Patricia Highsmith s 1955 novel The Talented Mr Ripley tells the story of a struggling young New Yorker named Tom Ripley who tasked by Mr Greenleaf with going to Italy to bring his son Dickie home jumps at the chance to start his life anew in Europe I wouldn t start with a summary of the book but rather a summary of the prompt being asked Over the course of the novel Tom often thrusts himself recklessly into the face of danger committing unnecessary crimes ranging from forgery to murder particularly when responding to pressure and adversity This behavior is due in part to his inability to fit into society and his terrible family life growing up especially the taunts Tom received from his Aunt Dottie briefly include what the taunts were about which often pop up in his mind even as an adult Highsmith uses these flashbacks to Tom s youth a life he is desperate to escape at any cost and Tom s inner thoughts before during and after his crimes to assert that the negative environments Tom lived in were the primary cause of his evil actions instead of saying that the flashbacks are the reason for why he was evil state that the flashbacks were the reason why he is running add to theme of pursuit and evasion Include the third story of the thesis here so what When Tom finds himself in danger and needs to make a quick decision he tends to take risks At the very beginning of the story Tom thinks suspects he is under pursuit being pursued as he leaves the Green Cage yet he still opts to take a chance and go in for another drink rather than beat it over to Park Avenue and try losing his pursuer in a few dark doorways 7 At the story s end Tom puts his freedom in jeopardy by forging Dickie s will to transfer all of Dickie s riches to himself rather than being satisfied that he had not been caught he does the unthinkable all because that was the mood he was in 258 Furthermore when Tom decides to kill Dickie and Freddie he hardly second guesses his choices or stops to think rationally Though his actions seem illogical to readers however they make perfect sense to Tom Piling on danger is a good thing to him in his own words Risks are what made the whole thing fun 169 Go further here with analysis of how piling on danger connects with your argument regarding how flashbacks are the reason why he acts nefariously There exists a variety of causes for Tom s actions passive voice Consider Tom s actions are stimulated by a variety of causes including the envy he has for Dickie the way he assumes the worst in what others say and his sense of superiority and deserving to name a few but at their very root is Tom s outcasted position in society Tom is an orphan reluctantly raised by an abusive aunt a poor man struggling to make an honest living despite his talent and a seemingly homosexual man living during an era when homophobia is quite common Tom tries desperately to escape his identity and the box to which society is trying to confine him Highsmith makes this clear in the context surrounding Tom s most evil action his murder of Dickie The event that brings Tom s inklings of murder into fruition is when Dickie teased Tom for watching the male acrobats on the beach implying that he is homosexual Immediately this jab from Dickie causes Tom to think back to his childhood when Aunt Dottie would say Sissy He s a sissy from the ground up Just like his father The fact that Tom s last thoughts before contemplating Dickie s murder are about his rough childhood and insecurity in his sexuality should come as no surprise his negative environments and existence on the outskirts of society are what drive him to crime Following Dickie s death it is also makes sense that Tom chooses to become Dickie In many ways Dickie is the exact opposite of Tom the spoiled son of two doting parents who is able to live in Italian luxury without even holding a job In becoming Dickie Tom feels as if he can escape his past This paragraph is good content wise but I would go further in depth about how the ideas you ve presented relate to the theme of pursuit and evasion While Tom s inability to fit into society is what pushes him to try to escape his life and start a new one in a way it is also the reason why he is such a risktaker In evading the authorities Tom does the bare minimum making sure to avoid punishment yet still mix in as much danger and excitement Even as he steps off of the ferry into freedom he seems excited at the prospect of seeing policemen waiting for him on every pier that he ever approached This is because Tom s background has made him feel as though he had nothing to lose When Tom first embarks on his voyage for Europe his American friends were there to send him off He can hardly stand their presence and justifies his unpleasant face by thinking So what if they all hated him after this what had he lost 33 Tom does not have close relationships with his family or friends so he does not feel the same repercussions as others Through Tom s worst crimes and most daring risks readers quickly learn that a man with nothing to lose is as dangerous as it gets