The Postman Always Rings Twice Versus Double Indemnity: Comparative Essay

James M. Cain’s masterpieces ‘The Postman Always Rings Twice’ (Postman) and ‘Double Indemnity’ (Indemnity) are built on the immensely passionate, yet considerably destructive love affairs that occur between the lost souls that Cain utilizes as his protagonists. Cain recognized his reader’s insatiable thirst for romance, and thus, he moved away from a typical noir structure that follows a lone detective solving a murder case, instead shifting the reader’s focus to that of the perpetrators and the relationships that they share, with themes such as illicit love and infidelity serving as key elements of both novel’s success. Perhaps shaped by his own tumultuous relationships with women, having been married four times, Cain’s literary adoption of love and romance is expressed through scenes of patriarchal domination, a mistrust in the sexual desires of women and the motives behind them, and ultimately the unattainability of a ‘perfect love’. Through the analysis of both these texts, it becomes apparent that while lies, deceit, and a commentary on societal flaws occurs in the background, Cain’s primary focus circulates around the pursuit of love, and the tragedy that befalls those who cannot attain it.

As products of their time, both ‘The Postman Always Rings Twice’ and ‘Double Indemnity’ introduce gender roles that permeated society during the 1930’s relatively early in the narrative, and hence the romantic relationships that develop between lovers is defined by the dominant stance that the male holds towards the woman. In both novels Cain introduces the female antagonists, Cora Papadakis and Phyllis Nirdlinger, as classic ‘trophy wives’, women whose sole purpose is to fulfill the needs of their husbands: “Then I saw her. She had been out back, in the kitchen, but she came in to gather up my dishes” (Postman, 3). From the outset, Cain looks to implement the workings of a love affair, forcing readers to see the women through the same eyes of the male protagonists: “Under those blue pajamas was a shape to set a man nuts” (Indemnity, 3). It appears that whilst the stereotypical roles these women play are merely assumed by Cain as a representation of the period, the sexualization of their bodies so early in the piece is deliberate, as it sets up an early goal for the male protagonists of Frank and Walter.

An underlying patriarchal structure is further exemplified through Cain’s use of animalistic imagery to describe the women in both texts, as Cora and Phyllis’s actions are regularly likened to that of feline behaviour: “She was snarling like a cougar. I liked her like that” (Postman, 15). In the carrying out of their crimes, both Frank and Walter assume the role of lion tamers in their relationships, attempting to control the beautiful yet ferocious natures of the women they love: “The firelight was reflected in her eyes like she was some kind of Leopard” (Indemnity, 28). While there is a distinction made between the sexual undertones of Cora’s ‘cougar’ and the fierce, unpredictable ‘leopard’ that exists within Phyllis, Cain’s use of animal imagery to depict the women serves one purpose – to illustrate the temperamental yet endearing nature that Cain believed all women to have: “A woman is a funny animal” (Indemnity, 28). Through this perpetual referencing to women as animals, Cain highlights the challenge put before both Frank and Walter in navigating their relationships with Phyllis and Cora – the success or failure of this navigation ultimately playing an integral role in the outcome of the story.

Themes of infidelity, lust, and instances of aggressive sexual encounters are all elements employed by Cain to shock and implicate the reader in a tangled web of romance that drives the story’s respective plots. As Frank and Walter grapple for power in their relationships, certain scenes can be read as patriarchal exercises of control over the women they love, disguised as romantic, sexual encounters. Again, shaped by the views of Cain and the male characters he creates, the reader’s view of characters like Cora is immediately sexualised in a violent way: “Her lips stuck out in a way that made me want to mash them in for her” (Postman, 3). Frank’s description of Cora the first time he sees her is blunt and charged with violent, sexual energy, which is indicative both of Cain’s writing style and Frank’s character. This introduction is only followed by more repressed sexual energy erupting when Frank takes Cora in his arms and kisses her: “I bit her. I sunk my teeth into her lips so deep I could feel the blood spurt into my mouth” (Postman, 13). This visceral description of the couple’s first kiss was highly scandalous for its time, evidence of Cain employing shock tactics in the development of romance, in order to keep the reader enthralled in the plot. The infatuation that Frank holds for Cora manifests itself many times as micro aggressions towards her, not always physically but even in the way he speaks to her: “I had socked one in under her guard, and socked it in deep, so it hurt” (Postman, 7). While Frank does not physically harm Cora here, he asks questions to purposely make her uncomfortable and re-establish dominance in their relationship, signifying once more how their romance is fuelled by an underlying aggression.

The theme of love and romance undoubtedly lie at the crux of both ‘The Postman Always Rings Twice’ and ‘Double Indemnity’, however it becomes apparent that all romantic elements are heavily dictated by our male protagonists, Frank and Walter. From the sexualization of the female body through the eyes of both men, through the cat-like imagery used to describe their behaviours, Cain’s depiction of both women is a byproduct of the time period, and thus determines the impact that love and romance has on both novels.

Central to both ‘The Postman Always Rings Twice’ and ‘Double Indemnity’ lies a love story riddled with themes of doomed, dangerous, and deeply complicated romance, all of which come together perfectly, according to Cain, due to the impressionable nature of men and the manipulative ways of the ‘femme fatale’, the fatal woman. All romantic elements in these stories are categorized by an underlying distrust of both Phyllis and Cora’s true motives, despite the flawed natures of both Frank and Walter undoubtedly playing an integral role in the couple’s downfall.

Phyllis and Cora’s aspirations of both materialistic gains and romantic excitement are clearly specified from the inception of these novels, however the means by which they achieve these goals takes precedence for Cain and his readers, and as their plans unfold, the polarizing role of the femme fatale is revealed. A similar blueprint is employed for both of these stories, as two attractive, unhappily married women take advantage of two intelligent, suave, yet highly impressionable men, using them as instruments in gaining their own ends: “She had used me for a cat’s paw so she could have another man, and she had made a fool of me” (Indemnity, 52). Cain reverts back to the use of cat imagery once again in order to highlight the ease by which Walter had succumbed to the feline nature of Phyllis, becoming a mere paw in her deceitful game. It is important to note, however, that both Frank and Walter are incredibly flawed individuals themselves, with both men’s impressionable natures highlighting the ease by which males can be blinded by the beauty of the female body. The men bring heartbreak upon themselves, as both are easily tempted by the characters of Madge and Lola, with Walter’s love for Phyllis’s stepdaughter Lola being the primary reason for his confession to Keyes: “I thought about Lola, how sweet she was… I loved her” (Indemnity, 52). This subplot is somewhat redeeming for the troubled Walter, his feelings for her being likened to a “sweet peace” in contrast with his “unhealthy excitement” for Phyllis (Indemnity, 55). Interestingly, this innate desire to protect Lola that Walter possesses links back to the patriarchal expectations of the time, working alongside the established convention that the femme fatale must be punished for her wrongdoings.