Conclusion of The Big Sleep

I was mildly surprised by the conclusion of The Big Sleep. I was not at all expecting to find out that Carmen killed Rusty Regan. In a way the ending redeemed Vivian a little in my mind. Throughout the book I thought she was just a clever, wild, spoiled and hard woman. However, the end reveals that she cares deeply for her sister and cares about her father. It’s true that she didn’t love her husband and that his death didn’t overly bother her but she only covered it up to protect her sister and father. Carmen’s character also became clearer to me at the end of the book. Throughout The Big Sleep I was totally confused by Carmen’s actions, I just couldn’t figure her out. The conclusion of the book reveals that Carmen is basically mentally unstable in addition to which, she has epileptic fits. Suddenly Carmen’s hissing and foaming at the mouth makes more sense. In addition, her strong desire to be accepted by men and her crazy reaction when she isn’t also makes more sense. I kind of feel sorry for Carmen because she is so messed up.

I was also surprised that Marlowe ended up killing Eddie Mars’ body guard. I think that it is indicative of Chandler’s view of women that the only female character Marlowe thinks is worth anything is Mona Mars. Mona is sweet, gentle, kind, attractive and very loyal, similar to a prized dog. All of the strong independent female characters in The Big Sleep are some combination of crazy, greedy, slutty and heartless. Mona is not independent or overly strong and yet she is the one female character Marlowe (and one could argue Chandler) thinks is a worthwhile female.

-Samantha Pepper