kay now on to the second plotline Marlowe's job is technically done now He has exposed the blackmailers and the case should be closed But Marlowe decides against his better judgment to find the truth behind Regan's disappearance No one wants to help Marlowe least of all Vivian who owes gambling debts to Eddie Mars who also happens to be Mona's husband as in the gal who supposedly ran off with Regan Talk about a love triangle� or quadrangle� Enter Harry Jones He has a scoop on Mona's whereabouts but before Marlowe is able to get the necessary information Harry is poisoned by Canino Mars' righthand man Marlowe somehow manages to track down Mona and a few fist fights and gunshots later Marlowe has ed Canino and escaped with Mona The next day Marlowe pays a visit to the General and runs into Carmen who wants Marlowe to teach her how to shoot a gun And then� bang bang bang bang bang Carmen fires five shots straight at Marlowe� But having already suspected Carmen of foul play Marlowe had loaded the gun with blanks Phew close call Marlowe figures out that Carmen is the one who murdered Rusty because he like Marlowe had also rejected her ually When Marlowe confronts Vivian she confesses that Rusty is buried under an oil sump and that she had paid Mars to help her bury the body At the end of the novel Marlowe contemplates �the big sleep�and concludes that is the only escape from the nastiness and depravity of life It's eleven o'clock on a cloudy October morning Weather forecast rain plenty of it Detective Philip Marlowe enters the Sternwood mansion in Los Angeles dressed in his best suit He's calling on one of the wealthiest men in the city after all
It was clean he horizon and folks weren't really in the mood for shinny happy people tying shiny happy crimes up in red bows So�The Big Sleep jampacked with corrupt policemen doublecrossing women shady blackmailers and gunmen for hire gives us a different take on the truth Chandler's bleak account of corrupt American society became the perfect subject matter for s and s Hollywood movie directors who created a new cinematic style known as�film noir�literally black film Film noir is best known for its grim plotlines dark lighting tough guys and femme fatales Chandler's novel�The Big Sleep�is actually more wellknown as the� film noir�starring none other than�Humphrey Bogart�we like to call him Bogie in the role of Marlowe Bogie is of course the quintessential tough guy with a shell hiding a soft heart And even though he gets battered and bruised by life's brutality he always stands up for what's right And that puts him high on our list of good guys So if we ever get the chance to live a day in Bogie's� err we mean� Marlowe's shoes we'd sign right up and bring a bulletproof vest � WHY SHOULD I CARE Okay so now that we've convinced you that Marlowe is just as awesome as Sherlock and Columbo we're going to let you in on something that might even earn Mr Marlowe the title of Best Detective of All Time We're all familiar with the traditional knight in shining armor storyline right A knight is supposed to be courageous and bold Virtuous and honorable Always on the lookout for a new adventure And always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in distress Usually damsels Old news right How about if we told you that Marlowe thinks of himself as a modernday knight That's right a toughguy detective crossed with a dragonslaying knight makes for a pretty rad combo in our book What makes Marlowe a modernday knight is the fact that he follows what's usually called a code of chivalry Chivalry can include things like bravery honor courtesy and heroism All right so maybe Marlowe isn't off slaying firebreathing dragons but he does have to dodge bullets and rescue women He's also willing to risk his own life in order to best serve the interests of his client Sure his code might not look all that noble to us but in the Chandler's corrupt vision of America it's a marvel this guy holds to a code at all Most importantly Marlowe is always dedicated to his quest for the truth No matter what obstacles stand in his way whether it's the ual temptation of a beautiful blonde or the threat of from a revolver Marlowe is unflinching in his commitment to the truth And this is what makes his character still so relevant to our own lives We may not have to face dragons or bullets on a daily basis but ships can take many other forms And Marlowe's strong sense of right and wrong in the face of all challenges speaks to our own efforts to lead an upright life How It All Goes Down
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Keep a civil tongue.