The Postman Always Rings Twice

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Cain, James M. (1969). Cain X 3: Three Novels. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. p.8. ISBN 9781299518889. James M. Cain was an American author who lived from 1892 to 1977. His 1934 crime novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice, is an ironic and steamy (for its time) story of adultery and murder set in a California roadside restaurant. Even though it’s a “genre” novel, it’s ranked number 98 on the Modern Library’s list of the hundred greatest books in English of the twentieth century. I can see why this story was adapted to film so many times, as it has such great potential in that format as well… though I must confess, I have seen none of the adaptations, and while I would love to now, I’m glad I hadn’t. The plot went in so many unexpected directions, that I’m glad I didn’t know where it was going until the very end.

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Cain, James M. (1969). Cain X 3: Three Novels. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. p.34. ISBN 9781299518889. Well if your familiar with the authors writing and read his novel Double Indemnity you will know that his story becomes intricate and a web that his characters must free themselves from. This was another enjoyable tale of individuals and the macabre.

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( July 2018) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) This one is a solid 4/5 star book. It’s short, never wasting a word, and can be read in a day if you have some time… and it is well worth the time. Highly recommended. This 1930s hardboiled crime novel is told from the perspective of a young tramp with a criminal record who enters into an affair with a femme fatale, resulting in them scheming to kill her husband. It's astounding how much fun this book is: Cain effectively employs the tropes of the genre and plays with them, as we slowly learn about the outcome of the story from the criminal himself. What's also unusual for the genre is that the text can be interpreted as having a morale, namely that in the long run, people cannot escape the consequences of their actions (which could also be the meaning of the title, because make no mistake, there is no postman in this story!). The trial sequence is convoluted, crafty, and artful as their attorney builds this elaborate defense designed to defeat his frenemy, the prosecutor. He doesn’t care if they are guilty. He only cares about winning. Frank turns on Cora; Cora turns on Frank (another form of foreplay?) which is all part of the defense attorney's plan to set them free. The ending of the novel certainly seems a commentary by James M. Cain that people do not escape their guilts nor their destinies. When asked by a reporter if he objected to what Hollywood had done to his 1934 novel The Postman Always Rings Twice, Cain replied: "They haven't done anything to my book. It's right up there on the shelf."—Biographer Roy Hoopes in Cain (1982). [25]

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Frank Chambers is a drifter, a man who, when life gets too heavy, catches the next boxcar out of town or puts his thumb out on the nearest highway. Being comfortable or achieving normalcy comes with too much responsibility. He’d rather bum it than have anyone relying on him. Postman’s influence ranges across genre and time. Albert Camus remarked that the themes and style of Postman were an influence on The Stranger. Dennis Lehane has been quoted about the impact Cain’s dialog – full of vernacular and true to character – had on him. In a way, most crime novels other than procedurals and private detective stories owe a nod to Cain. He was a champion of featuring the perpetrator of the crime, rather than law enforcement. The quality that appeals to me most about The Postman Always Rings Twice (aside from the terrific title, which has no correlation to the story and might've simply been something Cain overheard and thought would look good in print) is how harrowing it is. Set during the Great Depression, the story reflects a time when young men hit the road with no idea where their next meal would come from and young women were trapped in marriages they could no more walk out on than they could become tramps themselves. Living moment to moment, desperately, anything can happen. A masterful wordsmith, Cain puts the reader right there. This is a short story and you can easily read it under two hours. Most likely, you will end up reading it in one sitting like I did. The novel is brilliant and is able to tell a short story that feels like a television show. There are a lot of twists and turns that make it an enjoyable read until the end.There has been much puzzlement over the title because there is no postman involved in the story or anything that would readily suggest a reason for the title. I’ve been doing some research, and it seems that the most logical explanation that people have come up with is that in this time period when the postman delivered the mail, he would ring the bell on the house once, but if he had a telegram, he would ring twice. Telegrams were expensive, and to receive one generally meant that something bad has happened. The title probably made more sense to people in 1934 than it does to us today. If we accept this explanation, then Cain is warning his audience that nothing good is coming. Some may point to the racism and anti-immigrant feeling in this 1934 novel as signs it has aged poorly—I disagree. The toxic xenophobia on display here is exactly the point. The Postman Always Rings Twice is a 1934 crime novel by James M. Cain. The novel was successful and notorious upon publication. James M Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice is a fun, racy hard boiled crime noir classic. First published in 1934 and banned in many places for its provocative scenes, the novella is a fun read full of memorable scenes. Albert Camus used this story as his basis for The Stranger, propelling Cain into the limelight. Later, Cain wrote Double Indemnity, cementing his place as a successful noir writer. Yet, it is for Postman that he is best remembered. Bosley Crowther, film critic of The New York Times, gave the film a positive review and lauded the acting and direction of the film, writing, "Too much cannot be said for the principals. Mr. Garfield reflects to the life the crude and confused young hobo who stumbles aimlessly into a fatal trap. And Miss Turner is remarkably effective as the cheap and uncertain blonde who has a pathetic ambition to 'be somebody' and a pitiful notion that she can realize it through crime. Cecil Kellaway is just a bit too cozy and clean as Miss Turner's middle-aged spouse. He is the only one not a Cain character, and throws a few scenes a shade out of key. But Hume Cronyn is slyly sharp and sleazy as an unscrupulous criminal lawyer, Leon Ames is tough as a district attorney and Alan Reed plays a gum-shoe role well." [20]