The Character Phyllis Nirdlinger as a Femme Fatale in Double Indemnity by James M. Cain (Essay Sample)

The Character Phyllis Nirdlinger as a Femme Fatale in Double Indemnity by James M. Cain
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The Character Phyllis Nirdlinger as a Femme Fatale in Double Indemnity by James M. Cain
Introduction
In the literary work Double Indemnity, the character Walter Huff asserts, “I had put myself in her power, so there was one person in the world that could point a finger at me, and I would have to die.” Walter Huff, a thirty-four-year-old naive insurance salesperson at General Fidelity of California in Los Angeles, underscores the veracity of the circumstance he finds himself in after executing a malevolence plan with the alluring and seductive Phyllis Nirdlinger, a second wife to H. S. Nirdlinger. Phyllis Nirdlinger, a perfect fit for a femme fatale figure, manipulates Huff into engaging in insurance fraud as well as killing her husband. The ending of this situation is catastrophic evident with the two planning to commit suicide in the full moon. A femme fatale is an archetypal figure in literature, film, art, pop culture or history who is a mysterious, attractive woman of great seductive charms with the ability to use her charm and beauty to lead men into complex, dangerous, compromising or doomed situations. In spite of Double Indemnity being a creation of a patriarchal society that demeaned and objectified women, the characterization of Phyllis Nirdlinger as a femme fatale sets the stage for debate based on her use of sexual charm and beauty to exploit men, use of violence to achieve her goals and her disregard of family and marriage.
At the outset, Phyllis Nirdlinger is a femme fatale in Double Indemnity because she uses her sexual charm and beauty as venom to control and exploit the men around her. Phyllis Nirdlinger seduces Walter Huff to help her carry out an insurance fraud in which he murders her husband with the hope that they will share the double indemnity money. Evidently, Phyllis Nirdlinger lies and flaunts her body in front of Huff, in addition to, acting promiscuously with the objective of convincing Walter Huff to be part of her plan. An instance of Mrs. Nirdlinger using her beauty and charm to seduce Huff is apparent when Huff alleges, “She looked at me, a little surprised, her face was about six inches away. What I did do was put my arm around her, pull her face up against mine, and kiss her on the mouth, hard” (Cain, 1943, p. 220). Moreover, according to Walter Huff, Mrs. Nirdlinger was a woman with a sweet face, light blue eyes as well as having dusty blonde hair to validate her beauty. All these moves around the house, besides, Mrs. Nirdlinger, becoming intimately involved with Huff in spite of being married underscores a plan orchestrated by a woman who was aware of the patriarchal society’s view of femininity and women. She uses this social conception of femininity to entice Huff to help her by pretending to play a secondary role to Huff in the ordeal in spite of being aware of her ultimate goal to use Huff to cash in her husband’s insurance money. Nonetheless, the machinations of the femme fatale in work leave the traditional relationship between the two, where a man is presumably to deal with violence resulting in Huff establishing plans to kill her husband using violence. Moreover, the relationship between the Phyllis Nirdlinger and Huff commences with an image of sexual complementarity. This instance of Phyllis Nirdlinger using her sexual wits and beauty to control and exploit Huff merely points out to the readers the reality of a macho and conservative society where women were sex objects in the eyes of men, besides, being homemakers. Whereas Huff views Phyllis Nirdlinger as a sex object evident from his desire and description, Mrs. Nirdlinger evidently understands this reality, and she is ready to capitalize on it.
Secondly, Phyllis Nirdlinger is a femme fatale in the novella Double Indemnity because she uses violence to achieve her objectives such as insurance scamming. In spite of violence in the patriarchal period between 1930 and 1940s being presumed as a male role, Phyllis Nirdlinger use violence to achieve her goals as well as being part of a violent plan. The first instance of Phyllis Nirdlinger using violence is apparent by being part of the plan to kill her husband. She suggests killing her husband by pretending that he hit his head in a swimming pool. The instance is observable in the book when Phyllis Nirdlinger affirms, “I thought it could be made to look as if he hit his head diving or something” (Cain, 1943, p. 234). Based on this statement, it is conclusive that Phyllis Nirdlinger was willing to use violence, besides, being calm and prepared for the after effects of their plot. Another instance that authenticates her use of violence to achieve her goal is noticeable when her plot with Walter Huff goes somewhat awry, and she realizes that she might be in trouble with law enforcers for the death of her husband. Phyllis Nirdlinger readily turns to violence with the intent to shot and kill Huff to cover her involvement in the murder. The instance is visible when Huff avers, “I had come there to kill her, but she had beaten me to it” (Cain, 1943, p. 308). The instance confirms the willingness of Phyllis Nirdlinger to kill by shooting so that she could cash in her dead husband’s insurance. At this point of a femme fatale becoming violent, it is clear that the antagonism between sexes manifests itself. This point not only underscores a scenario where an insurmountable obstacle exists in the intimate relationship where incompatible desires and goals cannot work together, but also create tension for the reader. The instance offers to the reader the reality that women were the archetype of gendered roles. The patriarchal society had exclusive roles for each gender. Women were to perform specified roles that did not entail violence because violent roles were designed entirely for the men. 
Lastly, Phyllis Nirdlinger is a femme fatale in Double Indemnity because of lowly regarding and opposing the domestic sphere of family and marriage. In the American patriarchal society between the 1930s and 1940s, marriage and family were deemed patterns from which the moral cloth of the society was cut. In spite of the conservative culture where gender hierarchies in the period placed women as a subordinate to men in marriages and family, the family and marriage were a symbol of affectionate partnership desirable for all women. In the novella Double Indemnity, this is not the case for Phyllis Nirdlinger, who lowly regarded marriage and family unit, in addition to seeking a sense of independence from her husband. She wanted not only economic independence from her husband but also sexual freedom by engaging in multiple intimate relationships in spite of being married. To achieve this goal of not being bound by family and marriage sphere but attain sexual and economic independence, Mrs. Nirdlinger opts to kill her husban...