In Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ripley imitates his friend Dickie Greenleaf to change his own personality to avoid his shameful and unwanted past. This is an attempt to steal a new personality, where he is more successful and affluent, like his friend Dickie Greenleaf. Ripley mimics people because he has the need to escape from his actual life to become someone normal and wealthy to reap the benefits. Konnikova, a reputable psychologist, points out that clever sociopaths can and trick their victims to get what they want. They feel a lack of concern while going about their lives, driving them to con artistry. In addition, they control their emotions to hide the signs of their dishonesty(Konnikova, 2017). Konnikova uncovers how
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As a matter of fact, Ripley enters further and more profoundly into his second personality, Dickie Greenleaf, so much so that it kills his true identity. The fear of losing himself forces him out of the con for a small period of time, however, Ripley involves himself with Greenleaf to the point where it makes him forget his personality and prompting a misguided feeling of self-escape. Grann states, “Bourdin fantasized he was about to become part of a real family, but halfway to America, he began to “freak out,” as Carey puts it, trembling and sweating...he thought the plane was going to crash, which, he later said, is what he wanted: how else could he escape from what he had done?”(Grann, 2010 Pg 92). Similar to Bourdin, Ripley proceeds with the con to the point where it left him with no real options except to let his con play through. In the process, he begins losing himself and forgetting who he is, however, if this happens it will result in the failure of his scheme. Ripley later decides to abandon his original identity to take on Greenleaf's personality just as Bourdin does with the child, keeping the con from falling apart. This was to accomplish their goals without the fear of being caught. For Ripley's situation, it is to destroy his past personality to create a more privileged life that he will find fitting. Who the person is, does not matter to Ripley; he only wants to …show more content…
This corresponds to how he approaches murdering a man to assume control over his character to disassociate himself from his identity to stray from his homosexuality and in a way eliminating himself by killing Greenleaf. Killing Greenleaf meant taking over an identity of privilege just to escape his own identity. Patricia Highsmith's theory of sexual identity is extremely useful since it sheds light on the difficult problem of a homosexual’s dissociative identity crisis as a result of societies crude reception. Highsmith does this subtly by presenting the insights of his sexuality and how he wants to control another identity, because of the suspicion people have about his sexuality. This idea flows well with the rest of the story, as it shows how killing Greenleaf allows him to escape his homosexual identity and the oppression he felt during his time. Consequently, Greenleaf symbolizes Ripley's past life he is trying to escape. The murder represents his struggle with his past. He originally thought about running from, which led to him murdering his friend. The shame and fears of his sexuality further clarify what Ripley is running away
As a matter of fact, Ripley enters further and more profoundly into his second personality, Dickie Greenleaf, so much so that it kills his true identity. The fear of losing himself forces him out of the con for a small period of time, however, Ripley involves himself with Greenleaf to the point where it makes him forget his personality and prompting a misguided feeling of self-escape. Grann states, “Bourdin fantasized he was about to become part of a real family, but halfway to America, he began to “freak out,” as Carey puts it, trembling and sweating...he thought the plane was going to crash, which, he later said, is what he wanted: how else could he escape from what he had done?”(Grann, 2010 Pg 92). Similar to Bourdin, Ripley proceeds with the con to the point where it left him with no real options except to let his con play through. In the process, he begins losing himself and forgetting who he is, however, if this happens it will result in the failure of his scheme. Ripley later decides to abandon his original identity to take on Greenleaf's personality just as Bourdin does with the child, keeping the con from falling apart. This was to accomplish their goals without the fear of being caught. For Ripley's situation, it is to destroy his past personality to create a more privileged life that he will find fitting. Who the person is, does not matter to Ripley; he only wants to …show more content…
This corresponds to how he approaches murdering a man to assume control over his character to disassociate himself from his identity to stray from his homosexuality and in a way eliminating himself by killing Greenleaf. Killing Greenleaf meant taking over an identity of privilege just to escape his own identity. Patricia Highsmith's theory of sexual identity is extremely useful since it sheds light on the difficult problem of a homosexual’s dissociative identity crisis as a result of societies crude reception. Highsmith does this subtly by presenting the insights of his sexuality and how he wants to control another identity, because of the suspicion people have about his sexuality. This idea flows well with the rest of the story, as it shows how killing Greenleaf allows him to escape his homosexual identity and the oppression he felt during his time. Consequently, Greenleaf symbolizes Ripley's past life he is trying to escape. The murder represents his struggle with his past. He originally thought about running from, which led to him murdering his friend. The shame and fears of his sexuality further clarify what Ripley is running away