The Talented Mr. Ripley

Dear Reader,

I want an iPod Touch. I want an MBA. I want to be a CFO. I want an iPad. I want a Blu-ray dvd player. I want a PhD in Art History--summa cum laude naturally. I want a BMW--hybrid naturally. I want to pre-order a Blackberry Storm 3. I want a condo on the beach. I want a perfect score on the GRE. I want an associate professorship. I want a flat screen with DVR. And I want it all yesterday.

Have you ever thought about envy? About what it does to us, I mean? "The Talented Mr. Ripley," first published in 1955, is 50 years ahead of its time in this regard. It chronicles a small group of wealthy, twenty-something American ex-pats and their exploits during one year in Italy. Everyone who lives in this world lives large. Villas in the countryside, dining out every night, swimming in the ocean/sunbathing on the beach, excursions to other cities, shopping, and (of course) romantic trysts with each other.

They are completely blissful until Tom Ripley arrives. He is broke, lower class, from Boston. He isn't educated and he isn't much. But there is something charming about him, endearing even. He eventually joins this group of wealthy peers, fascinated by their large inheritances and Ivy League educations. As much as they like Tom, however, he never truly fits in. I couldn't stop reading as Tom falls in love with these people and observe as his anger rises and rises and rises. Finally, he erupts into violence against someone who essentially challenges his social validity and wants to expel him from the group.

Which begs the question: how far would you go for an iPod Touch? For that PhD in Psychology?

song on iTunes: Here Comes Success by Iggy Pop