Patricia Highsmith's 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'

Through Tom’s search for a higher social standing, it makes him the least moral character in the movie because his maturity and moral development is naively egoistic,

A third-person narration story is a separation or indirect involvement of a narrator with the action of a story, and this type of narration can influence the content and the theme of a story. A third-person storyteller can sometimes be all-seeing, also known as omniscient, or they can be limited meaning to adhere firmly to the viewpoint of a specific character or characters. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s “Harrison Bergeron” are two good examples of third-person point of view stories. These two stories give the authors the liberty to influence their content and theme across to readers using third-person narration without being biased.

| Tom wants his old life back prior to the accident and he sees the accident as the end of his life as he knew it. He loses his sense of identity and sense of family in particular.Feels guilty and ashamed about the irrevocable consequences his brother’s irresponsibility had for other people and their familiesRetreats into a depressed state which feels empty and black.

Even though Tom is now aware of his origin it does not ultimately change all of his behavior and attitude or as it is described in the book “In several ways his opinions were totally changed,…, but the main structure of his character was not changed and could not be changed”. This condition only lasted for a certain period of time until he “dropped gradually back into his old frivolous and easy-going ways…” p.57 A similar thing happens to Chambers by the end of the story after Tom has gotten convicted to murder and Pudd’nhead Wilson has found out about the real identities of Tom and Chambers. Being a free man, the original Tom does not know how to deal with this situation because “his manners were the manners of a slave”. He did not learn how to write or to read, nor did he spend much time somewhere else but in the kitchen.

Literary devices will be a primary source used to compare and contrast the narrative and stylistic choices made in the short story, “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, and the film 2081 directed by Chandler Tuttle. In the film the director is able to express visuals, sounds, and physical characters, to establish a firm idea of how the characters within the story act and feel based on their surroundings and what is happening around them. However, an Author in a short story is reliant on his words alone to paint the picture for the reader to understand the movement of the plot and its impact on the atmosphere. The literary devices used in creating and shaping pieces of literature will heavily impact the point of view of the

As the novel progresses, Tom transforms from this selfish nature to become a caring person. Several examples of this transformation are seen throughout various chapters. When the Joads are traveling west to California with the Wilson’s, Tom offers to help them when their car breaks down. “Tom said nervously, ‘Look Al. I done my time, an’ now it’s done… Let’s jus’ try an’ get a con-rod an’ the hell with the res’ of it.’” Tom is showing a little more care for other people’s problems, however, he still has a selfish side because he still does not regret killing a man. He knew he had to pay for it by going to prison, but he still believes he did nothing wrong by taking a man’s life. By offering to help out with the Wilson’s’ car, he is on his way to becoming a less selfish person. As the book draws to a close, Tom stumbles upon Jim Casy again, who is murdered in front of his own eyes. As a result, he is thrown into a silent rage and kills another man which causes him to hide in the forest. He realizes that he is a danger to his family, so he sacrifices his safety in order for his family to be safe. ‘“Ya can’t do that, Ma. I tell you I’m jus’ a danger to ya,”’ (391). There is a clear transition from Tom acting selfish at the beginning of the book to him acting completely selfless at the end. This selflessness also contributed to him being a figure committed to bettering the

The thing that you hear the most throughout both books is religion. That subject is a very important to both men. It was one Tom's dominant characteristics, even though he wasn't the best reader in the world he reads the Bible and leads prayer meeting. He did this so that everyone around him will

In the short story “Cathedral”, written by Raymond Carver, the story is told through the narrator’s eyes as the audience gains insight on his perspective of his life and, more specifically, his views on his wife and her blind friend. The narrator’s name is never mentioned throughout the story, but his personality and initial narrow-minded bias towards his wife’s friend Robert depicts his character traits. Throughout the story he does not seem to change his views, but once he experiences Robert’s point of view in his life, the narrator changes his perspective. This suggests the narrator is a dynamic character in the story due to his change after getting to know Robert.

This shows the reader that Tom still believes in his own violent system of justice. Instead of coming up with a peaceful way to leave, Tom immediately thinks of a violent way to stop the police even if it might lead to him going to jail. Tom until the near end of the novel is a very violent and careless person.

Throughout the film we see Tom lie and manipulate to get closer to Dickie until eventually he tries to become him.

It can be seen that "The Great Gatsby," by Scott Fitzgerald is one the greatest novels of all time. Its method to depict The American Dream has been attempted to be matched an uncountable amount of times. Other aspects used in "The Great Gatsby," by Scott Fitzgerald, have also been employed in many forms of media such as novel and movies. One that has done particularly well to employ them is the 1999 motion picture "The Talented Mr. Ripley," directed by Anthony Minghella. Similarities in both the book "The Great Gatsby," by Scott Fitzgerald and the motion picture "The Talented Mr. Ripley," directed by Anthony Minghella are so clear it can not be overlooked such as; the context and setting, the

Tom had a double role in the play as both the narrator and a main character that lived through a recollection of what life was like living with his mother and sister before he abandoned them to seek adventure. Tom’s behavior in the play could lead to question if his memory is truly accurate. SparkNotes comments, “…But at the same time, he demonstrates real and sometimes juvenile emotions as he takes part in the play’s action. This duality can frustrate our understanding of Tom, as it is hard to decide whether he is a character whose assessments should be trusted or one who allows his emotions to affect his judgment” (SparkNotes.com). Through his behavior a person is reminded that memory can be flawed by emotions or time elapsing, this would need to be taken into account when analysis of such a character is done. Tom is full of contradictions as he reads literature, writes poetry, and dreams of an escape; however he also felt bound by duty to his sister and mother. Another contradiction was that while he professed to care about his sister as seen in his ending comments in the play, “…I tried to leave you behind me, but I am more faithful than I intended to be!...” (Williams), Tom never went back to reconnect with his sister. This could be because of the great shame he felt for abandoning his sister or because of another reason. He stated that he had been in several cities over the years but never speaks of going back to St. Louis, making it unclear if he

For much of the film, especially given the empathy and intelligence which Damon instils, it is possible to admire Ripley as ‘talented’ in the same way that Fitzgerald saw Gatsby as great. Tom Ripley is the caricature of the American Dream, ambitious, driven, winsome, and well versed in the mantras of the bourgeoisie.

Tom continues his disloyal acts throughout the novel. Tom admits his own disloyalty when he confesses “Once in

First, Tom has changed throughout the book. At the beginning of the book Tom was always telling some sort of lie. He lied about whitewashing the fence, his toe hurting, memorizing bible verses, taking the pills and much more. Towards the end of the book Tom is starting to realize he needs to be truthful. On the day of the murder trial Tom is asked to take the stand. He was as scared as a mouse getting chased by a cat. After a few minutes of talking and thinking Tom confesses the truth about the murder. Injun Joe was the one who killed Dr. Robinson! Another example of how Tom changed in the book is his kindness. After Tom brought up his old crush Amy, Becky was as mad as your mom when you don't clean your room. Tom tried to get her back but she didn't care. After awhile he didn't really care what she did. When Tom and Becky were stuck in the cave he confronted her and told her they would get out. He also took the blame for the ripped