Cains Life

Education/Career

Cain had a very intriguing career with very diverse experiences that help contribute to his overall success. He started his education off by graduating Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland in 1910, and this was just the start of his career shaping. James post college endeavor was journalism where he worked for many newspapers and magazines that was very beneficial to expanding his skill and knowledge. Two that he worked for were the Baltimore American and the Baltimore Sun. During World War 1 that did not stop James from pursuing journalism. While he served in the Army, he edited an Army Newspaper as well. After the war he took an opportunity to teach for the education institution his father worked for, at St. John’s College in Annapolis as an English professor. Following the teaching opportunity, Cain moved to New York, writing for more institutions such as The New York World and the New Yorker. These opportunities laid a pathway for him to have more literary connections. Lastly, James M Cain moved to Hollywood where he attempted a chance at screen writing while also having a prominent success further into his career as a novelist. His career has a lasting influence on literature today and even readers who still are reading his honorable novels. 

Honors and Awards

Over his life Cain did not receive a large number of formal honors and awards, but his work is very looked up to. He also has a significant influence on crime novels. He received awards such as the Master Awards and Mystery Writers of American 1970.  The books, “ The Postman Always Rings Twice” and “Double Indemnity” received critical acclaim for their styles of writing and new ways of storytelling. These books are considered classics and they have been studied in depth through the eyes of literary enthusiasts.  Both of these books were turned into films that were recognized for their influence on their genre. This is a critical part of Cain's career because it created his legacy for him in both novels and screenplays. Prior to James M. Cain's passing, his dedication to literature is widely recognized by many and his books are also included in people's conversations of best American novels. Last but not least, in 2003 the Library of America published a collection of Cain's work, which is a big indication of how significant his dedication and drive toward literacy has left a big mark on the literature world today. Even though Cain does not have many awards to speak for him, his lasting dedication and impact to his literature and films speak volumes of how he has played an important role in how people look and appreciate literature today.

Influence and Deep Dive

Throughout his work James M Cain shows very similar characteristics throughout his stories within the characters in their own personal ways. Ways to describe his works may be described as violence, obsession, and sexually also plays a big role in his relentlessly paced melodramas. In Cains stories his characters are driven by strong, intense, emotions that lead the story line. Whether you are a character looking for something to cause drama or a character that keeps to themselves usually emotions can take the front seat in this sense. Along with the emotional drive of his characters, their sexual drives influence them to make decisions that could be the decision that leads them into danger or maybe just a bad conflict with another character. For example, in “The Postman Always Rings Twice” the wife's sexual desires is what gets her caught up into a dangerous and even unethical or moral situation. This adds a tension and edge of your seat feeling to his stories that many find intriguing and keep them coming back to the next novel. These two aspects are just a few of many different ways he left a big impact on literature in ways others may have never done in such a way before him.