Introduction
The labyrinthine, convoluted plot of Raymond Chandler's 1939 hardboiled detective novel The Big Sleep has confounded readers for generations. While the novel follows private investigator Philip Marlowe through seedy Los Angeles as he investigates a blackmail case, the central mystery lies not in the investigation itself, but in making sense of the "incoherence of events" (Stark 1) that unfold. Critics have long puzzled over discrepancies, narrative gaps, and contradictions in the novel, sparking heated debate over whether these inconsistencies are deliberate stylistic choices by Chandler or accidental byproducts of his hurried and heavy drinking writing process. Regardless of intent, it is this very inscrutability embedded in The Big Sleep that drives its lasting mystique and literary significance. By challenging readers to find meaning amid confusion and disorder, the mystery in The Big Sleep captures the complexity and chaos that characterized life in midcentury Los Angeles. This essay explores the sources, functions, and implications of the mystery at the heart of Chandler's labyrinthine masterpiece. Analyzing the slippages in the novel's plot and narrative logic provides insight into both Chandler's distinctive hardboiled detective style and the broader modernist impulse to capture the fragmentation of reality and the indeterminacy of knowledge. The persistence of mystery is not a flaw in The Big Sleep, but the very essence of its genius.
Chandler's Writing Process and the Rushed Creation of "The Big Sleep"
When The Big Sleep was published in 1939, it received little fanfare, though Chandler's previous novel Farewell, My Lovely had been a modest success (Siegel xiv). Upon its release, Chandler privately complained that the plot of the novel was incomprehensible, even to him. This confusion originates from the rushed writing process and heavy alcohol use that characterized much of Chandler's career. He wrote The Big Sleep in three months, fueled by alcohol, and never fully resolved inconsistencies in the novel's complex narrative (MacShane 68). The first baffling discrepancy centers on the mysterious disappearance of one of Sternwood's cars early in the novel, which later seems to reappear, unexplained. But the most famous point of confusion concerns the murders of characters Owen Taylor and Sean Regan, who may or may not be the same person, a discrepancy apparently resulting from changes Chandler made to the plot but failed to reconcile (Siegel xvii). However, not all critics believe the mistakes are accidental. Some argue that the gaps, logical inconsistencies, and open questions purposefully engender a sense of indeterminacy that acts "as a structural principle" (Stark 11) of the novel, aligning it with European modernist techniques. Regardless of intent, the mysteries embedded in the convoluted narrative proved so challenging that when the novel was adapted into a film in 1946, not even its scriptwriter knew who had killed one of the characters (Siegel xvi). Yet these confounding traits have imbued The Big Sleep with a sense of endless interpretive possibility that fascinates readers to this day.
The Hazy Atmosphere of Uncertainty and Ambiguity
From its opening pages, The Big Sleep plunges readers into a shadowy, uncertain space where details shift and truths remain elusive. The Sternwood mansion is described as "a big white building" with a driveway that "passed under an arch of imported Italian marble" (Chandler 5), evoking a hazy impression of wealth more than a clear picture. This vagueness permeates the novel, with important details obscured or omitted. The mysterious disappearance of Carmen Sternwood's car sets Marlowe on his investigation, but even this initiating incident is characterized by ambiguity. General Sternwood says the car "was missing," while Vivian claims it was "repossessed." Neither story fully explains why Carmen's car has vanished (Chandler 14). The uncertain fate of the vehicle destabilizes the facts of the case from the start, foreshadowing greater confusion to come. Even characters' motivations and connections remain ambiguous, from Marlowe's interest in the alluring Vivian to Carmen's relationship with Eddie Mars. By leaving the circumstances, motivations, and connections between characters undefined, Chandler creates a detective story situated in the shadows, where neither readers nor Marlowe can find firm footing in factual certainties.
The Convoluted Plot and Its Contradictions
The novel's convoluted plot, rife with contradictions and inexplicable events, heightens this sense of mystery. The perplexing reappearance of Carmen's car illustrates this confusion. Eddie Mars later claims Carmen's car went missing because it was repossessed by a man named Joe Brody (Chandler 58). But after Marlowe seemingly resolves the issue of the car's disappearance by paying Joe Brody, Carmen's car then reappears at a garage later in the novel, unexplained. The baffling reemergence of this crucial piece of evidence that readers thought was resolved exemplifies the narrative's misleading twists and turns. Even more convoluted is the ambiguous fate of Sean Regan and Owen Taylor. The novel strongly implies, but never confirms, that both were murdered for their connections to the Sternwood girls. But the exact circumstances around their deaths, and even whether they are in fact the same person, remain nebulous. By leaving these crucial plot points obscured, Chandler creates a mystery story built on the absence of concrete facts and resolutions. The novel's resistance to neat conclusions and tendency toward contradiction ultimately highlights the inability to impose order on the chaotic world it depicts.
Challenging the View of Inconsistencies as Writing Flaws
Some argue that the narrative gaps and inconsistencies in The Big Sleep are mere flaws resulting from Chandler's hurried writing process. But this view fails to appreciate how these mysteries provide deliberate complexity. The open-ended questions at the novel's close, such as the uncertain fate of Carmen and Vivian, intentionally avoid simple resolutions. This ambiguity aligns The Big Sleep with the modernist recognition that mysteries are an inherent part of the human condition, not narrative mistakes. Rather than detracting from the novel, the persistence of uncertainty even after the nominally central mystery is solved adds greater depth and realism to this portrait of 1930s Los Angeles.
Conclusion
The Big Sleep has cemented its place in the hardboiled detective canon not by offering neat solutions to its central mystery, but by immersing readers in confusion. Chandler's knotty plot, rife with inexplicable events, shifting details, and narrative gaps, constructs a chaotic fictional world where certainty never materializes. While these convoluted inconsistencies have driven endless critical debate over their origins and intent, the novel's resistance to straightforward solutions is the crux of its innovative style and modernist sensibility. By embracing indeterminacy and disorder, The Big Sleep creates an intricate, ambiguous mystery that powerfully conjures the complexities of the human experience. The novel does not unravel the mystery; it reveals mystery to be woven into the very fabric of modern reality.
