The sexual tension between Tom, Dickie, and Marge throughout the novel fuels each character’s obsession and vanity. Dickie tells Tom “clearly” that he is “not queer,” though Marge believes Tom is “queer,” and, as Dickie and Tom grow closer, Marge’s suspicions only deepen. Throughout the novel, Marge repeatedly calls into question the true nature of Tom and Dickie’s relationship, believing their connection to each other to be toxic and obsessive, and perhaps more than platonic.
Without a clear identity, Highsmith suggests, the individual has no choice but to consume the identities of others, to dangerous and maddening ends. Through Tom, Highsmith is constructing a cautionary tale regarding the dangers-to oneself and to others-of not ever forming a true or concrete identity.
Tom’s difficult childhood, spent under the watchful eye of his cruel Aunt Dottie, has rendered him “naïve” in many ways and without “enough time to learn and grow.” This contributes to Tom’s sponge-like persona, and his ability-or even desperation-to absorb the knowledge, qualities, and characteristics of others, such as Herbert, Marge, and Dickie. The word “obsession” does not appear once in the novel, but the book is saturated with questions of what creates obsession and what calamity can come of it. As a result, Tom’s obsession with Dickie provokes him to reject his own identity and claim Dickie’s identity, thereby gaining the life, wealth, and possessions that Tom has come to believe are rightfully his. Tom’s gifts as a forger, as well as his ingenuity and cunning as an impersonator, grow out of this deep insecurity in his own personal identity. He is ashamed of and embarrassed by every aspect of his existence, and he feels that he deserves more from life.
#Mr zipper the collection obsession series#
He lives in a rundown apartment, which is the latest in a long series of rundown apartments, and he is working as a low-level con man. At the start of the novel, Tom Ripley is unhappy in every aspect of his life.
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