32 pages • 1 hour read
The Postman Always Rings Twice
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Symbols & Motifs
Cats
Whenever Frank is in serious trouble, cats appear in the text as symbols of fate and luck. During his first conversation with Cora about killing Nick, Frank tells Cora that she is a “hell cat” (13). Their first murder attempt is both ruined and saved when a cat steps on the fuse box at the diner and knocks out the power. Frank observes, “A cat was the last thing I wanted to see then” (16). Here, a cat both helps and impedes Frank, symbolizing the fickle nature of luck.
Cats are also featured heavily in the text when Frank almost runs away with Madge Allen to escape Cora. At first, the prospect of hunting cats in Nicaragua with Madge is tempting to Frank; he sees it as a way to escape from his fear of being betrayed by Cora. Cats end up causing Frank further trouble, however, when Madge brings him a kitten and bumps into Cora, revealing to Cora that Frank nearly left her. After Madge leaves, Cora tells Frank, “And the cat came back! It stepped on the fuse box and got killed, but here it is back! […] Ain’t that funny, how unlucky cats are for you?” (96). In this instance, a cat again symbolizes the inconstancy of luck, but it also represents the inescapability of fate.
Doubling
Many events occur twice over the course of the novel, revealing how static certain characters such as Frank and Cora are. Frank and Cora attempt to murder Nick twice—once unsuccessfully and once successfully. During both murder attempts, they hit him over the head while Nick sings the same song. Even after Nick is dead, his voice echoes back from a ravine. Moreover, Frank leaves Cora twice—once for San Bernardino and once with Madge. These instances of repetition illustrate how both Frank and Cora lack the necessary moral fiber to change their actions and, thus, change their fate. Fundamentally, they are static characters who are destined for tragedy.
Sexual Violence
From the moment they meet, Frank and Cora’s relationship is violent. Frank’s first impulse upon seeing Cora is sexual violence, wanting to “mash [her lips] in for her” (4). Similarly, Cora’s first interaction with Frank is aggressive. She jumps to conclusions as to what Frank thinks of her, and she attacks his supposed opinions without prompting. Frank’s assessment of their first meeting is that “I had socked one in under her guard, and socked it in deep, so it hurt” (6). Though he never explicitly states that they are displaying their attraction to each other, he alludes to it in terms of physical violence. Here, sexual violence represents the unspoken sexual tension between Frank and Cora as well as their hidden, darker impulses, which eventually lead them to murder.
When Frank and Cora finally have sex, it is extremely violent. Frank “mashes” his mouth against Cora’s, just like he wanted to. In response, Cora tells Frank to bite her, and Frank “sunk my teeth into her lips so deep I could feel the blood spurt into my mouth” (10). Several days later, Frank punches Cora in the leg “so hard it nearly knocked her over” (11), which reignites their desire for each other. After killing Nick, Cora begs Frank to literally rip her clothes off, which he does before “hit[ting] her in the eye as hard as I could” (41). These incidents demonstrate an increasing sexual violence between Nick and Cora, one that evolves every time they act on their dark impulses. Thus, when Nick and Cora have an affair or commit murder, overt sexual violence replaces the appropriately violent emotions of remorse and guilt that they should feel but do not.
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By James M. Cain
