Motivations of Marlowe in the Big Sleep (1 Viewer)

[Gerald10]

Pretty simple really, I've got an assesment on 'the motivations and responses' of Marlowe in regard to his role in the Big Sleep while we are also asked to explore conventions within this framework.

My list of his motivations at the moment is:

- His own distinctive moral code
- Investigation driven by characters rather than clues
- 'too many people told me to stop'

I feel I've got conventions down pat and his responses are also not too complex. But if anyone could add to my list ASAP it would be much appreciated.

 

[chewy123]

Romance and sex?
After all, Vivian is substantially hot.

You should also consider how this hybrid of romance and crime genre help subvert the conventions and expectations of readers, and ultimately, its effect.

 

[TDjie]

I think alot of it surrounds that idea of his personal moral code that you mention, and this very much sticks within the conventions set by past crime fiction novels. You have probably expanded on this but I do believe that he has a drive for discovery in reference to the "too many people told me to stop" quote. It begins with a simple issue involving General Sternwood but continues getting deeper and more twisted, and that for a person like Marlowe who represents the greater good in a world webbed with criminals, is intriguing. He is very much the knight in shining armor and I think that the film techniques as well as dialogue in the movie make this more potent - the fact he doesn't easily trust people, he sees everyone as potentially doing bad, and he knows how criminals work (represented well in the scene at Geigers house where the two thugs are outside in the car waiting to cause trouble, "Oh.. so it's like that eh?"). He also understands how women work - in the context of the film they have been described as "spider women, out to get what they want may it be money or men with money", and he isn't blind to Vivian's deceptions either.