Freudian Concepts of Masculinity in "The Talented Mr. Ripley"

The Talented Mr. Ripley, a novel by Patricia Highsmith, follows the life of a young con artist turned psychopath. The novel is set in a period characterized by repression and depicts many Freudian ideas and concepts such as masculinity crisis, toxic masculinity, homosexual panic as well as the unconscious. This essay will focus firstly on Tom’s masculinity crisis throughout the novel and its connection to Marge, followed by his relationship with Marge and their constant battle for Dickie’s attention by using Freud’s notions.

From the outset of the novel, we are given a clear recap of Tom Ripley’s life and it is evident that he is unhappy with many of its aspects. Living as a con artist, Tom is both humiliated and ashamed by his utter existence. His talent as a con stems from his profound insecurity with his own identity which serves as the drive for his complete obsession with Dickie, one so strong that it incites him to reject his own identity and claim that of Dickies. Throughout the novel Tom’s hatred towards Marge is clearly portrayed. Tom has struggled with masculinity from a very young age and Marge, being a woman, fuels his hatred towards her due to his disdain for women as a whole. His insecurities as a child are portrayed when he recalls being called a sissy by his aunt. “Sissy! He’s a sissy from the ground up.” Tom’s tough childhood spent under the vigilant eye of his Aunt led him not only to view his younger self as a weakling but has also to believe that he does not fit the “typical male” standards as his aunt described him as a sissy. His perspective on masculinity and lack thereof continued into his adult life. Tom points out that he always had a face that was not only forgettable but also one that he could not understand. “He had always thought he had the world’s dullest face…” In saying this, its implied that Tom has never felt comfortable in who he is and perhaps was never able to come to terms with his masculinity. As described by Freud, we can assert that Tom is afflicted with a persistent masculinity crisis, “a crisis attached to one’s masculinity regarding how a “typical male” should behave”. Tom is more than aware that he doesn’t fit societal standards associated with being a so-called manly man and as a result, he begins to act out by exhibiting classic male behaviours. This is known by Freud as toxic masculinity, repressive ideas that describes masculinity as exaggerated masculine traits such as being violent, strong and unemotional. This type of behaviour is seen on many occasions throughout the book. For instance, when Tom goes into Dickie’s room after seeing Dickie and Marge kissing and tries on all his clothing. He looks at himself in the mirror and talks with a deep voice because that’s how a man should speak. Tom’s toxic masculinity is also apparent in his relationship with Marge. When he sees her house for the first time he notes “the bra hanging over a windowsill”. Later on he again makes reference to Marge’s undergarments - “her underwear would be draped over his chairs…the idea repelled him”. Tom’s disgust for Marge’s undergarments lying on his belongings suggest that he believes his “masculinity” would be contaminated by her underwear, something that is abominable and a disgrace to his masculinity given that her underwear can be seen as a representation of femininity. Dickie represented the perfect image of a man as strong, unemotional, dominant and everything Tom wished he could be. By taking over his identity, Tom was finally able to feel like a man in every aspect of life, putting an end to his sustained masculinity crisis and insecurities.

Throughout the novel, Tom and Marge are constantly fighting for Dickie’s love and attention. Tom’s masculinity has been something he always struggled with and was insecure about. His lack of masculinity causes him to act out on his toxic self, serving as the root of his belief that he is superior to Marge in all aspects, as she is a female and he, being a male dominates. This is portrayed when Tom sees Marge and Dickie embracing. “What disgusted him was the big bulge of her behind in the peasant skirt below Dickie's arm that circled her waist. And Dickie-! Tom really wouldn't have believed it possible of Dickie!'. Tom couldn’t understand or believe that Dickie could possibly need Marge in his life. The slight idea that Dickie could be involved in any type of romantic relationship with Marge threatens Tom to the point where he interprets their kiss as nothing but a simple act of friendship. As each day passes, he feels a stronger need to become Dickie. By killing Dickie, an act of homosexual panic and keeping the murder a secret from the world as well as writing letters as Dickie, we can argue that Tom has won over Dickies affection. By making Marge believe that Dickie is not only avoiding her, but she is also the reason for which he “left town”, Tom has ultimately won over Dickies love and attention. In the final scenes of the novel, readers get the sense that Tom has won this battle with Marge. Dickie’s rings were a piece of jewelry that belonged to him, defined him and that he never removed. After seeing them in Tom’s box, Marge believed that Dickie never loved her or perhaps he would have given them to her rather than Tom. “She was about to cry. This was the very first moment, Tom realized, that she was admitting to herself that Dickie could be dead.” At this point in the novel, Tom recognises his success. Not only was he able to make everyone believe that Dickie was dead without suspecting he was involved, he managed to make Marge believe that she meant nearly nothing to Dickie. Although Tom felt superior to Marge, there was always part of him that felt jealous of Marge due to the fact that Dickie was interested in her in the first place rather than Tom. The sexual tension between Tom, Dickie and Marge throughout the novel drives each character’s obsession, which are all related to Dickie. The battle for Dickie’s attention exemplifies how dangerous it can be to have an obsession so strong it blinds you from reality.

To conclude, this novel is a good depiction of Freudian concepts regarding masculinity. We see through the depiction of Tom’s life how this type of crisis can severely hinder your capacity to love, affect your relationships and lead you to ruin other people’s lives. In this case, we see to what extreme it can lead resulting even in murder. What one can surmise from this book is the extent to which what seems like small insecurities can create over the long-term horrific masters.