Unconventional Conventional Women: The Big Sleep
Writing 39B
January 20, 2013
Unconventional Conventional Women: Chandler’s Femme Fatales
The Sternwood sisters, Vivian and Carmen, depict themselves as being the ultimate femme fatales in Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep. A femme fatale is an attractive and seductive woman, especially one who will ultimately bring disaster to a man who becomes romantically involved with her (“TV Tropes Femme Fatale”). While both women possess the attractive and seductive characteristics, they fail to become involved with Marlowe to further bring the detective to a downfall. Carmen portrays herself as being promiscuous and immature while Vivian is more mysterious and smart. They both are physically attracted to Marlowe and attempt to get him into bed but the detective refuses to sleep with either of the two women sensing that they are nothing …show more content…
but trouble.
Femme Fatale is a French term that translates to deadly woman in English. (“Femme Fatale Wikipedia”). Any man could be killed if they were to fall under either Vivian or Carmen’s trap. Luckily Detective Marlowe is not easily swayed and outsmarts the two sisters; after all he is a wise detective. Following requesting to be seen, Detective Marlowe walks into Vivian’s room only to find her lying seductively on a couch with her legs revealed. During their conversation, Marlowe proceeds to say, “I don’t mind your showing me your legs. They’re very swell legs and it’s a pleasure to make their acquaintance” (Chandler 7). Based upon Vivian Sternwood and Detective Marlowe’s first encounter, readers are led to believe that these two will become involved in an intricate affair.
After Detective Marlowe finds Carmen Sternwood naked and drugged in a room after a crime is committed, Carmen is not even traumatized and proceeds in trying to sleep with Marlowe. On a more serious and professional note, Marlowe has to slap Carmen several times in order to get her into her right senses then takes her home (Chandler 14-15). Any other man who finds a naked attractive girl in need who forces herself on him may have given in. Carmen has childlike ways throughout the novel, but knows exactly what she is doing. Both sisters know more than they appear to and are able to hide secrets very well.
Detective Marlowe gives the Sternwood sisters a challenge, as he becomes the only man in town that they cannot have even after making several attempts to seduce him.
Any other man would have given in to the seduction. Chandler gives Vivian and Carmen Sternwood every quality they need to fit the traditional femme fatale role: seductive, dangerous, and often morally ambiguous. The sisters overthrow this femme fatale convention because they are never able to persuade the man they are after in this case Marlowe, to give in to their deceptive ways.
The Big Sleep is a representation of how times were during the Great Depression in the 1930’s (“The Big Sleep” Wikipedia). Money was the motive for many of the events that took place and the more money a character had the more they were respected and able to get away with murder, literally. Regarding gender in this corrupt society, men were able to use their wealth and power and women their good looks and body as a means to rise up in society. Everything and everyone was corrupt and the only way out of this cold world was to die and sleep eternally as the title of the book The Big Sleep
implies.
Works Cited
Chandler, Raymond. "Chapter Three, Page 7." The Big Sleep. New York: Vintage, 1992. Print.
Chandler, Raymond. "Chapter Twelve, Pages 14-15." The Big Sleep. New York: Vintage, 1992. Print.
"Femme Fatale." RSS. TV Tropes, Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
"Femme Fatale." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
"The Big Sleep." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
January 20, 2013
Unconventional Conventional Women: Chandler’s Femme Fatales
The Sternwood sisters, Vivian and Carmen, depict themselves as being the ultimate femme fatales in Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep. A femme fatale is an attractive and seductive woman, especially one who will ultimately bring disaster to a man who becomes romantically involved with her (“TV Tropes Femme Fatale”). While both women possess the attractive and seductive characteristics, they fail to become involved with Marlowe to further bring the detective to a downfall. Carmen portrays herself as being promiscuous and immature while Vivian is more mysterious and smart. They both are physically attracted to Marlowe and attempt to get him into bed but the detective refuses to sleep with either of the two women sensing that they are nothing …show more content…
but trouble.
Femme Fatale is a French term that translates to deadly woman in English. (“Femme Fatale Wikipedia”). Any man could be killed if they were to fall under either Vivian or Carmen’s trap. Luckily Detective Marlowe is not easily swayed and outsmarts the two sisters; after all he is a wise detective. Following requesting to be seen, Detective Marlowe walks into Vivian’s room only to find her lying seductively on a couch with her legs revealed. During their conversation, Marlowe proceeds to say, “I don’t mind your showing me your legs. They’re very swell legs and it’s a pleasure to make their acquaintance” (Chandler 7). Based upon Vivian Sternwood and Detective Marlowe’s first encounter, readers are led to believe that these two will become involved in an intricate affair.
After Detective Marlowe finds Carmen Sternwood naked and drugged in a room after a crime is committed, Carmen is not even traumatized and proceeds in trying to sleep with Marlowe. On a more serious and professional note, Marlowe has to slap Carmen several times in order to get her into her right senses then takes her home (Chandler 14-15). Any other man who finds a naked attractive girl in need who forces herself on him may have given in. Carmen has childlike ways throughout the novel, but knows exactly what she is doing. Both sisters know more than they appear to and are able to hide secrets very well.
Detective Marlowe gives the Sternwood sisters a challenge, as he becomes the only man in town that they cannot have even after making several attempts to seduce him.
Any other man would have given in to the seduction. Chandler gives Vivian and Carmen Sternwood every quality they need to fit the traditional femme fatale role: seductive, dangerous, and often morally ambiguous. The sisters overthrow this femme fatale convention because they are never able to persuade the man they are after in this case Marlowe, to give in to their deceptive ways.
The Big Sleep is a representation of how times were during the Great Depression in the 1930’s (“The Big Sleep” Wikipedia). Money was the motive for many of the events that took place and the more money a character had the more they were respected and able to get away with murder, literally. Regarding gender in this corrupt society, men were able to use their wealth and power and women their good looks and body as a means to rise up in society. Everything and everyone was corrupt and the only way out of this cold world was to die and sleep eternally as the title of the book The Big Sleep
implies.
Works Cited
Chandler, Raymond. "Chapter Three, Page 7." The Big Sleep. New York: Vintage, 1992. Print.
Chandler, Raymond. "Chapter Twelve, Pages 14-15." The Big Sleep. New York: Vintage, 1992. Print.
"Femme Fatale." RSS. TV Tropes, Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
"Femme Fatale." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
"The Big Sleep." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Web. 21 Jan. 2013.