Real Crimes In Chandler's The Big Sleep

Starting out with a mere case about a blackmail situation, Marlowe, the detective, ends up solving a bigger case about the death of Rusty Regan and learns the deeper and scarier truth about human nature and desires. Chandler’s The Big Sleep portrays ambitious characters committing real crimes that are mentioned in the article “The Simple Art of Murder”. According to Chandler, good detective fiction comprises of real life situations. Chandler tried to fabricate a realistic situation so that the novel is more applicable [to its time] by using his experiences and knowledge about the world in the 1930s. General Sternwood hires Marlowe to investigate a case about the blackmails he has been receiving from unknown, yet threatening strangers. Throughout
Marlowe says, “Well, you fooled him, Harry, you lied to him and you drank your cyanide like a little gentleman. You died like a poisoned rat, Harry, but you’re no rat to me” (178). Canino threatens Harry to tell him Agnes’s location; however, he deceives him and tries to get away with it by telling him a false address. Marlowe implies that Harry is willing to take risks and protect Agnes, his partner in crime, from danger. Although he dies like a rat by drinking cyanide, Marlowe sees him as an unselfish gentleman who protects his partner. Harry’s considerate thoughts of not betraying Agnes allow readers to have sympathy and to connect to the story
Every criminal has his own story. Characters commit crimes or sacrifice themselves to help the ones they love. Also, Chandler demonstrates that being a bystander is a crime. Characters may also be blinded by money which causes them to ignore justice. The novel portrayed the corruptions in a society that are caused by people who are blinded by greed. By creating realistic characters, the novel becomes more applicable to readers of its time because they will be able to understand the plot and have a deeper connection to the world, allowing them to think about the real