“She thought of people she had seen holding hands in movies, and why shouldn’t she and Carol?”
― Patricia Highsmith, The Price of Salt
By Jenna Sule
Patricia Highsmith was born on January 19, 1921, in Fort Worth, Texas. She was an only child. Her life was not entirely abnormal; her parents divorced before she was born, and she later lived with her mother and stepfather (which is where she got the name, Highsmith). However, at a young age, her mother seemed to have a tendency to overshare with her daughter. According to “The Bizarre True Story Behind The Talented Mr. Ripley” by Mental Floss, her mother told Patricia as a child that “she’d tried to abort her by drinking turpentine.” Look, I am not a mother, but I am pretty sure that is not something you should tell your child. Unsurprisingly, Highsmith was highly affected by this, and it caused some strain between mother and daughter. Allegedly, she based her short story “The Terrapin” on her relationship with her mother. This would be sweet, but this story is about a boy violently murdering his mother. So I think it was safe to say they had a complicated relationship.
But don’t feel too bad for her; she was also extremely bigoted. Not only was she racist, but she was violently antisemitic and misogynistic. The fact that she was a misogynistic lesbian, while strange, highlights just how much of an oxymoron she was in life. Another example is despite being violently antisemitic, to the point of wishing death upon Jewish people, she has several affairs where she found herself deeply in love with Jewish women. What gets even stranger is that, according to Wikipedia, she preferred the company of men, just not romantically. She actually tried to like men! Highsmith attempted to have a relationship with Marc Brandel. The relationship did not work out because ,you know, she didn’t like men. Well, she liked men, but she didn’t LIKE men. Shockingly, one thing Highsmith didn’t seem to be is homophobic. In a memoir written by one of her former lovers, Marijane Meaker, Highsmith is quoted saying, “the only difference between us and heterosexuals is what we do in bed.”I’ll consider her not being homophobic a small win.
Despite her bigotry, Highsmith was an extremely talented writer. I have just finished reading her popular novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley. The novel is a fascinating thriller about a conman named Tom who finds himself in Italy, completely enamored by the world of money and of Dickie Greenleaf. Yes, she did name a rich man Greenleaf; she really wanted to make sure we knew he liked money. She is also known for writing other novels such as Strangers on a Train (which was quickly adapted by Alfred Hitchcock), and The Price of Salt. The Price of Salt was actually a lesbian novel with a happy ending! Even today, gay stories ending well is uncommon. One aspect I enjoy about her writing is that the characters feel complex and like real people. As I was reading, I could tell she had put a lot of thought into her characters. For instance, in The Talented Mr. Ripley, Tom shows signs of being a queer man. His queerness adds to his character throughout the story; it adds a possible motive for his actions and develops his character. One thing I disliked about her writing, in this specific book at least, is that you can tell she didn’t think too highly of women. She makes it nearly impossible for anyone to like one of the only female characters in the book. Anyway, I love Marge Sherwood, and she deserved better than to be so easily hateable. It makes me wonder, though, if her dislike for women was a noticeable aspect in The Price of Salt.
Later in her life, Highsmith was fond of cats and snails. Wikipedia even claims that she once went to a party with a head of lettuce covered in snails, which she said were her companions for the evening. Highsmith died on February 4, 1995. She was 74 years old. However, her story does not end there. After her death, her editors found her private diaries, 56 of them to be exact. The New York Times reports that the diaries span about 60 years and 8,000 pages. The dairies were not made available to the public. However, they are set to be released sometime in 2021.
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