Blog Post #8: Double Indemnity
4. In your mind, are there any heroes in Double Indemnity? If so, who?
The only hero in Double Indemnity is the supporting character, the smart and witty insurance broker Keyes. Walter Neff is most definitely not a hero in this movie. On a superficial level, he is smart and suave with women ("That's a honey of an anklet you're wearing, Mrs. Dietrichson" ;) ); but later, he becomes susceptible to persuasion and he becomes mercurial when faced with danger. Essentially, he is Macbeth, who relies on another person for guidance and support until he decides to do something rash and bold, like bail out on the original plan and kill Phyllis to save himself. He is the opposite of virtuous because he does not think to plead guilty; instead he wants to tie up all loose ends and escape. The director also made sure to use the Venetian-blind prison bar illusion technique on him, insinuating that he should not be idolized.
If Walter is Macbeth, Keyes resembles Malcolm and Macduff. He is the only one who retains his good character and he has no facade to hide his true self. He is honest and blunt and he represents the ethical and virtuous. He uses the law as guidelines and there are no instances of him straying from his moral code, even when he finds out that Walter is the man behind the murder and scheming. He always operates on a level head because he is so knowledgeable in his field and he has a sharp mind that can see the murder of Mr. Dietrichson for what it really is. Also, he is never near any windows, so the audience knows he can be considered a trustworthy character.
Awesome post!! You mentioned so many things I hadn't even thought of. Your connection to Macbeth is great! Keyes is definitely a hero of the film and your depiction of him as Malcolm and Macduff is fabulous. I think Walter is a great fit for Macbeth, as well. I had also never realized that Keyes being away from windows showed that he was trustworthy, so that was a really good observation. You did a really good job!!
ReplyDeleteThe connection the Macbeth was most interesting. I didn't notice Keyes and the windows but I did notice that he tends to be oddly shadowed. Could it be that those Shadows represent Neff's fear/distrust of Keyes later on? It would certainly strengthen his connection to Macduff.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that Keyes is the only heroic character in Double Indemnity. Like you said, Walter is a protagonist, but not a hero, just like Macbeth. Malcom and Macduff could be, like Keyes, their characters just aren't as glamorous as those of their respective protagonists.
ReplyDeleteI really really liked the language you used when you were writing. I also liked how you made a connection to the Venetian blinds! We actually talked about that concept in film and how it was supposed to mimic that so that was really cool. But there is one thing that I thought about when you were making that connection between Neff and Macbeth. When we were first reading Macbeth Mrs. Genesky said that Macbeth was a tragic hero. If he is, would you consider Neff to be one too?
ReplyDelete