Tracing the transformation of Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley

This study traced the transformation of Tom Ripley, a controversial protagonist, in four of the novels of Patricia Highsmith. The novels are unique in that they are uncluttered and richly textured, evoking a strong reader response. Critics of strongly differing viewpoints are juxtaposed in this study to show both the intensity of the controversy and the varieties of opinion. Questions are raised about the extremes to which a person will go to create and maintain a secure identity and then the power that may be gained by the human imagination as an identity is discarded.