting, and social behavior closely enough to make others hesitate.
- A careful watcherHe notices clothing, rooms, money, and changes in tone that other people dismiss.
- Socially adaptableHe changes manner depending on whether he is speaking to a businessman, friend, clerk, or policeman.
- Ashamed of dependenceNeeding money and approval makes him feel exposed, especially when Dickie recognizes that need.
- Drawn to beautyPaintings, clothes, houses, music, and Italian places become evidence of the self he wants to occupy.
- Calm after panicA surprise can terrify him, but he often recovers fast enough to build a practical lie.
Tom kills Dickie and lives for a time under his name. When Freddie recognizes him, Tom kills Freddie too, then uses forged letters to make Dickie appear responsible for the death and disappearance.
Tom forges a will leaving Dickie's property to him. The family accepts it, and he sails toward Greece without being arrested, although he expects discovery everywhere.
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