The Big Sleep

Did you like the book? Why or why not?

What did you think of the 20s/30s slang? Did it make the book easier/harder to read? Did you like it?

How did all of Chandler’s setting details set the mood of the novel?

The Big Sleep is considered to be a classic “hardboiled crime” novel. What makes it hardboiled?

Do you think General Sternwood had given up on being a parent? What would you have done differently?

Marlow comes in contact with thugs, lowlifes, cops, and the rich. Does he speak to everybody the same?

What (if anything) makes Marlowe a charming character?

What did you think of Carmen? Is Carmen just not very smart or does she have health issues that can account for her behavior?

Rusty Regan, the missing, bootlegging husband, always carried 15 grand on his person. What does that say about him?

Why do you think Chandler never lets us see Rusty Regan, alive or dead?

If you could go back to 1939, would you want Marlowe’s job? What job would you want?

What does it say about Marlowe that he is a private investigator instead of a police officer?

There were a large number of characters and many of them ended up dead. Did you ever have trouble following along?

Why does Vivian keep the truth about Carmen and Rusty from her father?

Does Marlowe do the right thing by keeping the secret about Carmen and Rusty?

In thinking of the characters and their socioeconomic status levels in the book, what types of social critique if Chandler trying to make within The Big Sleep?

How does Marlowe see women?

Do women have power in this story? If so, what kind?

What kind of a man is Marlowe? Does Marlowe have a code of honor? Do you find him admirable?

What motivates Marlowe in his interactions with General Sternwood? With the Sternwood sisters? With the police? How do his motivations and actions underscore the theme of moral ambiguity recurrent throughout the book?

If this book were written today, how would it be different?

What influence do you think Chandler has had on crime novels? Mentor Public Library Page 3 of 3 February 2015

This story is set during the Great Depression (1930s), when most Americans were struggling financially. What do you think the author was trying to say when he wrote of the Sternwood family who, despite their money, are terribly unhappy?

“The theme of the book isn't between good and evil, but between evil and less evil. For in the end, the hero of the story becomes part of the corrupt society 'the great nastiness' himself.” What do you think of this statement?

Do you count The Big Sleep as a classic of American literature? Why or why not?

The Big Sleep was made into a movie in 1946. What qualities in the book lend themselves to filmmaking?

Will you read more Raymond Chandler/Philip Marlow books?