Of course, the censors had to have them hurriedly get married but I thought Frank and Cora weren't on speaking terms, or any other terms (he calls her "Mrs. Smith" and she says, "That expresses it perfectly") after the trial when the lawyers manipulated them. She was angry at Frank for thinking he betrayed her with another woman and with the confession, so, were they still sleeping together then? What is the book's version?
shareI think by that point, Frank and Cora had a love/hate relationship.
The film should have been a bit longer and focused a little more on that.
It has been a while since I read it, but I am 99% sure that they get married in the book too. Certainly I am 100% certain that Cora is pregnant in the book. I think you are missing the whole point of the story. If Frank didn't love Cora, its just a brutal story. It is because he does love her that his redemption and his doom are all mixed up together.
shareThis confused me too, because all of a sudden in their conversation he says something to her like "was it because of the baby". They should have gone into more detail in the movie with that.
shareI think the others responding missed the point of your question.
You can actually download a free text version of the book here: http://www.truly-free.org/, which is an awesome resource!
According to the book, Cora says she suspected that she was pregnant (as in the movie) before she went to her mother's. Unlike the movie, they didn't marry until after she returned from there. So that pretty much seals it, she was definitely pregnant before they married.
As for sleeping together, they were also very much in a sexual relationship from the first kiss onward. She even went so far as to tell him to bite her lip during that kiss, which even today is a bit hot, and he carried her right upstairs. She could very well have gotten pregnant the night of the first kiss.
Hopefully that helps answer your question. It's a great book really and doesn't take long to read.
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Definitely! It's a fun and quick read. Let me know what you think.
shareGlad to see discussion of the book on this board! As I grow older, James M. Cain is becoming my favorite author because of his forthrightness in treating sexual themes. If you want to be blown away, read Serenade (I haven't seen the movie yet, but trust me, it HAS to be sanitized from the book. They absolutely would have been shut down for making this plot in the forties!) Even today, it's a rugged story, and I kept checking the publication date: How did this get published in 1937?
The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity are great, fun, quick reads. Please do read at least one of them and report back on how you liked it!