Is This Normal?

A question that came to me while reading was why is it that the character playing the detective role always tends to like to keep things covered up, close to the vest and ultimately away from the authorities? (Police etc.) This is evident in both “Brick” and Chandler’s The Big Sleep.

In “Brick,” the detective character constantly is laboring to keep details of his search in the dark to most people. He does not want to be seen in the open with his informational insider and in large part no one really knows or completely understands him and he seems to like it that way. If I were to attempt to try an answer my question based on these details, I would say well that makes sense, he wants to be sure that no one gets too close to his tail, possibly compromising his investigation. In this regard it makes sense; any good detective would do this. The tricky part for me, however, is why these “detectives” types i.e. Brennen and Marlowe, always seem to have little concern or regard for the judicial, civic, moral, or even ethical processes. This question arises for me when Brennen hides Emily’s body somewhere under the overpass and does not seem to mind too much even after an article is written in the paper about her missing. Never once does letting the authorities know or even help cross his mind. The same holds true for Marlow in Chandler’s book; Marlowe when confronted with the death of Geiger and when he returns from taking care of Carmen, Geiger’s body is nowhere to be found. Upon this discovery, however, Marlowe does not seem to mind; in fact he almost seemed to be comforted by the fact that now it would be easier to keep Carmen off the record.

It is just interesting to me that in both stories the detectives/ protagonists have no desire for help from the authorities who on the surface would seem to be exactly who they would want help or assistance from. Instead, these characters give the vibe that the authorities would bring more baggage and the possibility for collateral damage thus ruining their investigation. So for them less is more, their independent loner styles shine through and they prefer to work to the bottom of the situation no matter the consequences. But the question still remains, why? Is this notion true in all of the detective genre’s, and is this right, is this the best way to handle these situations, is it ethical, is it moral, or does it even matter?

-Brad