The Big Sleep Analysis
The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler, was written in 1939. It is a story about a private detective in Los Angeles who takes a case about blackmail, but the case would soon develop into a big ordeal with murder, corruption, and kidnapping. The first two paragraphs of the story provide a great introduction to Marlowe, the private investigator, and great information about him. The first two paragraphs also give a lot of information the reader can use to better understand the plot later in the story. The first two paragraphs of The Big Sleep will provide reoccurring motifs throughout the book such as the glass paneling, the weather, and the picture of a great detective.
The image of the knight plays a major role throughout the story. Marlowe enters …show more content…
Chandler writes, “I was wearing my powder-blue suit, with dark blue shirt, tie and display handkerchief, black brogues, black wool socks with dark blue clocks on them. I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn’t care who knew it.” Marlowe dresses up in nice clean clothes everywhere he goes to show people that he means business and always completes the job. Chandler says that Marlowe does not care if anyone knew he was clean and dressed properly. The author writes, “I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on four million dollars.” These two lines make it seem like this was Marlowe’s first job as a private investigator, and he was dressing nicely because he was about to take a case from a rich client. Chandler never says that this was Marlowe’s first of biggest job. A private investigator usually tries to solve a case by working alone, but sometimes they have to work with others. Throughout the book Marlowe never investigates by himself, and is usually surrounded by other characters. The motifs that Chandler wrote in the first two paragraphs of The Big Sleep would generate interesting information about Marlowe and the plot throughout the story. They would give the readers something to think about as they read the book. The image of the knight and the image of a great private investigator would give the readers critical information about Marlowe and his actions. The weather will foreshadow most of the events in the plot and can hint the reader about the next
The image of the knight plays a major role throughout the story. Marlowe enters …show more content…
Chandler writes, “I was wearing my powder-blue suit, with dark blue shirt, tie and display handkerchief, black brogues, black wool socks with dark blue clocks on them. I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn’t care who knew it.” Marlowe dresses up in nice clean clothes everywhere he goes to show people that he means business and always completes the job. Chandler says that Marlowe does not care if anyone knew he was clean and dressed properly. The author writes, “I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on four million dollars.” These two lines make it seem like this was Marlowe’s first job as a private investigator, and he was dressing nicely because he was about to take a case from a rich client. Chandler never says that this was Marlowe’s first of biggest job. A private investigator usually tries to solve a case by working alone, but sometimes they have to work with others. Throughout the book Marlowe never investigates by himself, and is usually surrounded by other characters. The motifs that Chandler wrote in the first two paragraphs of The Big Sleep would generate interesting information about Marlowe and the plot throughout the story. They would give the readers something to think about as they read the book. The image of the knight and the image of a great private investigator would give the readers critical information about Marlowe and his actions. The weather will foreshadow most of the events in the plot and can hint the reader about the next