Mildred Pierce

At first glance, this didn’t really seem hardboiled. For one, it just seemed like the daily life of a separated wife during the Great Depression. But as I really looked at it, it dawned on me. This book starts out with a separation, which is pretty hardboiled. Although it gets slightly less hardboiled with the introduction of the pies. However, the greatest hardboiled part of the book, goes to the character of Veda. I would classify her as one of our femme fatales. She is cunning, and very manipulative, something we see with all of our femme fatales. The way she treats her mother, and her lack of emotion when her father leaves, is very dark. In addition her behavior and thought change rapidly as soon as money or luxury is introduced as a topic. I find it even more hardboiled that this behavior takes place in a young girl, who is also a daughter.