In The Talented Mr Ripley Character Analysis

In the Talented Mr Ripley the author creates a psychopath that is not only cringe worthy but very much believable. By showing the main character who presents many of the characteristics and traits of such a person, from pathological lying to lack of empathy for others, Highsmith does well at getting the reader to root for a brutal murderer and sympathize with him even though he is undeserving. By letting the reader into Tom's head in such a way that Highsmith basically demands the reader to show compassion to a person with no moral standards. The reader not only feels for the psychopath but can not help but think they are out there, like Tom, hiding in plain sight.
One of the attributes of a psychopath is pathological lying. It is revealed
Tom is portrayed as showing these traits. Tom has these violent outbursts that ultimately results in the death of two characters. The first Dickie is barbarically bashed with an oar while on a boat. Secondly Tom beats Freddie repeatedly with an ashtray. Just like a psychopath, he does not feel any remorse for his treacherous deeds. Tom can be described as callous with no concern for human life other than his own. Because people are mere objects to Tom, murder cannot be seen as anything wrong. While a non deviant person would naturally be hindered by repercussions of these actions, Tom benefits by his lack of empathy because it relieves him from any guilt. This will lead Tom to continually be successful in his endeavors because he will be able to remain calm and collected. This especially helps when he is confronted by the police which he confidently talks his way through the questioning whilst forging a letter to Mrs Greenleaf. All without skipping a beat. With no cause to nervously dwell on such situations, he is able to devote more time to more concerning matters to him. Tom is shown to be a believable psychopath given the fact that he took away the life of someone who was suppose to be a close friend to him but does not feel shame as an ordinary person would. When Tom later goes on to take the life of Dickies friend, Freddie Miles, he refuses to admit the blame for it. Instead he puts the burden on his victim and sees his barbaric actions as being caused by Freddie himself. “Freddie Miles, you're a victim of your own dirty mind.”(Highsmith