The novel follows a linear storyline, without flashing back or forward in time. Moose Malloy was a bank robber and now a murderer, and Marlowe makes it his job to find Malloy’s old flame, Velma, in the hopes of learning more. Since this is a noir novel, the inciting incident is the murder of the owner of a bar named Florian’s, and Marlowe’s curiosity about the murderer, Moose Malloy. By the end, he pieces these clues together to see the larger picture. In this way, the novel is structured like a puzzle, in that each clue leads Marlowe to find another clue. The novel begins with a murder, and the rest of the novel involves Marlowe following clues to uncover a larger mystery. The specific language also reflects Marlowe’s personality in that it’s colored with sarcasm, wit, and a vulgar honesty. In this way, the composition of the novel reflects the genre: the protagonist is a private investigator, and the reader sees the world of the novel through his critical eye. For example, Marlowe often describes the minutiae of each character he encounters, whether it be the fine details of a person’s clothing, their physical features, or the subtlety of their personality coming through in a gesture. The novel is told from Marlowe’s point of view, resulting in descriptions that are often exceptionally-detailed and reflect the nuance of the world around him.
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