The Postman Always Rings Twice Summary
James M. Cain

The Postman Always Rings Twice Summary

Deception, cheating, and fraud in its many literal and metaphorical representations are all themes of The Postman Always Rings Twice. Each of the characters is in some way a con artist with an ulterior motive — Frank cons Nick into giving him a free breakfast when he wanders into the diner, Nick then in turn cons Frank into working for him as a mechanic in his garage, next, Frank cons Nick into accepting him as a friend, only to murder him later, and so on, through nearly every chapter in the novel. In Cain's duplicitous world, one cannot accept appear ance as reality. Cain's point is that to survive, modern man's only chance is to try to swindle his way into a better life, to cheat his destiny. Accident, fortuity, and chance are also at work in the cosmology of the novel, presaging a view of life as...

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