Part 1
The novel The Postman Always Rings Twice is an influential and notorious publication that revolutionized crime novels. The novel was influential due to the prominence of the themes of sex and violence making it provocative for the audience in the historical context. In order to comprehend the significance of the novel, it is crucial to explore the novel and the interpretations different perspectives.
There are several sources, which have analyzed the aforementioned novels. These sources give an in depth perspective of the work and its relevance to the literary world. These sources include reviews and interpretative pieces of the novel.
According to the article by Lansdale (2011), the influence of Cain’s novels in the film industry is apparent. Some of the novels, which have been identified as influential, include Double Indemnity, The Postmaster Always Rings Twice and Mildred Pierce. The article explores the attributes, which make the author masterful in the genre of crime fiction. For instance, Cain is compared with other renowned authors including Hemingway and Raymond chandler. The mastery of the novel is evident when Chandler, who was contemptuous of Cain’s work, adopted one of the books into a film. The article cites Tom Wolfe who credited the style of Cain to be unique to other authors. The work of the author is credited to have some form of muscular poetry of a working man. The characters in the novel are also described to resemble normal individuals. For instance, the characters appear to want good things without merit (Lansdale, 2011). This theme is established in The Postman Always Rings Twice. The popularity of the book according to the article can be attributed to the mystery of the title, which is unexplained by the book. However, it is evident that the meaning of the title is intertwined in the novel where the fate of the characters is defined by chances.
The Guardian explores the meaning of the novel’s title. For instance, the author suggests that the use of the word postman is not to be interpreted literary. It should be considered as a fate experienced by the perpetrators of crime. This is evident in the fate of Frank and Cora who plotted to murder Cora’s husband. This means that if the ring of the postman misses being answered on the first time, the second ring would not be ignored (Guardian, 2012). Frank is wrongly sentenced for murder while Cora dies from an accident.
The source by Powell’s books provides a review of the novel and a detailed synopsis of the same. For instance, the website gives a summary of the book and possible reactions from several individuals. This enables an individual to have a clear idea of the book's contents and on how it was received in the historical context of the 20th century (Powell, 2013). According to the article, the book explores the bleak underside of the American culture through a mixture of eroticism and violence. In addition, the article also has information about the author. This is instrumental in comprehending the influences of the author concerning the crime novel. According to the article, the approach of the author developed a new benchmark for crime fiction and consequently film noir.
An article by James Cain has the contents of the novel, According to the article; the book the postman was among the first works in order to portray events according to the perspective of the perpetrator (Cain, n.d.). The article provides in detail the occurrence of the novel and a summary of the author’s information at the end. This is evident with the narrator being Frank chambers who is a drifter. The source explores the perspective of the drifter and the experiences leading to the development of the plot.
The sources are instrumental in understanding the novel. For instance, in the first source by Powell book, the article gives the audience a brief idea of the book's contents and on how it was perceived. This assists the audience to be aware of the historical context of the book due to the themes of sex and violence.
The article by Lansdale is crucial in exploring the influence of the book in the movie scenario. This is crucial considering that the narrator is also a perpetrator of the crime. The source is detailed and is instrumental in understanding the popularity of the genre.
The guardian provides an analysis of the meaning of the title. This enables the audience to correlate the meaning of the title and the meaning of the novel. It is evident that the fate of the characters is tied to the title. This gives the readers comprehension of the title and its meaning to the plot.
The final source by Cain shows how the novel introduced the perspective of the perpetrator in the novel. The source is detailed on this perspective and shows how this was an instrumental feature the development of crime fiction.
In order to further comprehend and appreciate the work of Cain, several sources were analyzed in this perspective. One of the sources is crime culture by Roger Westcombe, which explore the historical reception of the novel in the 20th century. This includes the outrage and the impressive sales characterizing the novel. The novel was also adapted into a film in 1946 showing the popularity of Cain’s approach. The works showed the underbelly of the American society and dream by showing the perspective of the villains (Westcombe, 2004). The source is crucial in exploring the fascination of the genre in the twentieth century and in the modern times.
Another source that was identified is by Madden and Mecholsky, (2011). Noir fiction is described in the article as a hardboiled style subset. This means that the protagonist is a victim rather than being a detective. Authors like James Cain have been identified as one of the influential individuals in this film approach. The association of the genre with gloom is said to have a fatalistic attitude. The article compares different works of the noir genre providing a better understanding of Cain’s novel.
The final source identified is a study guide of one of Cain’s works double indemnity. The elements of a successful murder in a crime fiction are explored. The source also explores the style of Cain. The article refers to Cain’s first novel giving crucial information on understanding the book and his writing style.
The first source crime wave is instrumental in showing how the revolutionary style of Cain influenced the American society. This is crucial in understanding the growth of crime fiction in literature and film worlds. The author explored the side effects of the American dream hence provoking audiences.
The second source explores the aspect of film noir and on how the genre of crime fiction fits. The article is suitable since it compares several works from the genre, giving the audience comprehensive knowledge on the topic.
The final source explores the work double indemnity. Despite this, the source provides crucial information on the author’s first work. The source is detailed to provide information on Cain’s writing style.
Some of the questions, which will be identified in the research, include the following.
- What are the conditions of a perfect murder according to Cain?
- What is the difference between Cain’s crime fiction and other hard-boiled novels?
Part 2
The article on the Double Indemnity by James Cain explores the writing style of the author. Despite the article being on another novel, it provides a comprehensive insight into the writing style and personality of the author. This is a valid scholarly source since it was analyzed by a theatre company and, therefore, provided a professional perspective on the works of the author. There is a significant mention of the postman hence giving crucial information on the novel.
There are several points that stand out in the article. One of the points in the article is on the elements of murder in the genre of crime fiction. Considering that this is a crucial aspect of the novel identified for the research, the article provides information on the provocative and violent approach of Cain (San Jose Repertory Theatre, 2012). The article identifies lust and greed as the motivators for the perfect crime. This resulted in a situation of betrayal, suspicion and guilt for the characters.
Another crucial point in the article is the definition of hard-boiled crime fiction in the 20th century. According to the article, there are two approaches in hardboiled investigations. This includes characters that are morally superior. The other situation is when the characters are corrupted; this is evident in the portrayal of a criminal protagonist. The article explores the different approaches of authors in the 20th century. One of the works, which is featured during the period, is the first novel by Cain in the genre The Postman Always Rings Twice. The protagonists are corrupted and are victims of fate. The novel was condemned for the elements of sadomasochistic sex and violence, however; this was recounted by the author who reiterated that he was trying to capture the feelings and perspectives of the average person. This created a new perspective of the protagonists being villains. The article combines the perspective of the different authors in crime fiction with the history of the genre.
Another key point in the article is that the author explores the inspiration of the author in his approach towards crime fiction. For instance, the article reiterates the influence of real events in the development of the novel's plot. For instance, Cain’s novel the double indemnity was inspired by the experiences of Ruth Snyder who was involved in a loveless marriage. This resulted in an affair and murder attempts on the husband. This shows that the perspective of the protagonist in the novels represented the average human and the attempts by individuals to earn unmerited benefits.
The second source in this section is an article of the actual novel. The article provides in detail the occurrence of the novel and a summary of the author’s information at the end. The article makes a credible source for the research since it provides the contents of the actual novel, hence enabling the reader to interpret the novel and experience the writing style of Cain personally.
One of the points, which are present in the article, is on the meeting of the two key characters Frank chambers and Cora. Despite Cora being a married woman, she develops feelings for Frank resulting in an illicit and sadomasochistic affair. It is evident that the lust of the two characters created a perfect scenario for crime (Cain, n.p.). The perspective of the perpetrators is evident in the novel whereby the development of their feelings creates a situation where Cora’s husband is an impediment. The only way the two can enjoy riches and love is by eliminating the husband. This is an interesting point since it complements the author’s style of crime fiction that was provocative and different.
The second point that was fascinating in the article is the attempts of the protagonists to murder Cora’s husband. Despite their previous attempts, the characters were unable to kill Cora’s husband. This is consistent with the meaning of the title which depicts that if an individual does not learn on the first attempt, fate will catch up with him or her. It appears as if life provides a second chance for the victims to save themselves as is evident in the scenario of Cora’s husband.
Another point is that it is evident that despite the perceived triumph of the characters, fate always resulted in justice for the perpetrators in the end. For instance, Frank is convicted while Cora dies after they see through their ambitions to kill the husband. They are not able to enjoy their victory for justice comes in the form of dire consequences for the illicit lovers. The points in this article show the characteristic of Cain’s writing where the fate of the characters is influenced by lust and greed.
References
Cain M, J. (n.d.).The Postman Always Rings Twice.
Lansdale R, J. (2011).James M. Cain’s The Postman Always Rings Twice.Mulhollandbook.com. Retrieved from < http://www.mulhollandbooks.com/2011/01/10/james-m-cains-the-postman-always-rings-twice/>
Madden, D., & Mecholsky, K. (2011). James M. Cain: Hard-boiled mythmaker. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press.
Powell’s books. (2013).The Postman Always Rings Twice (Vintage Crime). Powellsbooks.com.
San Jose Repertory Theatre. (2012). Double Indemnity. San Jose Repertory Theatre.
The guardian. (2012). Notes & Queries: Why does the postman always ring twice? The guardian. Retrieved from <http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2012/may/23/the-postman-always-rings-twice>
Westcombe, R. (2004).Lipstick Killers: Viewing The Postman Twice. Crime culture. retrieved from <http://www.crimeculture.com/Contents/Articles-Autumn04/RW-Postman.html>
