Female Stereotypes and Stereotyping in The Big Sleep

Female Stereotypes and Stereotyping in The Big Sleep

"Small and delicately put together . . ." (5). "Tall and rangy, strong looking . . ." (17). Chandler's descriptions of Carmen and Vivian, respectively, highlight his use or misuse of the typical female stereotypes in, The Big Sleep. From the initial physical description that Chandler gives, the reader can quickly see that the women are complete opposites. Carmen lacks color and does not appear to be healthy while Vivian is "worth a stare" (17). Carmen has sharp predatory teeth while Vivian has, "hot black eyes" (17). Chandler characterizes Carmen as the petite, helpless female who needs protection. Vivian, on the other hand, is a physically impressive, powerful woman.

The importance of the physical appearance of the women dwindles as the book progresses. It becomes clear that Chandler wrote a misogynistic novel as the mental abilities of the women become the focal point. Both women are cunning. Carmen, on the other hand, is "baby-like," (5). As Chandler reveals more about Carmen, we find that Carmen is a child trapped in a woman's body. When Marlowe finds Carmen naked in his bed, he addresses her like a child. In an effort to get her dressed, he asks, "Now will you dress like a nice little girl" (155). She reacts like a naughty child and refuses to get dressed until he threatens to throw her out on the street. Marlowe's contempt for Carmen is grounded in the fact that she is a woman who is able to manipulate him. Carmen knows what she wants and she does not know how to handle rejection.

Vivian is characterized as a smart, sly, but not necessarily noble woman. In the end, it appears that Marlowe respects, but does not care for her. She is a...

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...y simple words to describe Vivian, such as beautiful, long, and slim. The metaphor that he uses to describe her legs is amazing. He said that her legs and ankles had, "enough melodic line for a tone poem" (17). After all of the simple words, this metaphor is extremely effective. Chandler used enough descriptive words that even a person who had never seen a tone poem would understand a metaphor.

Playing with descriptions of characters is the way that Chandler fits them into stereotypical roles as women who should be feared. Carmen is crazy and Vivian is a seductress who has the same mental abilities as Marlowe. His descriptions of the characters are detailed and they tell the reader just enough to allow her to fit the character into an inappropriate stereotypical group.

Work Cited

Chandler, Raymond. The Big Sleep. New York: Vintage Books, 1996.