The Big Sleep is a novel which tells the story of a detective named Philip Marlowe. He is depicted as being true and honest, especially in the corrupt society of Los Angeles that the novel is set in. His integrity and morality allows him to be a man who is willing to fight to find the truth of the mystery at hand. Because the novel is set during the Great Depression, he works for twenty five dollars a day. The novel touches on Marlowe’s innocence in a way because he is unmarried. In order to understand him, the reader must think of him as a sort of modern day knight in shining armor.
Throughout his line of work, Marlowe is a witnesses to crime, death, murder and sex each and every day. These elements become part of his normal existence. Readers come to the conclusion that Marlowe is the only character in the novel to remain honorable in the world. The novel begins with Marlowe looking at a stained glass window in Sternwood’s mansion. The stained glass window shows a knight attempting to rescue a ‘damsel in distress’ from the tree to which she is tied. The woman is described in Marlowe’s usual sardonic tone as being naked but having ‘some very long convenient hair.’
The most critical detail of this paragraph is that Marlowe’s examination of the knight gives the hint to readers that he has not yet achieved the accomplishment of solving the main mystery of the novel. This depiction of failure from the knight causes Marlowe to think about what he would do if he lived in the Sternwood mansion. Sooner or later, he would have to have to go into the stained glass window himself and help the knight. According to Marlowe, the knight does not seem to be trying very hard to rescue the maiden. Marlowe’s thoughts are significant for two reasons. One, the scene where Marlowe ‘rescues’ Carmen when she is found naked is foreshadowed. Two, his thoughts make the readers perceive that Marlowe will do everything in his power to completely commit to the tasks he is required to take on. Marlowe does not only complete jobs for the restricted pay. He completes jobs because he feels it is what is necessary for him to do.
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Marlowe also lives a significantly poor life. He is paid only twenty five dollars plus expenses a day. Nevertheless, he essentially seems to have a drive for discovering the truth in matters that require it, such as the matter of solving Geiger’s murder case. It is also significant to point out that Marlowe looks to uncover the truth alone. He does not work directly for the law. He works for himself. He is not a “police officer” but he is a private detective.
Similarly to Marlowe, Carmen is not what she seems. She seems to be, as her father puts it, a “young, childish girl who likes to pull the wings off flies.’ Her ‘flies,’ though turn out to be much bigger than her father envisioned. Carmen is responsible for the murder of Rusty Regan, one of the characters Marlowe has been searching for throughout the book. Carmen is majorly important to the story because she shows a deep-rooted “other side“ of herself to Marlowe that can be seen throughout the novel.
Looking at Carmen through a feminist lens, readers may be able to see Carmen as someone that is depicted in a “not so feminist manner.” She is ignorant and passionate. She is coddled just like Vivian, her older sister. Carmen is an attractive and playful girl with murder in her heart. More importantly, she is what society would consider to be mentally unstable. How women are portrayed in The Big Sleep is a topic that can be explored further, especially when it comes to the character Vivian Sternwood.
