How Does Walter Neff's Character Change Throughout The Novel

The main male character, Walter Neff, is a mere insurance salesman who gets drawn into a murder plot because of his attraction to a married woman. Not surprisingly, Walter faces several moral challenges throughout the story. Since the movie was an adaptation of the novella, some of the moral struggles he deals with vary between the two. In the novella, the death of Phyllis and Walter blatantly defies usual moral principles. At that point in the story, they both had committed a murder and had been caught for it. Rather than being punished for their actions and letting justice be served, the perverse couple commit suicide and jump into the ocean. Allowing them to choose to escape from their problems would have shocked the readers of the 1940s.

Similarly, Walter and Lola's relationship in the novella broke away from the typical ideas of monogamy and adultery. Although Walter was seemingly committed to Phyllis, he strayed away from her and began to develop feelings for her stepdaughter, Lola. These relationships grossly twisted the construct of normal relationships. Though it was appealing to a reader, it underlyingly dramatizes this confusion. The most important moral challenge of the story is the plot itself. The idea of murdering an obviously innocent man so that one can take his wife and exploit his money is completely morally unsound. In fact, Phyllis says, "I haven't any reason. He treats me as well as a man can treat a woman. I don't love him, but he's never done anything to me....I know it's not true. I tell myself it's not true. But there's something in me, I don't know what. Maybe I'm crazy. But there's something in me that loves Death. I think of myself as Death, sometimes...But to me, it doesn't seem terrible. It seems as though I'm doing something--that's really best for him, if he only knew it" (11). Phyllis demonstrates the distortion of morals in the story. Both of them seem to take some form of pleasure in the

The opening of the story reveals that this story will be a question of morals since the first sequence is a piece of Walter's confession to Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) for the murder. Also, in the first sequence, the car wildly driving down the street and the repetition of the phrase "straight down the line" is subtly pointing out the moral injustice of the story. Originally perceived as good people, Walter and Phyllis veer off to a path of darkness. However, saying that the murder will be "straight down the line" is meant to overtly contrast the reality of the situation (Double Indemnity). Another moral challenge that is displayed well through the film is Walter's care for Lola. As twisted as it is, the story hints that Walter's concern for Lola may be rooted in his guilt for murdering her father. Rationally, it is understandable. Emotionally, his motivation for caring for Lola is disturbing. Also, the death of Phyllis is toned down in the film in order to make a more morally sound ending for the audience. Rather than jumping into an ocean and escaping their demise, Phyllis dies by being shot in the arms of her adulterer and murder partner. Fortunately, since she is the true mastermind behind the murder, she is punished for her evils and