A SUMMARY OF THE FILM, THE TALENTED MR.

RIPLEY

In late 1950’s at New York, a young Manhattan lavatory attendant at a hotel

named, Tom Ripley was wearing a Princeton jacket which he borrowed from his
friend while playing piano at a certain party at the garden. Herbert Greenleaf and his
wife noticed him while wearing the said jacket and eventually, had a chance to talk
to Tom about their son, Dickie Greenleaf, who was also an alumna of Princeton.
After Tom pretended to know Dickie, Herbert Greenleaf had hopes after hearing the
news that Tom and Dickie were actually friends, he offered him a deal. He’ll be given
$1000 if he’ll be able to convince their son to go home who happened to stay at
Italy. Ripley gladly accepted the deal, aside from the fact that he’ll be given a reward,
he’ll also be on a trip… he was excited to go to Italy for the first time. He successfully
met Dickie and his girlfriend, Marge. He continued to pretend as a somebody who
graduated at Princeton and an acquaintance of him. They get along well until he
developed a sort of special feeling towards Dickie. One day, Dickie got tired of Tom,
he insisted that they should separate their ways and it made him mad. Then the boat
sail at the sea and he found an opportunity to kill Dickie with an oar. He also
pretended to be Dickie, living off his trust fund and broke up with Marge. He killed
Freddie as well when Freddie confronted him upon noticing that something’s fishy
with him. Then he moved to Venice where he was soon found by several individuals
searching for Dickie. Herbert, Marge and a private detective whom they hired
confronted him, seeking for answers. Tom created a tale saying that Dickie was very
depressed back then and eventually committed a suicide. They believed them.
Because of his fear about being caught, Tom went to Greece, and soon got the word
that the Greenleaf family has accepted that their son committed suicide, and aside
from that, his will (that was forged by Ripley) has been found saying that Tom Ripley
will inherit everything. In the end, Tom lived the life that he’s always dreaming off.
However, still had this paranoia, afraid that he might be caught one day and dragged
off to face justice.

A PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS ON THE FILM, THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY

(PSYCHOANALYSIS)

Having a deep understanding towards a psychopath’s mindset, or should I say an

individual’s is very essential in order for you to have sensible ideas as to why does a
criminal doesn’t feel to justify his transgressions. These type of people do not believe
that they are doing anything wrong, immoral or abnormal.
Freud’s psychoanalytic theory explains the human experience though morality,
sexuality, desires, and the conscious/unconscious state of mind. Id, ego and
superego are three theoritical concepts that are constructed in terms of whose
activity and interaction of mental issues or life is being described. These phases were
somewhat apparent with the film, The Talented Mr. Ripley.
We learned that Tom had a trouble with his childhood, his confusion about his
sexuality and his obsession to suffice his desires. Tom Ripley’s id has been
acknowledge since he accepted Herbert Greenleaf’s deal. Enough food, shelter,
clothes, pleasure and so on were provided after meeting Dickie until he became
greedy for more.
He was too eager to escape his world to become someone else, to live the reality
without his lowly upbringing. Tom’s ego show up. He wanted to escape his dreadful
life and live like Dickie… living a life that is full of leisure. His desire has been
acknowledge upon accepting Herbert Greenleaf’s deal. He thought that he can be
anyone with just a jacket on. Tom noticed Dickie’s long bony hands, a little like his
own hands upon admiring his rings, he started to see himself like Dickie, a process of
mirroring, that drove Dickie away from him and for imitating Dickie as well. He
mirrors himself as a new identity and commits a crime to achieve this new self that
he wanted. Killing Dickie is manslaughter and his meticulous plans and ideas
demonstrate his rationality that resembles classifications of the ego.
He copies or mimics other people to be a new persona, to free himself from being
a lowly individual.
He was a like a social climber. He gets close to upper class personalities
representing their wealth and social standing, then he imitate them--- the way they
walk, dress, and talk, their body language and gestures and assumes their identities
perfectly.
He transformed himself into several personalities to adapt well with the society’s
expectations. He made up stories because he think that it will help him to be
accepted with the society’s standards. He was such a sociopath. He pits his talents
and intelligence, he cunned against society’s barriers which are laws and rules of
behavior. For his own benefit, he came up with those ideas. His motivation is simply
the pleasure that he receives after succeeding with his schemes. He was an
individual who conforms to to society’s rules and looks good on the outside but is
completely rubbish inside without any morality. For people like him, there is no such
thing as right or wrong. He even had the guts to experience pleasures after
committing crimes and then escaping from all of those freely. When he went to
Europe, it somewhat signifies a rebirth for himself. His superego prevailed. Upon
having the fear of being caught after doing his crimes, it implicates also a disastrous
and climactic scene on himself which he can no longer keep behind his well-
constructed facade. His desires became bigger and bigger, he badly wanted to be like
Dickie.
“Officially, there are no Italian homosexuals. It makes Michelangelo and Leonardo
very inconvenient.” -Peter Smith Kingsley
Homosexual is a criminal offense in Italy and it is completely forbidden though
ironically speaking, both of the mentioned artists were confirmed homosexuals. Tom
still managed to develop such special feelings towards Dickie despite of the society’s
standards, he was blinded enough to distinguish what is allowed and prohibited.
Now, there’s already a psychological condition where the patient builds delusional
fantasy based on lies and usually such people are those who failed to achieve their
desires and dreams in reality, and this is what we called, “Ripley’s Syndrome”, that
was after the hero’s character in this film.
He is talented indeed, however empty. The film made us experienced unadorned
evil and witnessed it’s emissary which has no face and no identity.
 “I always thought it would be better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody.”
-Tom Ripley
This quotation implicates the vital role of class and identity. This thought is
meaningful and powerful, enough to trigger yourself to do numerous evil acts to
fulfill your empty self.