Based on the content to the end of Chapter 30,
do the following:
a) Write
a paragraph in which you discuss alcoholism’s dangers as represented by Chandler
through both Marlowe and Roger Wade.
It seems as though Chandler has decided to
represent alcoholism mainly through Roger Wade, it is in fact through Marlowe
that he expresses the true dangers. Marlowe regularly becomes inebriated and
often acts impulsively when in this state – for instance in chapter twenty two
when he frisks the known thug, or when he drinks himself to sleep at the Wade’s
residence. Although Wade’s alcoholism seems more obvious – and characters say
that he can be dangerous – it must be noted that this is not really shown, only
said by Eileen Wade, whereas It is shown that Marlowe becomes erratic when
drunk and can have a compulsion to drink. The incident running through chapters
twenty-eight and twenty nine illustrates the difference between the two
representations. “The whiskey hit me hard and fast and I kept guzzling it until
the room started to get hazy and the furniture was all in the wrong places and
the lmpligt was like wildfire or summer lightning”. Wade’s is about the inward
effects, with most of the scene describing how he hates himself and his
half-attempt to kill himself. In his drunk manuscript “Yes I am sick, darling.
But don’t give it a thought, darling, because this sick I my sick and not your
sick, and let you sleep still and lovely and never remember and no slime from
me to you and nothing come near you that is grim and gray and ugly”. Marlowe’s
is about the outward effects, about how it can ruin your outward appearance.
b) Write
a paragraph in which you outline Marlowe’s moral code, supported by what he
says and what he does. Use at least three examples.
A large example is how Marlowe goes to jail
for Lennox. He could easily avoided this, but for one reason – he wouldn’t sell
out his friend. He felt a debt to the man and he would not give that away
easily. This points to one of Marlowe’s greatest tenets: he does not sell out.
The second example is how he never bends his ideas for anyone, at any time.
Just after he kisses Eileen in chapter 20 “’ You know something? I believe you
knew where he was all along – or at least knew the name of Dr. Verringer. You
just wanted to get me involved with him, tangled up with him so I’d feel a
sense of responsibility to look after him.” Even when he is attracted to a
woman, he gives them a piece of his mind. The third example is this (Ch22) “She
might or might not blow me down. I didn’t particularly care. Once in a while in
this much too sex-conscious country a man and a woman can meet and talk without
dragging bedrooms in it.” This shows how he has a somewhat wistful view of
women – he thinks it is moral to treat them as human beings rather than as sex
objects.
c) Cite
three different uses of idiosyncratic figurative language and explain why each
is particularly effective in revealing plot, developing character or
contributing to theme.
“’for
chrissake, baby, I’m your husband’ he yelled back, grabbing for a handkerchief
and mopping his face. ‘get it? Your husband.’ She sobbed violently and threw
herself into his arms. I stepped around them and got out of there. Every cocktail party is the same, even the
dialogue.”
P133
“He had that bedside manner, thick, honeyed layers of it. He was wonderful –
and he was as tough as armoured plate.”
This
quotation is good at revealing plot – it foreshadows Dr. Varley’s plot and
grips your attention due to the sudden contrast in tone. It also lends to the
theme of duality – of each person saying one thing and doing another.
P144
“Earl jerked his arm loose and his right hand came up with a flash of metal.
The armored fist crashed against Dr. Verringer’s Jaw. He went down as if shot
through the heart.“
This
is effective in revealing plot because it exactly and vividly describes what is
happening. Rather than saying “He punched Dr. Verringer” This figurative language
(“Armored fist”) gives both a sense of the action and an idea of how the punch
might have felt.
P153
“I knew it was going to be one of those crazy days. Everyone has them. Days
when nobody rolls in but the loose wheels, the dingoes who park their brains
with their gum, the squirrels who can’t find their nuts, the mechanics who
always have a gear wheel left over”
This
imagery is effective in setting up plot because of it’s figurative nature. The
metaphors for the crazy people effectively set up the plot and shed light onto
Marlowe’s view of the world – his quiet acceptance of his profession and his
stoic way of dealing with it.
