In The Big Sleep, private investigator Philip Marlowe solves for his client the puzzle created by a series of layered and interconnected heinous crimes, for a fee of twenty-five dollars a piece . day plus expenses. Marlowe is committed first and foremost to protecting his client's interests and fulfilling his duty even in the face of imminent danger. He encounters myriad dangerous members of the criminal underworld, but always remains calm and capable, preserving not only his own safety, but that of others as well. In the end he is never beaten, intellectually or physically. What do his skill, confidentiality and sense of duty say about his character, modern moral sensibilities and the ideal of the private investigator? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Marlowe is hired by the ailing and wealthy General Sternwood, an ex-military man who has made money in the oil business, to investigate a blackmail scheme being set up against him by a certain Mr. Geiger. Geiger is a book dealer whose dealings turn out to be more sinister than they first seemed; has a pornographic lending library that Marlowe describes this way: “The pictures and typographies were of indescribable filth…elaborate obscenity” (26). Rather than indulging in books as some might, Marlowe recognizes them as perverse and reprehensible. Marlowe is in stark contrast to the man who forgot the volume: a sumptuous dandy with a cane and a gold-lined wallet who, when he sees that he is being followed by Marlowe, hides behind a tree, leaving the scene only after safely abandoned the volume. book. Pornography like this is therefore not for men with Marlowe's character, but for those who are rich, hedonistic and without moral restrictions. Marlowe also reveals his disgust for sexual perversion when he visits Geiger's house that night, finding Carmen Sternwood naked and drugged. while being photographed by Geiger, who has just been killed, shot three times. “The three takes were someone else's idea of ​​how to put a new spin on the process,” Marlowe thinks. “The idea of ​​the guy [who killed Geiger]. I could see merit in his point of view” (31). As his killer may have done, Marlowe recognizes Geiger as a dangerous and selfish deviant, one who took advantage of his client's misguided young daughter and likely many others before. Geiger's feminine bedroom and his homosexuality contribute to Marlowe seeing him as an unhealthy character, in line with the moral ideas inspired by Marlowe in the early/mid 20th century. Marlowe realizes that Carmen is a damaged young girl, intent on showing everyone what a wild and bad girl she is. AND. One evening she waits for Marlowe in her bed, completely naked, beckoning him to join her. Patiently, Marlowe tries to convince Carmen to get out of bed: “You're just showing how bad you can be. But you don't have to show me,” he tells her (134). He refuses to take advantage of this girl, to be complicit in her corruption. In the end he manages to make her go away, but only after convincing her of his total disinterest and making her completely angry. Things like feelings cannot get in the way of Marlowe abiding by his personal code; he is rarely a delicate man. Although intensely frank and often seemingly cold, Marlowe is a man of quiet compassion; he is not a murderer or cruel. Marlowe uses his intelligence, dexterity and perpetual composure to protect and save the lives of those in danger, those who deserve to be saved. Carmen at Geiger's house is naked anddrugged and therefore temporarily unable to move or speak coherently. Marlowe dresses her, carries her to the car and drives her to his house. He does not leave until he is certain that the butler and maid of the Sternwood house have the situation under control and that Carmen will be safe. He is discreet and, as far as he can be, kind. He takes Carmen home in his own vehicle, relieving her of the responsibility of having to pick it up later or potentially being criminally charged due to her presence at the scene of Geiger's murder. For this reason, he must walk for miles in the rain to return to Geiger's bungalow from the Sternwood estate to retrieve his vehicle: he has put his own comfort second to fulfilling his duty to the Sternwoods and protecting Carmen, the damsel in danger. still the child, only a few days later he fights – armed – on the floor of Joe Brody's apartment. Joe Brody developed the slide containing Geiger's nude image of Carmen. Before Carmen's arrival, Marlowe was in the final stages of negotiations with Brody over the return of the images; Marlowe had the entire situation under total control. Carmen enters, messes up Marlowe's deal and is almost killed. Brody has Carmen pinned down and is reaching for the gun in his pocket when Marlowe “showed him the automatic. [Brody] stopped trying to put his hand in his pocket” (75). Once again, Carmen is protected by Marlowe – and in this case it is not just her physical safety that Marlowe preserves; in taking the images from Brody, he protects Carmen from any ragtag police snooping into why she was with Geiger the night of the murder. Marlowe is doing his part to give the girl another chance and to keep the general, his client, away from any potentially stressful or embarrassing disputes. In the novel's climactic scenes, Marlowe kills Eddie Mars' chief hitman and saves himself along with Mars. 'imprisoned wife, Mona, by death. Vivian, Carmen's older and slightly less neurotic sister, is held at gunpoint by one of Eddie Mars' henchmen who tries to steal Vivian's gambling winnings; Marlowe skillfully disarms the young man and protects Vivian from harm and robbery. He is able to master any dangerous situation that comes his way and protect those who are at risk. Marlowe, as demonstrated by saving the young Carmen Sternwood on two separate occasions, and saving Vivian Sternwood and Mona Mars, is able to ultimately gain control over any situation he finds himself in. he is involved, turning the situation in his favor every time. He is a man whose existence is based on order, reason and control: he is a quick thinker who can protect himself and others from harm in dangerous situations; he is able, apparently without breaking a sweat, to unravel the most twisted criminal networks; Furthermore, he is a chess enthusiast. The night Carmen waits for Marlowe in his apartment, he feels, in addition to the mixture of sadness and disgust at Carmen's life choices, a violation of his control over the environment. Marlowe gradually became more and more angry that she had entered his sacred space, his apartment: “This was the room I had to live in. It was all I had in terms of home. It was everything that was mine, that had any association with me. . . I couldn't stand her in that room any longer” (135). His presence there undermines his control; he can't, for a while, get it to start. It's like she's mocking him, taking away one of the few things he has: control over this room. Marlowe's reason, his intellect, his control, and his sense of personal integrity make up his being, and he refuses to do so. leave them?'.