A Nightmare
“Money makes the world go round.” This is a common, yet deceptive, phrase everyone has heard. The negative consequences of wealth are always overshadowed by the status and material possessions associated with money. Money produces corruption, and this is evident in both fiction and the real world. Raymond Chandler contrasts the oil fields at the beginning of The Big Sleep to their appearance at the end to convey the destructive corrupt quality of money as it allows crimes to be hidden and false illusions to be portrayed. Chandler’s Los Angeles, similarly, reveals how money casts a nightmare-like haze over the city and filling it with fabricated images. As the Sternwoods are just beginning to acquire their wealth, the prosperous …show more content…
Renown critic, Tom Reck wrote in his article “Raymond Chandler’s Los Angeles"; “The California rich weave in and out of a Chandler novel, returning symbols that repel and fascinate him. The detective-martyr willingly lays himself down on their altar for sacrifice, as he does their dirty linen for them and then quietly removes himself without being paid or even thanked (Reck 662).” Chandler acknowledges the allure of the wealthy throughout the novel. Marlowe, for instance, originally agrees to assist General Sternwood only for the possible profit of $4 million dollars. However, Marlowe eventually refuses to accept the payment as he witnesses first-hand the all-powerful corruption that overwhelms the Sternwoods. Only after experiencing the corrupting effects of money first hand, does Marlowe realize the devastating consequences associated with wealth. In regards to Los Angeles, Chandler paints the picture of society with a single track mind, like Marlowe at the beginning of the book. The Los Angeles community is crawling with conspiracies to instantly gain a fortune. However, this instant fortune is not honest money. Society forgets to abide by a moral code, like how the Sternwoods flaunt their money to eradicate their punishment for crimes. Los Angeles is no different from the Sternwoods. Money has the ability to raise ones social influence yet it also has the ability destroy honest individuals’
“Money makes the world go round.” This is a common, yet deceptive, phrase everyone has heard. The negative consequences of wealth are always overshadowed by the status and material possessions associated with money. Money produces corruption, and this is evident in both fiction and the real world. Raymond Chandler contrasts the oil fields at the beginning of The Big Sleep to their appearance at the end to convey the destructive corrupt quality of money as it allows crimes to be hidden and false illusions to be portrayed. Chandler’s Los Angeles, similarly, reveals how money casts a nightmare-like haze over the city and filling it with fabricated images. As the Sternwoods are just beginning to acquire their wealth, the prosperous …show more content…
Renown critic, Tom Reck wrote in his article “Raymond Chandler’s Los Angeles"; “The California rich weave in and out of a Chandler novel, returning symbols that repel and fascinate him. The detective-martyr willingly lays himself down on their altar for sacrifice, as he does their dirty linen for them and then quietly removes himself without being paid or even thanked (Reck 662).” Chandler acknowledges the allure of the wealthy throughout the novel. Marlowe, for instance, originally agrees to assist General Sternwood only for the possible profit of $4 million dollars. However, Marlowe eventually refuses to accept the payment as he witnesses first-hand the all-powerful corruption that overwhelms the Sternwoods. Only after experiencing the corrupting effects of money first hand, does Marlowe realize the devastating consequences associated with wealth. In regards to Los Angeles, Chandler paints the picture of society with a single track mind, like Marlowe at the beginning of the book. The Los Angeles community is crawling with conspiracies to instantly gain a fortune. However, this instant fortune is not honest money. Society forgets to abide by a moral code, like how the Sternwoods flaunt their money to eradicate their punishment for crimes. Los Angeles is no different from the Sternwoods. Money has the ability to raise ones social influence yet it also has the ability destroy honest individuals’