A Close-Reading of The Talented Mr. Ripley as Coming of Age Story / Emily Temple. In: Lit Hub Daily November 30, 2018

Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley was published on November 30, 1955, 63 years ago today. It is, in my opinion, the perfect winter holiday book. It’s acrobatic and addictive reading, the prose sharp-edged and wry and sometimes quite pretty, and also it’s about warm weather and beautiful people, at least one of whom is decidedly amoral but perplexingly sympathetic. This, of course, is Tom Ripley, a small-time con-man who stumbles into a new life—one he will literally kill to keep. You probably know Tom, even if it’s only because you’ve seen the movie. If you haven’t, go away and read the book, and then watch the movie, and then come back to this article on the internet (or not, because if you do the first two things my job will already be done).
I’ve read The Talented Mr. Ripley a number of times, and with each reading I see it in a slightly different light—one reliable quality of good literature. This year, it felt more than anything like a coming of age story—it’s only that the person Tom Ripley comes of age into is someone other than himself. Of course, many novels feature character arcs, moral and psychological sea changes, evolutions and devolutions. But there is something particular about the coming of age novel, in which a young protagonist comes into his or her own, often through fire. They become, by the end, the person they were always meant to be. In Tom Ripley’s case, that person is Dickie Greenleaf.
But let’s look at the text—starting with the first paragraph, which is always the best place to start. We begin in New York City, with Tom’s paranoia:

Tom glanced behind him and saw the man coming out of the Green Cage, heading his way. Tom walked faster. There was no doubt the man was after him. Tom had noticed him five minutes ago, eyeing him carefully from a table, as if he weren’t quite sure, but almost. He had looked sure enough for Tom to down his drink in a hurry, pay and get out. ... [mehr] https://lithub.com/a-close-reading-of-the-talented-mr-ripley-as-coming-of-age-story/