Gothic Influence In Novel Farewell, My Lovely

Hard-Boiled Detective fiction is a style of writing that tell stories about crime and have detectives investigate the mysteries behind such events. It originated in California during the depression era in Los Angeles around the early or mid-thirties and it reflects the writers. Many Hard-Boiled fictions incorporate a broad variety of sub-genres. The Gothic genre has been known to have heavily influenced Hard-Boiled Detective Fiction. In Farewell, My Lovely, Raymond Chandler makes continued use of Gothic influence throughout the novel. Philip Marlowe is a self-employed private investigator who is working on the missing case of Dimitrios Aleidis.

Marlowe’s curious nature lands him at the Florian Nightclub. In the nightclub he meets Moose Malloy, a fairly large ex-convict who is searching for his girlfriend Velma. Malloy has not seen Velma for eight years. In his search for Velma, Malloy kills Mr. Montgomery, the manager of the bar. Due to his curiosity, Marlowe finds himself caught up in the search for Velma and in a murder case. He is then called to deliver ransom money for some stolen jewels and finds himself in another murder scene that takes many twists and turns. He faces more corruption and murders. Throughout the novel Raymond chandler makes prevalent use of the Gothic genre using the elements of supernatural imagery, violence and the use of darkness and light.

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The Gothic genre is characterized by modes of fear and suspense. It usually contains grotesque deaths and gory scenes full of blood. One may find darkness and light being used to describe the surrounding environment as well as wet and rain. Supernatural is used to blend fantasy with realism. It is used to place people in unreal places or situations but giving the readers a feeling of fear, distress, and uncertainty. There is also descriptive decay, gory scenes and gloomy bad weather. The gothic genre also has split personalities usually portrayed by insanity or devil possessions. It also addresses the human psyche. Humans can have split up or dual personalities. Anything that is mysterious or unexplainable is considered Gothic genre.

One place in which you see the influence of the Gothic genre in Farewell, My Lovely is when Marlowe accompanies Mr. Lindsey Marriot to buy back the stolen jewelry. They go to Purisima Canyon, North of Bay city to do the exchange with the thieves but Marlow gets knocked out and Marriot murdered. In chapter 11, Marlow says, “He lay smeared to the ground, on his back, at the base of a bush, in that bag-of-clothes position that always means the same thing. His face was a face I had never seen before. His hair was dark with blood, the beautiful blond ledges were angled with blood and some thick grayish ooze, like primeval slime” (Marlowe 71).

In this quote, the use of Gothic genre is evident because there is a dead, beat-up body on the ground and by the “thick grayish ooze” that is used to imply that his brains were visible. When Marlowe says, “His face was a face I had never seen before,” he is letting the reader know that Marriot has been beat-up so much that his face is unrecognizable. He looks like someone he has never seen, and he even remarks on Marriot’s hair being dark in color due to the blood. It is describing a violent, bloody death which is an element of Gothic genre.

Another place in which you see the Gothic influence in Farewell, My Lady is when Marlowe is knocked unconscious by the Bay City cops. Marlow wakes up in a sanitorium and he has been drugged. In chapter 25, Marlow tells the reader:

It passed. I staggered back to the bed and lay down on my back again and lay there panting, watching the smoke. The smoke wasn’t quite so clear. Not quite so real. Maybe it was just something back of my eyes. And then quite suddenly it wasn’t there at all and the light from the porcelain ceiling fixture etched the room sharply” (Marlowe 169)

In this quote Marlow is telling the reader his nausea passed but he still doesn’t feel well, and he sees smoke but then it’s not there. He is still feeling the effects of the drugs that were used on him. This quote is an example of the Gothic genre because the use of smoke is being described as real and not real, giving the reader a sense of mystery and a hint of supernatural. The use of smoke is seen a lot in the Gothic genre because it gives a feeling of eeriness and uncertainty as to what may be out there in the dark or if something or someone lurks out in the smoke. Likewise, Marlowe thinks he might have just imagined the smoke. The use of light and dark is an element of the Gothic Genre. Another key thing to remember is that it plays with the idea of good vs. evil. First it is dark then the light appears sharply, creating a sense of mystery and the unknown.

In chapter 30, Lt. Randall and Marlowe go to see Mrs. Morrison but find that she is lying to them about the neighbor’s mail that she was spying on. They go visit Mrs. Florian who lived in the next house but find her murdered:

“Brains on her face,” he said. “That seems to be the theme song of this case. Only this was done with just a pair of hands. But Jesus what a pair of hands. Look at the neck bruises, the spacing of the finger marks.” (Randall 211)

This quote tells the reader that Mrs. Florian was murdered by a pair of strong hands and that squeezing peoples’ brains out seems to be in style. Gothic genre is displayed by making a notable mention of the name Jesus, who is the central figure of Christianity. Providing the reader with the notion of good vs. evil by naming the biblical figure in their discovery of the murdered Mrs. Florian. What’s more, there is evidence that Mrs. Florian suffered a violent beating because her brains were on her face. Just like Marriot’s brain was visible when he was murdered in chapter 11, there is continued evidence of the savagery used to murder people. To be more precise, the Gothic genre is known to portray intense feelings of disgust and dread along with fear.

Marlowe and Hemingway are riding around in the car talking about Sonderborg. Marlowe asks about Laird Brunette and the gambling ships. Hemingway tells him the gambling ships are beyond jurisdiction. Marlow goes back to the hotel. In chapter 34, Marlowe says, “It got darker. I thought; and thought in my mind moved with a sluggish stealthiness, as if it was being watched by bitter and sadistic eyes. I thought of dead eyes looking at a moonless sky, with black blood at the corners of the mouths beneath them” (Marlowe 237).

Similarly, the Gothic genre is evident because once again, the use of darkness is meant to give a feeling of being watched and likewise, evil lurks in the dark. Marlow is talking about something that has dead eyes and is definitely not human, therefore, we can deduct that it is supernatural and evil. The moonless sky is telling the reader that there is no light from the moon and it is a dark night. The sluggish movements means his mind is being slow and something was hiding. The use of black blood and sadistic eyes is telling the reader that these “sadistic eyes” get a thrill from hurting others. This setting is dark and malevolent providing a feeling of fear for the unknown.

In chapter 38, Marlowe is climbing to the top through the ventilator trying to get to the open loading port of the gambling ships. Marlowe says, “And out of the night and the fog, as it mysteriously does, enough light gathered into one focus to shine on the dark hardness of a machine gun mounted on a high tripod and swung over the rail” (Marlowe 259). Here he is telling us that the night as well as the fog are both impossible to understand and the light focused on the machine gun representing the danger, he is in. The fog is used to amplify the feeling of the darkness surrounding Marlowe’s environment and is likewise used to reduce visibility. In this case, the light focuses on the apparent danger he might face. This an example of dark and light, which is common in the Gothic genre.

As demonstrated in Farewell, My Lovely, the use of the Gothic genre was key and ever-present because it is what gives the novel the mystery and suspense that captivates the reader as they try to figure out who murdered who. The Gothic genre is what sets the mood of the setting and environment by using fog to create reduced visibility and uncertainty. A mood of fear and darkness is also perceived with the use of light and darkness as well as of good and evil. The use of descriptive violent murders and beatings are consistent with the Gothic genre used in Hard-Boiled Detective Fiction. Similarly, the super natural aspect used in the novel, making the reader use their imagination to create the desired effect. Gothic genre is evident in the Hard-Boiled Detective Fiction of Farewell, My Lovely, because it helps to create conflict. Conflict creates suspense and mystery. Mystery adds to the case’s twists and turns that the detective ultimately must solve.

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