Double Indemnity Theme

Everyone plays a role in life. Some people play the role of a father, a nurse, or even an insurance salesman. The role every person plays, effects and changes their life. In books, the role of a character has great significance. Different characters help propel the story in different directions. Characters could be the protagonist, who is the leading character; the antagonist, who is the leading character opposing the protagonist; or they could be a secondary character, who helps to give the reader details about the plot or leading characters. Characters not only help to deliver the plot of the novel, but also help to bring out the theme of a novel.
The novel Double Indemnity by James N. Cain follows the life of an insurance salesman named …show more content…
Keyes is in conflict with himself, Walter and Phyllis, by trying to find satisfaction through deciphering the murder of Mr.Nirdlinger; Phyllis is in conflict with herself and Walter, by trying to find happiness in the murder she planned with Walter; and Walter is in conflict with himself, Phyllis, and Keyes, after killing Mr.Nirdlinger due to his boredom and dissatisfaction with his life. Although each has their own struggle, each relates to the overall theme of finding happiness/satisfaction in their life. The characters in this novel not only help to propel the plot forward, but serve another purpose as well; In Double Indemnity, Cain uses the characters to subliminally reveal the …show more content…
Phyllis’ main role in helping to drive the story forward, while bringing out the theme, would be the fact that she is a sociopathic fem fatale. A sociopathic fem fatal would be a killer woman who cannot feel any happiness. “Maybe I 'm crazy. But there 's something in me that loves Death. I think of myself as Death, sometimes. In a scarlet shroud, floating through the night. I 'm _so _beautiful, then. And sad. And hungry to make the whole world happy, by taking them out where I am, into the night, away from all trouble, all unhappiness...” (18). In this quote Phyllis is confessing her true nature to Walter. When she says she sees herself as death, wishing to take everyone out, away from all their trouble, she is really saying she wants to kill all the people in the world. This is how her fem fatal nature is revealed. When Phyllis states she is so beautiful and sad, she is revealing her sociopathic personality.
If the theme of the novel is that people are never happy or satisfied with their lives, then Phyllis is a literal interpretation of the theme. As a sociopath, Phyllis does not have the capacity to feel happiness. She kills as a way to find happiness in her life, yet no matter how many tangible items she possess’ from her killings, her happiness is never found. It is in this way the theme is being revealed. Just like Phyllis, it doesn’t matter how many material items a person acquires, they are never satisfied