So the end was approaching and it's now arrived. The end of Double Indemnity was very surprising to me. Even more so surprising, the outcome of the ill-fated relationship between Walter Huff and Phyllis Nirdlinger, oh and we can't forget Lola and Sachetti, they definitely played an important role in this whole mess that unfolded right before out eyes. Throughout the book, we've all had so many mixed emotions about the situations that have unravelled and the ending didn't fail to stun me just as much.
After plotting against Mr. Nirdlinger together with Phyllis, Walter now wanted to get her out of his way so he could move on with his life, alongside Lola. Silly of him to think that Phyllis wouldn't also want him out of her way. So after Walter is shot by Phyllis and ends up in the hospital, he spills the whole story to Keyes. He's hoping that by doing this, Lola wouldn't get mixed up in any of it, since she and Sachetti were found at the scene of the crime. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, Keyes had decided to "help" Walter. "Now get this. There'll be a reservation for you, under a name I'll give you, on a steamer leaving San Pedro Thursday night for Balboa and points south. You take that steamer." (Pg.109) Now what is actually more uncanny, is that Phyllis is on that steamer with Walter, to his possible dismay. Now how can this be justified? There they are, these two cold blooded murderers, and it seems as though they've got off scotch free, or have they? When it comes to Phyllis, this is the story of her life, she sees no value in life, so she feels no guilt, because according to her, she was doing her husband a favor. She has a twisted mind and she recognizes that and doesn't seem to think it's a problem. "But there's something in me that loves Death. I think of myself as Death, sometimes." (Pg.18)On the other hand, Walter feels very guilty, he killed the father of the woman he loves, which was now Lola. He wasn't at peace within himself, it was eating away at him. I was rooting for Walter, I wanted him and Lola to go off together and live happily ever after. They truly seemed to have a healthy relationship based on "real love", not the lust that brought together Phyllis and Walter. Not as far as Lola was concerned, apparently she still loved Sachetti. Now that may be unjust of me to say, after all he was a killer, but to each his own. When it comes to Phyllis, she should have been detained by authorities and held responsible for all the "accidental" murders she had committed. She is heartless and deserves to suffer like she made so many suffer. What happened at the end with Phyllis and Walter, was not quite satisfying to me, although don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed every minute of it. I mean, with characters like them, we never get what we are expecting. Even if the reader comes away from the book thinking justice wasn't served, Walter and Phyllis will have to endure a life sentence, perhaps not in a jail cell, but within their own souls.
Whether we agree or disagree with the consequences that Walter and Phyllis did or did not have to face, we can all probably agree that this book was far greater than what we had bargained for. It captivates the reader from beginning to end, and leaves you wanting more. Too bad, all things must come to an end, and each reader can walk away having interpreted the end as sweet, or bittersweet......
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