The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

Résumé du document

Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep depicts Los Angeles at a time of great unrest. The atmosphere is that of mistrust, deception, selfishness and a slight hint of hedonism amongst some of those who dwell in the city. In stories, or situations taking place in such an environment, we usually find that the protagonist stands above the trend often alone by way of value, a sense of right and wrong as well as the conviction to act on those characteristics. Philip Marlowe, our protagonist, fits this mold. He is countered by the Sternwood sisters, Carmen and Vivian, who give us an example of the deception and selfishness that seems to permeate within the city of Los Angeles. By analyzing the motivation and personalities of Philip Marlowe, Carmen Sternwood and Vivian Sternwood we can put a microscope on the city of Los Angeles in Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep.

Extraits

[...] The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep depicts Los Angeles at a time of great unrest. The atmosphere is that of mistrust, deception, selfishness and a slight hint of hedonism amongst some of those who dwell in the city. In stories, or situations taking place in such an environment, we usually find that the protagonist stands above the trend often alone by way of value, a sense of right and wrong as well as the conviction to act on those characteristics. [...]

[...] He describes the scene of a knight attempting to rescue a woman tied to a tree. Marlowe then thinks to himself, stood there and thought that if I lived in the house, I would sooner or later have to climb up there and help him. He didn't seem to be really trying”. That thought is an odd one and simultaneously a revealing one. He would help just because it is the right thing to do, just because that is Philip Marlowe and for no other reason than that. [...]

[...] Vivian is also an alcoholic and a gambler however she is more calculating and thoughtful in her actions. They do not seem to be restrained by morals or the welfare of those around them. Carmen seems to be motivated by selfishness as well as her abuse of alcohol and drugs, she is also somewhat psychotic. For these reasons her motivation is not necessarily due to any real logic. Carmen and Vivian are the perfect example of the kind of people you would expect to find in the Los Angeles depicted by Raymond Chandler. [...]

[...] Vivian has a more direct conniving personality. She is more so the architect of the deception presented throughout the novel. Vivian plays the role of responsible sister in some ways by cleaning up after Carmen. She pays to attempt to retrieve the photographs, she hires the man who hides the body of her late husband Rusty Regan and creates the story of him running away with his wife. Carmen is the one who acts; this is convenient since she is so impulsive and somewhat psychotic. [...]

[...] The two sisters are two “players” in Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles. They are intertwined in the world of racketeering through their association with Arthur Gwynn Geiger. They are involved with common criminals such as Eddie Mars and they use the resources that their privileged life has provided for them in order to do whatever they wish. They represent the darkness, deceptive nature found in Los Angeles. The motivation and personalities of the characters is our window into the details of how Los Angeles was, or at least how Raymond Chandler would like the reader to view it. [...]