Blog Post 8, Baby

In your mind, are there any heroes in Double Indemnity? If so, who?

 

I do not believe that there are any heroes in Double Indemnity. Multiple characters could be considered heroes, but by the end of the film I had eliminated them all. Once starting the movie, I thought that Phyllis could possibly be the hero of the film, but  later came to the conclusion that she is responsible for actions throughout the movie that make her just as sinful as the other characters. Phyllis, a manipulating woman who is having an affair, commits acts that clearly conclude that she is not a hero.

Walter Neff is a successful insurance salesman who first meets Phyllis when he comes to renew her husband’s automobile insurance. He is not home, but Phyllis, wrapped in only a towel, comes to the top of the stairs. Phyllis was obviously bored with her husband, who lost a lot of money in the oil business. These were just two motives that caused her to come up with the idea of murder. Once meeting and falling in love with Neff, they both agreed that killing her husband and collecting money was a very wise and brilliant idea. Neither one of these characters would have committed this act alone. Being so “in love”, the idea of working together was exciting, with the crime not being the main focus. Money, as well as love, can make people do foolish things, as Double Indemnity displays.

At first seeming to help Phyllis, Neff could be seen as a hero. Once the movie progresses, we begin to see that Neff is anything but a hero, taking part in Phyllis’ affair and aiding in the murder of Mr. Dietrichson for selfish reasons. At the end of the movie, Neff kills Phyllis. Neff then goes and confesses what evil deed he has done to Keyes, his coworker. After confessing, he runs away from his deserved punishment. All of these things are simple evidence that Walter Neff is not a hero.