James M Cain Research Paper

During the 20th century, crime fiction was a genre that was utilized to give readers a story centered around the crime itself, the mystery and the detective work behind the scenes. This genre allows, “readers of all ages to find thrill, fascination, and ultimately intellectual and social comfort in the adventures of criminals and the detectives who hunt them down,”(Behling par.1). An interesting take on this genre is to show the experience of regular people turning to a life of crime and having to face the consequences. American author James M Cain is best known for this in his story, The Postman Always Rings Twice. James M Cain is a successful author due to his life experiences, his writing style, and his knowledge of crime. Cain’s life

In an interview with Cain he states, “I tried to write as people talk… I, the incipient novelist, even as a boy, was fascinated by the way people do talk, “(qtd. in Zinsser par.6). Having dialogue that people can easily understand is what made his novels so popular. People were able to connect and feel for the characters by relating to them. People are drawn to stories that they can relate to the characters in, rather than stories that have unlikable and unrelatable characters. Another example of this is Cain’s writing being centered around, “The genre's concern with violence, love, and money not only produces a perspective of the 1930s and 1940s, but also provides insights into the American Dream–turned–nightmare and into the all-American boy–turned–tough guy,”(Werlock par.5). The topics in this time period are what drew people to his novel’s. Cain’s take on crime fiction connected with the American dream and American boy stereotypes turned to a horror story make his writing stand out compared to others during his time. There is no doubt that James M Cain’s specific writing style helped him and his novel’s gain

A criminal case that is part of Cain’s success is, “ In 1927 Cain, then a successful newspaperman, followed with interest the sensational trial of one Ruth Snyder and her lover, Henry Judd Gray, who were eventually found guilty and executed for the murder of Snyder's husband,” (Miller par.1). The case follows a woman with a secret lover and their plan to murder her husband. This case was very popular at the time and many people and the media were very interested in it. Cain’s books having similar plots, drew many people who were interested in the case to his novels. James M Cain’s criminal knowledge wasn’t his only strength, “Cain made full use of his familiarity with specific areas of knowledge such as the law and even of the intricacies of the restaurant business, as in "Postman” and "Icebox," among others,”(Werlock par.4). His knowledge of how businesses were run was used to understand the criminal side as well. In The Postman Always Rings Twice, Cain’s understanding of this was used to show how the insurance, the lawyers, the court case and the penalty for the crime played out. This makes the story realistic and understandable to the readers. The reader is able to connect with real life situations and the murder case. It is evident that James M Cain’s knowledge of crime led to the success of his novels and his success as a