Female Stereotypes and Stereotyping in The Big Sleep Essay -- sleep

Female Stereotypes and Stereotyping in The bigger Sleep Small and very well put together . . . (5). Tall and rangy, strong looking . . . (17). Chandlers descriptions of Carmen and Vivian, respectively, highlight his theatrical role or misuse of the typical female stereotypes in, The Big Sleep. From the initial strong-arm description that Chandler gives, the reader can quickly see that the women are achieve opposites. Carmen lacks color and does non appear to be healthy while Vivian is cost a stare (17). Carmen has sharp predatory teeth while Vivian has, blistery 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 air of the women dwindles as the book progresses. It becomes clear that Chandler wrote a misogynistic novel as the moral abilities of the women become the focal point. Both women are cunning. Carmen, on th e other hand, is baby- kindred, (5). As Chandler reveals more about Carmen, we find that Carmen is a child trapped in a womans 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. Marlowes contempt for Carmen is grounded in the fact that she is a woman who is able to skirt 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... ...y innocent words to give a trend 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, adequacy melodic line for a greenback poem (17). After all of the simple words, this metaphor is extremely effective. Chandler utilise enough descriptive words that even a person who had neer 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 kind 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.