Euphemism In The Big Sleep

The Big Sleep is what many call a “hardboiled” crime novel by author Raymond Chandler. It is the first in his crime novel series to feature the detective Philip Marlowe. The story is renowned for its complexity, with a multitude of characters duping one another whenever the opportunity arises and secrets constantly being exposed throughout the narrative. The title of the novel is a euphemism for death as it is revealed at the ending pages of the book, “You were dead, you were sleeping the big sleep…” (p. 230). The story is set in 1930’s Los Angeles. This particular setting is portrayed for the most part as a time appropriate L.A., filled with misogyny, close-minded views about the world (homophobia, racist ideals, etc.), racketeering crime,

It is described as the land of Hollywood, but only during the Depression of the United States. Instead of a city description filled with glamorous streets and buildings, filled with movie stars and other performers, the story provides a bleak outlook. Los Angeles in The Big Sleep is a city filled with crime and bad neighborhoods. There is an air of pessimism throughout the setting, an example of this is seen in the words spoken by the character, Harry Jones, towards the end of Chapter 25, “She’s a grifter, shamus. I’m a grifter. We’re all grifters. So we sell each other out for a nickel…” (p. 168). This describes the mood of the 1930’s Los Angeles depicted within the narrative, as it also points to the position of many individuals at the time in which this book was written. Nevertheless, this passage describes entire class of criminal present during the time. It is the type of criminal that is such since there is nothing else to lose and nowhere to

It was during this time that the nation was freshly removed from the Prohibition era which produced an influx of racketeering as it was necessary to provide a front to the various illegal “speakeasies”. Alongside the various rackets are the bosses attached to them such is found in the characters of Eddie Mars and Arthur Gwynn Geiger. In this city there are numerous “grifters”, these are individuals who wish to make money anyway they can, even if that means selling out their own in the process. It is a city where it constantly rains and is always dark as a result of it. This L.A. is not the glamorous