How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
I was thinking about going out to lunch and that life was pretty flat and that it would probably be just as flat if I took a drink and that taking a drink all alone at that time of day wouldn't be any fun anyway. (21.1)
Marlowe's characteristic cynicism toward life seems to spiral out of control in this sentence. He starts off feeling depressed about the "flatness" of life, then realizes that even alcohol won't improve anything, and that worst of all, drinking alone before it's even lunchtime would be sinking to the lowest of lows. And yet, Marlowe still opens his bottle and takes a drink. Bleak, much?
Quote #5
The coffee shop smell from next door came in at the windows with the soot but failed to make me hungry. So I got out my office bottle and took the drink and let my self-respect ride its own race. (21.18)
Marlowe knows that he shouldn't drink first thing in the morning, but he disregards his own advice. He gives up his own self-respect, and yet he's still someone who adheres to his own personal moral code. So the question here is how do we reconcile Marlowe's alcoholism with his strong sense of principles when it comes to performing his job? Marlowe follows a strict moral code when he puts his life on the line for his client, and yet he also knowingly harms himself by constantly drinking on the job. Is this just a flaw in his character or does drinking allow him to better cope with the isolation of his line of business?
Quote #6
She called me a filthy name.
I didn't mind that. I didn't mind what she called me, what anybody called me. But this was the room I had to live. It was all I had in the way of a home. In it was everything that was mine, that had any association for me, any past, anything that took the place of a family. [...]
I couldn't stand her in that room any longer. What she called me only reminded me of that. (24.39-41)
Marlowe's rejection of Carmen's (naked!) advances may seem puzzling to some since we know that he complains about his isolation. But Marlowe is definitely the loner type. We can tell from the way he describes his apartment that he has no family and that he considers his bedroom as a sort of safe haven. So maybe Carmen's presence in this room is a threat to his privacy. Sure, he might find her attractive, but not attractive enough to break his solitude.