The Big Lebowski Morality

The Big Lebowski is a story that explores the spectrum of morality, however it is different from the traditional storylines that are meant to emerge a clear sense of right and wrong. The sections of the spectrum blur as there is no easy distinction between villain and hero. As the pervading narrator (Sam Elliott) says at the very beginning of the film “Sometimes there’s a man, I won’t say a hero, ‘cause what’s a hero? But sometimes there’s a man...And I’m talkin’ about the Dude here...well, he’s the man for his time ‘n place, he fits right in there—and that’s the Dude” (The Big Lebowski). The Dude faces a hardship as the center of the morality spectrum in The Big Lebowski. His purpose is not to live up to the perfect ideal of bravery and morality,

instead he must accept his current reality and do good in the world as it is. The Dude represents humanity as he attempts to figure out the purpose of his life while examining the prospects and restrictions of living a decent human life as different philosophies surround him. Nihilism, defined as the philosophical perspective that life is without meaning, purpose, and morality, is a critical motif in The Big Lebowski because it poses the question: what really matters in life?
This question is inadvertently tackled by each character as they go through trials and tribulations that test their morals. The main nihilist in The Big Lebowski is Uli Kunkel (Peter Stormare). Uli is first shown on screen when we see him passed out in a pool with an empty bottle of Jack Daniels floating next to him. We’re introduced to him by the Mr. Lebowski’s (David Huddleston) young, attractive wife, Bunny (Tara Reid). As The Dude (Jeff Bridges) is shown walking out of Mr. Lebowski’s home, the camera dollies in on Bunny sitting by the pool painting her toenails a bright green. As the Dude approaches her, she flirtatiously tells him to blow on her nails to help them dry. The Dude turns around to look at the unconscious Uli in the pool as he asks if her “friend” would mind. The camera switches to a static shot of Uli floating in a chair as we hear Bunny’s voice say, “Uli doesn’t care about anything. He’s a nihilist” (The Big Lebowski). In this scene, the audience gets their first introduction to the nonchalantness of nihilism.
There is a specific group of nihilists in The Big Lebowski that is headed by Uli. The other two members are named Dieter (Flea) and Franz (Torsten Voges). The trio decides to torment Mr. Lebowski by kidnapping his wife Bunny for a hefty ransom of one million dollars. Unbeknown by Mr. Lebowski, Bunny is involved in this scheme. Although it is never explicitly states, it is safe to assume Bunny is only married to Mr. Lebowski because of his fortune. This is a classic motif for the crime/comedy film that is The Big Lebowski. The nihilists help carry the crime motif through their actions. As nihilists, they don’t care about anything. They fill their time with meaningless activities, paying no attention to whether or not they have consequences. They completely lack morals. The Coens decided to add these German nihilists for a reason. They represent an extreme side of the moral spectrum played out in this film. The nihilists’ actions throughout the entire film are always acts of violence. The first time we see them as a trio is when they break in The Dude’s home while he is taking a bath, and Uli drops his pet ferret into the tub, causing it to bite The Dude in hysteric, scared aggression. This absurd action, while hilarious, catches the audience off guard. For example, the outfits the nihilists wear are quite peculiar. They are dressed in black, spandex body suits that cover their heads, and clunky, black combat boots. One of them wields a cricket bat as a weapon. As Uli removes his ferret from The Dude’s bathtub, he threatens in a heavy German accent, “We want that money, Lebowski” in reference to Bunny’s ransom which Mr. Lebowski employed The Dude to deliver. A second nihilist threatens The Dude, “We could do things you only dreamed of, Lebowski.” His friend supports his claim, “We believe in nothing, Lebowski. Nothing!” (The Big Lebowski). In contrast to believing in nothing, conservatism plays a role in The Big Lebowski through Mr. Lebowski himself.
Mr.

Jeffrey Lebowski is highly successful, a war veteran, and disabled. He is around sixty years old, with a wife in her twenties. His entire life is based off of hard work and taking care of business himself. Mr. Lebowski is a conservative. He believes in a certain set of rules and will not hesitate to discipline those who disagree with those rules. Even before we meet Mr. Lebowski, we learn about his life from his assistant, Brandt (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). After The Dude gets his prized rug, Brandt is giving The Dude a tour of the Lebowski estate, the camera pans over Mr. Lebowski’s wall of fame. It is covered in pictures of Mr. Lebowski posing with various political celebrities, a key to the city, as well as a photo showcasing the group of inner city children Mr. Lebowski supports; otherwise known as The Little Lebowski Urban Achievers. The title of this charity tells us Mr. Lebowski is more interested in giving himself a good name rather than helping the children. Finally, Mr. Lebowski emerges from the bowels of his home and reprimands The Dude for asking for compensation for his rug. He bestows his life philosophy upon The Dude, “I hope that my wife will someday learn to live on her allowance, which is ample, but if she doesn't, sir, that will be her problem, not mine, just as your rug is your problem, just as every bum's lot in life is his own responsibility regardless of whom he chooses to blame. I didn't blame anyone for the loss of my legs, some chinaman in Korea

took them from me but I went out and achieved anyway. I can't solve your problems, sir, only you can” (The Big Lebowski). Mr. Lebowski is a firm believer in being diligent. He points out multiple times throughout the film that even though he has lost the use of his legs, he has “accomplished more than most men” (The Big Lebowski). Interestingly enough, when his wife is kidnapped he asks The Dude to help. Once The Dude accepts this mission, he finds himself caught in the middle of Mr. Lebowski’s and Uli’s nihilism.
At first glance, The Dude only seems to care about bowling, smoking marijuana, and drinking White Russians. It is noted early on in the film that he has never been in a relationship, and the only time he seemed to care about anything was when he was in college and would “occupy various administration buildings, smoking thai sticks, and breaking into the ROTC” (The Big Lebowski). The Dude is a mind molded by acid and the sixties, as is shown by The Dude’s frequent dream sequences. Even though he is more passive than aggressive, The Dude still has an ethos, dubbed “dude-ism” by he believes in, whether he realizes it or not. The Dude can be compared to the drifting tumbleweed shown during the opening sequence of the film. It rolls aimlessly around Los Angeles, just as The Dude does. After the camera follows the tumbleweed, we are graced with the Dude’s presence for the first time. We see him browsing the dairy isle of Ralph’s, a popular grocery chain in Los Angeles. He picks up a carton of milk, undoubtedly to make a White Russian. He shuffles up to the cashier in his sandals and pays for sixty-nine cent dairy byproduct with a check. By this sequence alone, one can assume laziness is a virtue according to The Dude. However, The Dude is not one to step on his soap box and preach about his way of life, nor does he explain himself throughout the film. Therefore, we must investigate what’s underneath this stoner’s goatee’d surface.
Since a strength the Coen Brothers have is their use of visuals to help tell a story, we can sense The Dude’s demeanor through his choice of clothing. For The Big Lebowski, the Coen Brothers had a specific look in mind. The entire aesthetic of the film goes along with the typical, California laid-back temperament, something The Dude surely has. The Dude’s slacker style is amplified when he first goes to speak with Mr. Lebowski about his soiled rug. The Dude is wearing the exact outfit he was wearing the day before: striped swim trunks, a grey sweatshirt, and a wrinkled white tee shirt. His choice of ensemble juxtaposes against Mr. Lebowski’s grand estate. While he sitting in Mr. Lebowski’s office slouching on his tasseled, satin guest chair, listening to Mr. Lebowski’s traditionalist rant, the first principle of dude-ism becomes very clear. The first fundamental of dude-ism is total acceptance that reality is inherently chaotic and purposeless (Conard 147). It is very apparent The Dude accepts this fact easily and without objection. He doesn’t agree with Mr. Lebowski’s speech, nor does he make a rebuttal. He simply leaves Mr. Lebowski with his snide, sarcastic commentary, takes one of his rugs, and is on his way. The Dude practices the first rule of dude-ism by not reacting to Mr. Lebowski’s scolding. He accepts him and his ideologies as they are and leaves the conversation with a tolerant, “Fuck it.” The Dude knows he cannot change Mr. Lebowski, and he knows he himself will not change. The Dude accepts that his dialogue with Mr. Lebowski is pointless, therefore he realizes his time spent on this issue is over. The second rule of dude-ism instructs one should expend effort only on simple, short-term goals (Conard 148).
Conard explains this rule as a follow up to the first one. Since life in unavoidably chaotic, any effort to try and organize life is useless. Therefore, little effort should be given to the tasks life throws at us. The Dude remembers this rule when he coerced into getting justice for his rug by his bowling buddy, Walter (John Goodman). Walter is a Vietnam War veteran with a short temper, so it was certainly in his character to persuade The Dude to get compensation for his soiled rug. This decision made by The Dude catapulted the entire film into action. Throughout the film, The Dude verbalizes his regret of seeking out Mr. Lebowski throughout the film, “I could be sitting here with just pee stains on my rug” (The Big Lebowski). The Dude unknowingly becomes a detective in this film. Once he expresses his distress over the rug, he begins his journey through new territory. He actually has to try. The Dude gets tangled in this mess when he goes to retrieve his rug. However, it did really “tie the room together”. The Dude experiences endless irritation during his journey. This is why he abides by the second rule of dude-ism. The third component of dude-ism deals with the good and bad that comes with life.
Dude-ism dictates one should accept the positive and negative aspects of human existence (Conard 148).

The Dude notes the good and bad of reality as he rides the ebb and flow of life. The stranger bequeaths unto The Dude a peculiar expression, “Sometimes you eat the bear. And sometimes, the bear, well he eats you” (The Big Lebowski). The bear in this expression represents problems that one may encounter. Sometimes the problem presented is solvable, and other times it is not. The Dude is able to decipher the difference between these, which is a characteristic that places him in the middle of the Coen Brothers morality spectrum. The Dude chooses his battles, however when he chose to seek justice for his rug, The Dude realizes he may have broken one of his own cardinal rules. As shown with the previous rule, The Dude expresses distain for the situations he is put through throughout the entire film because he chooses to be active and search for his rug. However, he proceeds to deal with his problem as well as he can, nor does he let his problems cause him too much anxiety. For example, when The Dude receives a phone call from Walter after a failed attempt at retrieving The Dude’s stolen car from a young boy, The Dude yells at Walter, “Well that's your perception…Well you're right, Walter, and the unspoken message is fuck you and leave me the fuck alone!…Yeah, I'll be at practice” (The Big Lebowski). What we can take away from this dialogue is The Dude will always forgive,

therefore The Dude accepts life and its mixture of good and bad. He is more than aware of the bear. The fourth and final law of dude-ism is the purpose of life is to be as happy as possible in any situation.
This last rule helps bring the previous three rules come full circle. The Dude’s ultimate goal in life is to have a good time, which is why laziness is a virtue to him. The Dude lives life, similar in doctrine to the nihilists but not in practice, as if it has no purpose. Contrary to the nihilists, The Dude chooses to fill his life with peaceful acts that fill him with happiness. Furthermore, The Dude’s goal of happiness is drastically different from Mr. Lebowski’s as well. Mr. Lebowski seeks affection from Bunny, who is merely a trophy wife. Mr. Lebowski also seeks happiness through money, just like the nihilists. The Dude is a creature of habit, and his habits include bowling, White Russians, and lack of responsibility; these are all he needs to stay in the moral center of the Coen Brothers’ spectrum