How far would you go to be happy? Tom Ripley would go to the ends of the earth to simply be happy with himself. The novel The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith demonstrates Tom’s infatuation with money, success, and Dickie Greenleaf: three things he so desperately wants but can’t easily have. Paranoia is the one thing that gets in the way of Tom living a happy, fulfilling life. Once something doesn’t go Tom’s way, he physically and mentally deteriorates. Tom is so focused on such petty and inappropriate possessions that he allows these things to take over and control him. Paranoia seizes Tom from being able to participate normally within society. Without tranquil navigation, Tom won’t be able to go on with his life; he has to make a…show more content… Since Tom is so paranoid about who he is, he’s unable to interact with society. He prevents himself from doing simple things that anyone could do, like going to the beach or going to a party. Tom doesn’t even bother giving something a chance, he turns it down once he gets an offer. If he can’t do a simple task, he starts to cry over it and gets nauseous and dizzy. Socializing with people turns Tom off. Tom avoided going to the beach because of his physical appearance. “He felt mortified at the big brown shoes on his feet and at his ghost-white skin (Highsmith 45).” Even if Tom looks different from everyone, the only person who will make a big deal about it is him. He will avoid going to parties because he doesn’t like people. Tom wanted to avoid Mr. Greenleaf because he despises confrontation. “Tom shivered. Well, he had expected it, he thought. But he hadn’t, really. He dreaded it (Highsmith 220).” Tom doesn’t even want to talk to Mr. Greenleaf, someone who he is friends with, because of his paranoia. He would much rather stay at home alone then have to deal with anyone, and the saddest thing is that he longs for that; he desires that so desperately. Tom’s paranoia plays a big part in the fact that he’s an…show more content… Dickie was a friend of Tom’s, but Tom killed him because he wanted to acquire his fascinating life—and now Tom is Dickie. But ever since he took over Dickie’s life, he is much more nervous about a lot of things. He is so afraid that someone is going to find out that he’s an imposter and it’s only because he’s so paranoid about every little thing. Obviously, people are going to get suspicious if someone just randomly disappears one day, so they will take action to try to figure out what happened, but Tom can’t seem to fathom this information. Tom wanted a new life, but he didn’t think about the consequences that would come with it, and the biggest consequence of all is paranoia. Since Tom became Dickie, he is doubting that he will ever be as good as Dickie was; he’ll never do Dickie justice. “But he was lonely. It was not like the sensation in Paris of being alone yet not alone. He had imagined himself acquiring a bright new circle of friends with whom he would start a new life with new attitudes, standards, and habits that would be far better and clearer than those he had had all his life. Now he realized it couldn’t be (Highsmith 174).” Tom has disappointed himself greatly because he had hoped that when he became Dickie, he would be just as content, but he will never be able to be purely happy. He wants to honor Dickie, but because of his paranoia and insecurities, he’s getting in his own
