Dying to Kill, Killing for Love

     Have you ever loved someone so much, you would die for them? How about this, have you ever loved someone so much you would kill for them? Well in Double Indemnity, the power of love, or maybe more like, the power of lust takes a step into a whole other level when Mr. Huff and Mrs. Nirdlinger form a deadly relationship. A chance encounter of two strangers, becomes a cobweb full of lies, betrayal, seduction, and finally, murder, when the two decide to end the life of Mr. Nirdlinger. But where will such a heinous crime leave Phyllis Nirdlinger and Walter Huff? Will they be able to carry on with their perverted relationship after the deed is done and truly love one another? Or will they turn against each other, only to fend for themselves after being accomplices in this tragic crime?   
     When Walter Huff and Phyllis Nirdlinger met, they were simply discussing insurance. By the end of that first encounter, they had formed a connection that they both knew was forbidden. By the second encounter, Phyllis had managed to get Walter, to help her plot the "accidental" murder of her husband Mr. Nirdlinger. "Phyllis, you seem to think that because I can call it on you, you're not going to do it. You Are going to do it, and I'm going to help you." (Double Indemnity by James M. Cain pg.17) He was willing to put it all on the line for her, almost like he was trying to prove himself to her, how "potent" he was. Of course he could possibly have a hidden agenda himself, but he made it seem to Phyllis, that he wanted to help her, for her own "benefit." In the time before the murder occurred, Phyllis and Walter were very passionate towards one another, always anticipating their next encounter. Well once they had gone through with their plan of murdering Mr. Nirdlinger, they became distant from one another. Could it have been due to outside obligation or personal choice? Walter on one hand, became very nervous and maybe overly cautious, trying to keep his distance from Phyllis (being that she is going to be kept on a short leash by Keyes), while Phyllis wanted to keep on with her life and relationship with Walter. She seemed to notice or imagine that Walter was acting different. She even asked Walter if he still loved her, he said yes, but really was this ever real love? "I love her like a rabbit loves a rattlesnake." (Double Indemnity by James M. Cain pg.70) What one could decipher from that quote from the book, is that the love he felt for her was not authentic, more a fear for her venomous character, perhaps respect for her due to the things he knew she was capable of. This was a new feeling towards her that came over him. In reality they are both shady people that embarked on a deadly journey together, not knowing that after all was said and done, they would face certain consequences within themselves, if not with authorities at first.

     When we begin a relationship with someone, it shouldn't be for all the wrong reasons, if that's the case the relationship is more than likely doomed to failure. Mr. Huff and Mrs. Nirdlinger, started off on the wrong foot, they were starting a relationship on damaging motives, far from what a normal couple would. A vicious crime that was being schemed up brought together and entangled the very different lives of two people, only to complicate their very existence. Rather than bringing them together in love and excitement, that "love" that they had felt at one desperate moment, quickly appears to be fading.