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LastName 1 Student LastName ENG 102 Prof. Bolton Due Date Philip Marlowe: A Knight in the City Set in Los Angeles in the 1930s, Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep chronicles the life of Philip Marlowe, a private detective, as he tries to solve the mystery he has stumbled into. Marlowe is hired by General Sternwood to locate and handle the man who is blackmailing the Sternwood family; however, the mystery turns out to be more complicated, with multiple crimes (and criminals). The Sternwood daughters, Carmen and Vivian, both lead lives unknown to their father, lives that involve shady characters and confusing situations. Marlowe tracks down the blackmailer, Geiger, but learns information that leads him to additional crimes and criminals. According to Edward Margolies, “While trying to [expose an unknown blackmailer], Marlowe discovers venality, guilt, and shame wherever he turns” (42). Los Angeles, home to the characters in the novel, is a busy city whose residents have, unfortunately, turned to crime to survive. Though the novel appears to be a typical detective story, Chandler has purposely set The Big Sleep in the time period immediately after the Great Depression in order to accurately portray the increasing corruption during that time. According to “Organized Crime,” when Mussolini cracked down on the mafia in Italy, many mafia members were forced to flee the country, and a good number ended up in the United States (331). Furthermore, in the early 1930s, the homicide rate “reached a high point for the entire century” (Phillips-Fein 217). Most believe the increased crime rate was a consequence of prohibition (Phillips-Fein 217). In the United States, crime was rampant during the 1930s, and Chandler’s novel reveals that nobody Comment [A1]: The heading includes all the required information for MLA format (student’s name, class information, professor’s name, and due date of essay). Notice also that the page numbers are the same font as the rest of the essay. The entire document is double-spaced, with no extra spacing between paragraphs, and the title is centered with proper capitalization. Comment [BA2]: The title is original and interesting! Comment [A3]: Notice that the first few sentences here offer a brief plot summary with a mention of the time period (the 1930s). More plot points will come later, but this gives the reader an idea of some relevant events that will be discussed. Comment [A4]: The quote is properly introduced (highlighted in blue here), correctly citedplaced in quotation marks, with the page number in parentheses at the endand effectively discussed (highlighted in yellow). Notice how the discussion of the quote summarizes what was cited and indicates why it is relevant. Comment [A5]: This clearly states the connection from the time period to the literature. Comment [A6]: Since this is a paraphrase, no quotation marks are needed, but a parenthetical citation is still required. Here, the author’s name is included because the information wasn’t introduced with the author. Comment [A7]: In addition to the plot summary, necessary historical information is also included in the introduction.

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Page 1: 102   sample essay historical studies big sleep

LastName 1

Student LastName

ENG 102

Prof. Bolton

Due Date

Philip Marlowe: A Knight in the City

Set in Los Angeles in the 1930s, Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep chronicles the life

of Philip Marlowe, a private detective, as he tries to solve the mystery he has stumbled into.

Marlowe is hired by General Sternwood to locate and handle the man who is blackmailing the

Sternwood family; however, the mystery turns out to be more complicated, with multiple crimes

(and criminals). The Sternwood daughters, Carmen and Vivian, both lead lives unknown to their

father, lives that involve shady characters and confusing situations. Marlowe tracks down the

blackmailer, Geiger, but learns information that leads him to additional crimes and criminals.

According to Edward Margolies, “While trying to [expose an unknown blackmailer], Marlowe

discovers venality, guilt, and shame wherever he turns” (42). Los Angeles, home to the

characters in the novel, is a busy city whose residents have, unfortunately, turned to crime to

survive. Though the novel appears to be a typical detective story, Chandler has purposely set

The Big Sleep in the time period immediately after the Great Depression in order to accurately

portray the increasing corruption during that time. According to “Organized Crime,” when

Mussolini cracked down on the mafia in Italy, many mafia members were forced to flee the

country, and a good number ended up in the United States (331). Furthermore, in the early

1930s, the homicide rate “reached a high point for the entire century” (Phillips-Fein 217). Most

believe the increased crime rate was a consequence of prohibition (Phillips-Fein 217). In the

United States, crime was rampant during the 1930s, and Chandler’s novel reveals that nobody

Comment [A1]: The heading

includes all the required information

for MLA format (student’s name,

class information, professor’s name, and due date of essay). Notice also

that the page numbers are the same

font as the rest of the essay. The entire document is double-spaced,

with no extra spacing between

paragraphs, and the title is centered

with proper capitalization.

Comment [BA2]: The title is

original and interesting!

Comment [A3]: Notice that the first few sentences here offer a brief

plot summary with a mention of the

time period (the 1930s). More plot points will come later, but this gives

the reader an idea of some relevant

events that will be discussed.

Comment [A4]: The quote is properly introduced (highlighted in

blue here), correctly cited—placed in

quotation marks, with the page number in parentheses at the end—

and effectively discussed (highlighted

in yellow). Notice how the discussion of the quote summarizes what was

cited and indicates why it is relevant.

Comment [A5]: This clearly states

the connection from the time period to the literature.

Comment [A6]: Since this is a

paraphrase, no quotation marks are needed, but a parenthetical citation is

still required. Here, the author’s name

is included because the information wasn’t introduced with the author.

Comment [A7]: In addition to the

plot summary, necessary historical

information is also included in the introduction.

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LastName 2

was exempt from corruption at the time. In Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep, the knight, the

orchids, and the weather all symbolize the corruption that prevailed in the United States during

the 1930s.

Throughout the novel, knights are a subtle part of Marlowe’s thoughts and interactions

and are used to symbolize his “goodness” in a world full of corruption. In the beginning of the

book, when he arrives at the Sternwood house to meet his future employer, he notices a stained-

glass panel featuring “a knight in dark armor rescuing a lady who was tied to a tree and didn’t’

have any clothes on but some very long and convenient hair. The knight had pushed the visor of

his helmet back to be sociable, and he was fiddling with the knots on the ropes that tied the lady

to the tree and not getting anywhere” (3). Marlowe decides that if he lived there, he would

eventually have to “climb up there and help him. He didn’t really seem to be trying” (4).

Immediately, Marlowe sets himself apart from the rest of society as he suggests he would help

rescue the lady when nobody else—not even the knight—would. Marlowe, as we later learn, is

arguable the only honorable character in the novel, a “knight errant in a nonchivalric world”

(Margolies 42). The stained-glass panel represents this characterization and foreshadows the

instance later in the novel when Marlowe, our knight, must “rescue” a naked Carmen Sternwood

from Geiger’s house. As corruption persists around him, Marlowe’s chivalry is surprising,

which demonstrates how persistent the crime was during the time—in a setting with multiple

characters, we can only see one, Marlowe, who is uninvolved in crime.

The knight image arises again later, when Marlowe returns home to find Carmen

undressed in his bed. As he enters his bedroom, he absentmindedly moves a piece on his

chessboard: the knight. He has a conversation with Carmen in which she repeatedly calls him

“cute” and insists that he join her in bed (155). After he turns her down (like the knight he is), he

Comment [A8]: This thesis

statement is effective because it

Restates the author and title of the

work

Offers three reasons (the

symbols—note that you are not required to include literary elements

in your reading; sometimes you

might just want to discuss a character or a work’s theme in

general)

Emphasizes what is revealed about

the time period (the corruption/crime that prevailed)

Comment [A9]: This is an

effective topic sentence because it

restates the symbol of the knight (which was listed first in the thesis)

and it also states what the knight

symbolizes

Comment [A10]: Here, the

symbolism is explained in more detail

using the lines that were just cited.

Comment [A11]: Here is a quote

that is not about the historical time

period, but about the character; the writer makes the connection to the

time period.

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looks again at his chessboard and realizes, “The move with the knight was wrong… Knights had

no meaning in this game. It wasn’t a game for knights” (156). To Marlowe, the chessboard is

the world, and he is the knight; just as chess is not a game for a night, the world is not a place for

him. Around him, corruption prevails, as it did in reality during the time. For example, the

kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby in 1932 was “one of the most famous cases of the twentieth

century” (“Lindbergh” 261). Additional notorious criminals of the time included Bonnie and

Clyde, who performed a string of bank robberies, and Al Capone, who was responsible for

operating gangs and gang murders (Phillips-Fein 218-219). In the novel, as Marlowe is the only

one who makes respectable moral and ethical decisions, the rest of society appears even more

fraudulent. According to John Irwin, “Marlowe’s sense of honor in professional dealings is very

much a matter of pride with him” (226). When contrasted against the upstanding citizen

Marlowe, it becomes clear that the residents in the country have stepped far beyond the normal

amount of dishonesty.

Immediately after the first image of the knight, we are introduced to another symbol that

prevails throughout the novel and also serves to portray the abundant corruption in society:

orchids. Marlowe’s initial meeting with General Sternwood takes places in a greenhouse filled

with orchids, plants that appear beautiful but release a strange odor. Upon entering the

greenhouse, Marlowe describes the atmosphere:

The air was thick, wet, steam, and larded with the cloying smell of tropical orchids in

bloom. The glass walls and roof were heavily misted and big drops of moisture splashed

down on the plants… The plants filled the place, a forest of them, with nasty meat leaves

like the newly washed fingers of dead men. They smelled as overpowering as boiling

alcohol under a blanket. (Chandler 7)

Comment [BA12]: Whenever you

cite from a short story or book, a page

number is used. The same will be true

when you cite a play for your essay because you are citing it from an

anthology. (If you had the play by

itself—and not within a collection of other works—you would cite

differently.) Since you are using an

anthology, you use the page number as well, just like this essay does.

Comment [A13]: Here is historical

information to support the author’s

claim and demonstrate how corruption prevailed.

Comment [A14]: Another quote

about Marlowe is included, and the

explanation connects it to the time period; the historical information

before this explained how criminals

were prominent, and this shows how

we see it in the novel

Comment [A15]: An ellipsis is

included because the author left out a sentence (from the quoted part) that

was irrelevant to the essay

Comment [A16]: Note the block quote format. There are no quotation

marks, and the period goes before the

parentheses. Also, when the quote is

discussed, a new paragraph isn’t started.

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The seemingly harmless, but truly rotten, orchids represent society: no matter how innocent a

person appears, there is often malice lying underneath the surface. General Sternwood reaffirms

this idea when he says, “[Orchids] are nasty things. Their flesh is too much like the flesh of men.

And their perfume has the rotten sweetness of a prostitute” (9). Sternwood concurs with

Marlowe as he uses the oxymoronic term “rotten sweetness” to describe the deceptive plants. As

“rotten” as the characters are in The Big Sleep, most of them still appear “sweet.” This is

particularly applicable to the Sternwood sisters. They present themselves as elegant,

sophisticated, and harmless, but are truly deceptive, manipulative, and even responsible for the

murder and disappearance of Rusty Regan. Again, the corruption in society is revealed, as the

citizens are like orchids: seemingly innocent, but always up to something immoral.

Furthermore, when describing the orchids, Marlowe’s description of the smell, “as

overpowering as boiling alcohol under a blanket” (7), reflects the ban on alcohol, Prohibition,

that is considered largely responsible for the rampant crime during the time period. According to

Kim Phillips-Fein, “In 1925, prohibition agents shut down 172,000 illegal alcohol shops” (218).

The crackdown on alcohol prompted distillers to find more ways to hide their liquor sales, and

Marlowe’s comparison of the orchid smells to the smell of boiling alcohol reminds readers that

Prohibition was the primary reason for the increase in crime (Phillips-Fein 217), especially since

Marlowe mentions it being under a blanket, or hidden from prohibition agents. The fact that

Marlowe knows that “secret” smells indicates how close he has been to the corruption and again

sets him apart from the rest of the corrupt society.

Finally, the weather throughout the novel represents the corruption, as the city of Los

Angeles is caught in a constant spell of rain. Rain is gloomy and shady, as are the characters in

the novel. The weather plays heavily into Marlowe’s life, as it often changes depending on the

Comment [A17]: The original

word in the quote was “They,” which

didn’t make sense in the context, so

the author changed it to orchids and put it in square brackets to indicate

something had been changed.

Comment [A18]: Note that this

paragraph (and a couple of others) do

not include a specific example from history; however, each symbol is

eventually connected to historical

information. This is perfectly

acceptable as long as you make the connection clear throughout.

Comment [A19]: The transition

word helps with the flow of the essay.

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events he has just experienced or witnessed. The novel begins immediately with a description of

the weather, as Marlowe tells us, “It was about eleven o’clock in the morning, mid October, with

the sun not shining and a look of hard wet rain in the clearness of the foothills” (Chandler 3).

Chandler continues to use the rain as the primary description of setting, which automatically sets

a gloomy tone for the novel. In chapter six, as the rain “filled the gutters and splashed knee-high

off the sidewalk,” Marlowe notes that “It was too early in the fall for that kind of rain” (30). As

everyone is caught up in corruption of some kind, they are also caught in a spell of rain, which is

abnormal for that time of year. This emphasizes that the crime rate is not something the citizens

are used to but are having to adapt to in the changing times; life hasn’t always been corrupt but is

during the 1930s, when the novel takes place.

The weather fluctuates throughout the novel, but always returns to rain after Marlowe has

an unsettling or negative experience. For example, the day Marlowe returns home to find

Carmen in his bed starts out as a typical day. The city is foggy, but the rain has ceased, and

Marlowe has made progress in solving the mystery. After his unsettling encounter with Carmen

that night, however, the weather suddenly changes. Marlowe tears “the bed to pieces” (159) and

goes to sleep angry with Carmen for insulting him. The next morning, “It was raining again… a

slanting gray rain like a swung curtain of crystal beads” (159). Once something unusual happens

to Marlowe, the weather shifts to accommodate his feelings and, ultimately, the feelings of the

readers. Marlowe remains a “knight” throughout the novel, but his attention to the weather

demonstrates how he too is affected by the corruption. During the time period, despite citizens’

disgust at the rampant crime, they couldn’t help but be intrigued at the same time. For example,

Bonnie and Clyde were finally ambushed and killed in 1934, and according to Kim Phillips-Fein,

“After [Bonnie and Clyde’s] deaths, crowds gathered around the ambush site to seek bits of the

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bullets that had killed them, and their funerals were mass public events” (220). Although society

didn’t necessarily agree with Bonnie and Clyde’s crimes, there was still a level of respect for

them, and we see Marlowe’s fascination with the corruption surrounding him. Although he

doesn’t take part, he still finds himself intrigued by the ongoing crimes.

For example, later in the novel, Harry Jones gives his life in order to protect Agnes, his

partner in crime. At the beginning of the chapter, Marlowe informs us that “the rain had

stopped” as he enters the Fulwider Building searching for Canino. Marlowe finds Canino with

Harry Jones, who had previously been tailing Marlowe, so Marlowe eavesdrops from the next

room to try and understand the connection between the two. Canino kills Jones after Jones gives

him the wrong address for Agnes. When Marlowe leaves the building, Marlowe says, “It was

raining hard again. I walked into it with the heavy drops slapping my face” (180). The weather

changes with Marlowe’s emotions and experiences, so Marlowe is presumably upset by Jones’s

death. This is significant because Jones is not an honorable man like Marlowe. The reason

Marlowe comes to see Jones in the first place is because Jones wants to sell Marlowe

information or “secrets.” Jones practically bribes and blackmails for a living, yet Marlowe is

emotional when Jones dies. To Marlowe, Jones dies an honorable death; even though Jones was

scheming for money, he still protected his partner to the end. Marlowe’s confliction

demonstrates the challenge with the corruption around him: he doesn’t know where to draw the

line, as others didn’t either. The fact that the country was so caught up with Bonnie and Clyde

was likely because of their “romantic” story. Perhaps citizens could relate to Bonnie and Clyde,

who were small-time criminals until they met each other and started striving for bigger paydays

(Phillips-Fein 220). In the end, they died together, and we see a similar event in Harry Jones and

Agnes. Jones is willing to die to protect her, and to Marlowe, this is the right thing to do, so

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despite the fact that Jones is a criminal, Marlowe can respect his character, just as the country

admired Bonnie and Clyde. Marlowe’s attention to the rain shows his disdain at Jones’s death,

and he demonstrates that during the time period, the line of morals and ethics was blurred for not

only the criminals, but the general public as well.

The symbols of the knight, the orchids, and the weather blend together to effectively

portray The Big Sleep’s underlying theme of corruption in American society. In the novel,

orruption prevails, from a pornography dealer to easily bribed policemen. Despite the

temptations, Marlowe remains true to his morals, becoming a modern-day “knight.” However,

even he finds himself questioning what makes a person “good” as he respects some criminals

despite their activities. The Big Sleep is more than just a detective novel; it is a historical

depiction of life during the 1930s.

Comment [A20]: This paragraph

and the previous one each use Bonnie

and Clyde’s story because the author

says it parallels Harry Jones and Agnes’s story. The discussion here is

good but might be more effective if

the Jones/Agnes plot was explained in more detail.

Comment [A21]: The thesis is

restated but not repeated.

Comment [A22]: The final

sentence reemphasizes the connection

between the novel and the time period.

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Works Cited

Chandler, Raymond. The Big Sleep. New York: Vintage Books, 1939. Print.

Irwin, John T. “Being Boss: Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep.” Southern Review 37.2

(Spring 2001): 211-248. Print.

“Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping Poster, 1932.” Crime and Punishment: Essential Primary

Sources. Eds. K. Lee Lerner, and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 260-

263. Gale U.S. History in Context. Web. 19 Feb. 2012.

Margolies, Edward. Which Way Did He Go? New York: Holmes and Meier Publishers, 1982.

Print.

“Organized Crime.” West’s Encyclopedia of American Law. 2nd

ed. Vol. 7. Eds. Shirelle

Phelps, and Jeffrey Lehmen. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 331-333. Gale U.S. History in

Context. Web. 19 Feb. 2012.

Phillips-Fein, Kim. “Crime.” Encyclopedia of the Great Depression. Vol. 1. Ed. Robert S.

McElvaine. New York: Macmillian Reference USA, 2004. 217-220. Gale U.S. History

in Context. Web. 19 Feb. 2012.

Comment [BA23]: Your Works

Cited page should list the play you are

analyzing (see #10 on pg. 145 in your

textbook) from the anthology as well as your secondary sources.

Chapter 7 in your textbook lists almost everything you should run into,

or you can look at the entries here as

examples. If you have any questions, check with the library or ask me.

Note that your Works Cited page

should be alphabetized as it is here.