The honorable one Essay

Submitted By jbailey1986
Words: 1404
Pages: 6
Open Document
The Honorable One In Raymond Chandler’s novel The Big Sleep our hero Phillip Marlowe is one of few savory characters that display a certain amount of honor. In Raymond Chandler’s “
The Simple Art of Murder: an Essay” he describes his character build for our sleuth Phillip Marlowe. Chandler describes his character from Chandler’s “The Simple Art of Murder: an Essay” as follows, “He is the Hero; he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man.” This is the mold for which Chandler styles his Character into for the novel The Big Sleep. The following is written to explore the main characters honor and discovering what the hidden truth is in In Raymond Chandler’s novel The Big Sleep. Discussing how Chandler builds and intertwines his story around Marlowe’s justice system and how it serves him. Phillip Marlowe is first introduced to the General in chapter two. In this scene the General and Marlowe are feeling each other out and seeing whether, or not Marlowe will get the job. They have some light verbal jabbing which ends up setting the stage for a mutual respect of each other. A good example of this banter is:
“And a little bit a cynic,” the old man smiled. “You didn’t like working for Mr. Wilde?”
“I was fired for insubordination. I test very high on insubordination, General.”
“I always did myself, sir. I’m glad to hear it. What do you know about my family?” (9).
This shows the reader that the General and Marlowe have gained repertoire with each other and have gained a certain level of respect. This is just in line with Chandler’s character build for Phillip Marlowe being someone “…talks as the man of his age talks-that is with rude wit” (18). It also sets into motion the verbal contract Marlowe and the General agree upon for Marlowe to start investigating the blackmailer Geiger. In regards to finding the hidden truth Marlowe does not disappoint. We are given some foreshadowing into the future from this statement made by Marlowe “The Rust Regan part, maybe. But I always get along with bootleggers myself. This gives us some insight into Marlowe’s almost super human ability to have a hunch and for that hunch to be correct. Philip Marlowe has many encounters with different vixens in this novel. He in no way is a man who is against carnal relations, but would never take advantage of or do anything that would be considered out of bounds to his sense of duty. In “The Simple Art of Murder: an Essay” Chandler describes him as follows “I think that he might seduce a Duchess and I am quite sure he would not spoil a virgin;” Carmen and Marlowe are having a discussion about the “unwanted” photos of her. Carmen is very flirtatious and basically throws herself at Marlowe. Although she is very attractive her manner and Marlowe’s intuition give us some great insight into how he thinks. “She giggled. That gave me a nasty feeling. If she had screeched or wept or even nosedived to the floor in a dead faint, that would have been all right. She just giggled.” This shows how Philip Marlowe’s intuition works. He knows that there is something not right and his insight tells him that there is something very wrong with this particular girl. Marlowe is employed by this girl’s father the General. He must find the truth and find out who swiped the photos of her. By doing this he fulfills his sense of obligation that he has to his new employer, the General. This is another example of how the author show’s that Marlowe is a model of someone who exudes honor even when dealing with some of the more unsavory characters. Philip Marlowe meets another man in this story who shares a common honor system with that of himself, Harry Jones. In this scene Harry Jones is being questioned by the thug Canino. Harry tells a lie here to protect Philip Marlowe, ‘Harry Jones laughed again. “I’m seeing him tomorrow. I have high hopes.” ’ Unannounced to the other characters, Marlowe is
Show More

Related Documents: The honorable one Essay

Was Julius Caesar Honorable

characters in the play Julius Caesar, few of them got mentioned as honorable men. Throughout the play, most of the characters did not identify as honorable men. Two characters, Antony and Brutus did identify as honorable men. Antony, who held a place in the Senate with Caesar had a very close relationship with Caesar and would have done anything for him. Brutus had a very close relationship with Caesar as well, however he identified as one of the head conspirators, acting against Caesar. The conspiracy…

Words 656 - Pages 3

Was Julius Caesar Honorable

The least honorable person in the play Julius Caesar is Cassius. He is jealous of what Caesar is and does. He operates purely on self-interests. He wants power and knows he will never get it if Caesar is around because Caesar didn’t like him. Cassius wanted to kill Caesar to get all the power. He manipulates his friends to join the conspiracy he made. In battle, he kills himself because he thinks his army has been defeated. He has curled, rude, and he will do whatever to get what he wants. Some…

Words 582 - Pages 3

Julius Caesar Research Paper

the tragic hero. But why was one a more tragic hero? There are three reasons why one character is a more tragic hero. The first, was that Brutus was more prideful and cared about the people more than Caesar. Second, the character that is the tragic hero was killed in an honorable way. Finally, one of the characters was a very honorable man. Who was the most proud and cared about the people? Brutus was the most proud because when everyone wanted to kill Caesar, no one but Brutus wanted to kill him…

Words 497 - Pages 2

Lose: Julius Caesar and Conspirators Honorable Men Essay

brother freedom after he was banished from Rom, Caesar refuses to sign JC death words Et tu, Brute?- means you too, Brutus?, Caesar is implying that he knew the conspirators may have ben scheming behind his back but he didn’t expect Brutus to be one of them. No plans for afterwards For the conspirator to not have a plan post Caesar’s death served against them because with every mater plan there is the event leading up to the death and event after it. Because they did not have a plan Antony was…

Words 779 - Pages 4

The Importance Of Honor In Ip Man

Moreover, they help the audience relate the subject, in this case Ip Man, to what they likely already feel is an honorable film character. In many of China’s great martial arts movies, the honorable character, which idealizes loyalty and universal love, has a distinctive image. He is usually monk-like with a reputable look that shows he respects his body. He also has a coolness and control about him that…

Words 1200 - Pages 5

Honor In Cyrano De Bergerac

Rostand, Cyrano, an honorable man who is hopelessly in love with the beautiful woman Roxane, makes an agreement with the man Roxane loves, Christian. The agreement uses Cyrano’s soul and Christian’s good looks to win over Roxane, but when Christian dies in battle, the secret is never revealed. Years later, Cyrano is mortally wounded by a log that was dropped on him, and in his dying breaths confesses his love to Roxane. Cyrano dies an honorable death. Cyrano dies an honorable death because he stands…

Words 614 - Pages 3

Essay On John Proctor In The Crucible

Danforth, the judge, tells him that Elizabeth, his wife, is pregnant and can be saved for a while by hanging, he still stood there and supported his other friends. Arthur Miller portrays John Proctor as an honorable man by his honesty, bravery, and his selfless nature. John Proctor is an honorable man because of his honesty. During Act ll, when Elizabeth tells him Proctor about the court and girls going wild, Proctor confesses that he was alone with Abigail when she told him about Witchcraft being…

Words 631 - Pages 3

The Crucible John Proctor Essay

Crucible and is the husband of Elizabeth Proctor: one of the many women accused of witchcraft. During the story he repeatedly expressed his hatred of Abigail Williams and the corrupt court of Salem. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, John Proctor is an honorable, loving, and selfless man which leads him to be accused of witchcraft, and later hanged. First off, while John Proctor challenges the theocracy of Salem; he is still a extremely honorable man. Like the time he confessed and stuck with his…

Words 685 - Pages 3

Rhetorical Strategies Used In Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar is killed by a band of conspirators who claimed to have loved Caesar, but “loved Rome more” and believed that he was too ambitious to be the leader of Rome, and would've become a dictator. For Caesar’s funeral, one of his closest advisors, Mark Antony asks Brutus, one of the conspirators to speak at Caesar’s funeral in order to bury him. Brutus agrees as long as Antony swears that he will not insult or refute the reasoning behind the conspirator’s killing of Caesar. However, using various…

Words 717 - Pages 3

Jean Valjean in Les Miserables Essay example

Although many would think that Jean Valjean is a criminal, he has a whole other side of him that will completely change anyone’s point of view on Jean Valjean. Jean Valjean is an honorable man because of his decision to seek redemption, his loving and caring attitude towards Cosette, and the way he pardoned Javert. The first reason why Jean Valjean is an honorable man is because of his decision to change and become a new man. Valjean’s journey begins when he meets the Bishop of D­­­. This Bishop sparks the goodness in Jean Valjean…

Words 1098 - Pages 5