The Big Sleep Essay
Ellie George
Mr. Press
Mystery Fiction 2
25 March 2013
Phillip Marlowe: A Knight in Tarnished Armor The Big Sleep, an American hard-boiled detective fiction novel by Raymond Chandler may appear to contain only example after example of corruption in America in the 1930s, however it is difficult for the reader to not find the character of Phillip Marlowe refreshing. Philip Marlowe is a private detective with his own practice in Los Angeles. He is an honest detective in a corrupt world, full of integrity, eager to seek the truth and endure the hardships of his job for just twenty-five dollars per day. Though cynical, hardboiled, and a heavy drinker capable of violence, Marlowe is idealistic, perhaps even puritanical in that he restlessly seeks the truth, has moral integrity despite the corrupt world he lives in, and seems to live by a particular brand of honesty and honor. The fact that Marlowe does not work for the law allows him to search for the truth indefinitely. One might even argue that he doesn’t really work for the Sternwoods either, but rather for himself and the satisfaction of solving the mysteries presented to him. Marlowe had previously worked for the district attorney, but was fired due to insubordination. This shows that he truly enjoys discovering things for himself, and one can infer that he was let go from his job because of his undying desire for the whole truth.
“I’m thirty-three years old, went to college once and can still speak English if there’s any demand for it. There isn’t much in my trade.” (Chandler 10)
Already it is clear to the reader that Marlowe did not enter his trade for lack of any other ability. He has been educated and while we do not know whether he completed college or what he studied, we can see that he must have some inner desire to live a less structured lifestyle. Marlowe’s choice of career and lifestyle was certainly not directed by wealth or glory, but fueled instead by a longing to search for the truth,
Mr. Press
Mystery Fiction 2
25 March 2013
Phillip Marlowe: A Knight in Tarnished Armor The Big Sleep, an American hard-boiled detective fiction novel by Raymond Chandler may appear to contain only example after example of corruption in America in the 1930s, however it is difficult for the reader to not find the character of Phillip Marlowe refreshing. Philip Marlowe is a private detective with his own practice in Los Angeles. He is an honest detective in a corrupt world, full of integrity, eager to seek the truth and endure the hardships of his job for just twenty-five dollars per day. Though cynical, hardboiled, and a heavy drinker capable of violence, Marlowe is idealistic, perhaps even puritanical in that he restlessly seeks the truth, has moral integrity despite the corrupt world he lives in, and seems to live by a particular brand of honesty and honor. The fact that Marlowe does not work for the law allows him to search for the truth indefinitely. One might even argue that he doesn’t really work for the Sternwoods either, but rather for himself and the satisfaction of solving the mysteries presented to him. Marlowe had previously worked for the district attorney, but was fired due to insubordination. This shows that he truly enjoys discovering things for himself, and one can infer that he was let go from his job because of his undying desire for the whole truth.
“I’m thirty-three years old, went to college once and can still speak English if there’s any demand for it. There isn’t much in my trade.” (Chandler 10)
Already it is clear to the reader that Marlowe did not enter his trade for lack of any other ability. He has been educated and while we do not know whether he completed college or what he studied, we can see that he must have some inner desire to live a less structured lifestyle. Marlowe’s choice of career and lifestyle was certainly not directed by wealth or glory, but fueled instead by a longing to search for the truth,