A naïve spectator might be under the impression that both the film adaptation and the novel portray the same story with the same characters, same events, and same literary elements. The only factor that remains constant for both the novel and the film are the persona of the characters and the underlying story of a murderer with a convoluted personality and the desire to live in the life of others. One of the key disparities in both the novel and the film adaptation is the additional background information that Patricia Highsmith provides at the beginning of the novel. Here, we learn of Tom Ripley’s cruel and depressing upbringing. As a child, Tom Ripley’s parent’s died forcing him to live with his aunt who he deplores. From this point in the