Point of Views Affecting Literature
Point of view can really change the reader's perspective on the story. A gritty first person narration in stories like The Postman Always Rings Twice or Double Indemnity lets the readers into the characters' mindset revealing their feelings, fears, and desires. A limited third person perspective shows more about what his characters are surrounded by and not so much the in depth feelings of the characters. This perspective gives the author the ability to explain the setting and other characters in the story. It will also provide an unbiased view on many events in the story because the perspective is not limited to one person's thoughts or feelings causing a filter in the reader's mind.
How Gender Roles are Depicted in Cains Literature
In most of Cains work the women are portrayed as manipulative using their sexuality to reach their goals often resulting in a disadvantage to the man. The Postman Always Rings Twice is a good example of that. These common themes can be seen as stereotypical anxieties of men related to women's sexuality and independence. When a male is a protagonist in Cains novels their flaws are usually their greed, lust, or ambitions that get them caught up into manipulative relationships. A lot of gender depiction is through sexuality women use it as an advantage to their benefit and that is the weakness the men are falling to.
In James M Cain’s novels love is shown as transactional and not about genuine connections. For example, in The Postman Always Rings Twice Frank and Coras relationship is based on passion and scheming rather than genuine affection. Their affair ends in murder, shared by driven ambition rather than love. A lot of the connections or relationships in Cains novel are based on physical attraction rather than emotional connections. The characters pursue their relationships in hope for fulfillment but by the end realize it is hollow and corrupt very much misleading characters giving the perfect example of how Cain portrays the fall of sentimentalized romance.
How Cains Writing Style Effected his Rise to Success
Cain's success had a lot to do with how his novels were written and what they were based around. With a very simple style although some critics say it lacks needed detail, it allowed for the audience to have an easier read. The author also used a very quote heavy approach to a lot of his work. This can result in better reviews and a broader audience because some may prefer the easier style writing. His writing also included a lot of tension and taboo subjects. Readers really like when a book is very filled with tension and drama. This can make up for the simple style with more interesting page turning topics that the book is based on.
The Aspect of Cains Writing Style Resulting in Failure
Although Cain's works are very well regarded everywhere for noir genre novels, a few of his stylistic choices do not always rely on assured success each time. For example as mentioned before his plot and setting was always very developed and detailed but this resulted in neglect for character development which was a theme through the whole story. To tag onto his lack of character development leads to limited character complexity. Most characters in each novel had very similar details to each. The roles of females in each novel were very similar if not almost identical. Lastly, a flaw that critics have pointed out is his “formulaic storytelling” while always themes of lust, greed, or betrayal his books may seem repetitive for the audience. Although he was known for these kinds of books the common themes lead to predictable outcomes leaving a lock of room for imagination
Consistent Topics in Cains Work
To elaborate on Cains common themes, an example of a common theme would be violently satisfied ambitions for instance the murder in The Postman Always rings twice. Along with that, crime violence and sexual wardyness is a prominent occurrence. Sexuality is used in a lot of Cains work and it shows among other things the connection to the Femme Fatale referenced frequently.
Common References Unnoticed
Something that may fly under the radar in Cains books but are very common are references to ideas such as the American Dream. A lot of Cains characters are driven by financial success and the hope for personal success. These ambitions drive the characters down dark paths leading to morally questionable paths. For example, in “The Postman Always Rings Twice” Cora dreams of turning her shabby diner she owns with her husband into a thriving business. Her dream leads her to plot murder with Frank. This shows how the dream corrupts you and instead of pursuing happiness they pursue success.