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The Simple Art Of Masquerade

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The Simple Art of Masquerade Centuries ago, long before the thoughts of man were transcribed into words, drawings were used to convey the thoughts and ideas, each telling a story like no other, with an even greater discord between the accurate meanings of the story and meaning which the reader garnered from the tale. Fast forward a few centuries to a time where stories were ultimately being shared by word of mouth, altering a bit from the original thoughts and ideas of the author who formerly spoke the tale. Traveling yet a few more centuries now to a time where stories are now written and transcribed, not only by hand but also, finally, by printing press. This illustrious invention paved the way for those who wished to share their …show more content…

However, it is not only the authors’ portrayal of the characters that is important, but the interactions amongst the characters themselves. It is within Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep that he presents each character through the eyes of Philip Marlowe, and is able to present who they are trying to be, who they are, and the moral issues which arise in each. Chandler manipulates costumes and setting to show who Carmen Sternwood’s character is trying to be, who she really is and the moral issues associated with each of these as seen through the eyes of Philip Marlowe. Since countless of the characters throughout The Big Sleep do not show their true colors until the end of the book or characters life, which the latter seems to be sooner than the former, the literary clues given by Chandler to determine who they are trying to be as well as who they truly are is uniquely important. She tries to portray herself as an innocent little girl, in order to woo Marlowe, but to no avail. For example, in the first encounter with Philip Marlowe, she “wore pale blue slacks,” with the pale blue color associated closely with that of a newborn baby, showing that her character is one that is trying to give off a sense of childishness (5). Not only is she seen constantly giggling but she also uses elementary words such as “cute,” furthering her agenda of trying to act like a little girl.

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