Given that both authors, Hemingway and Chandler, represent a rather lean and reduced style, the extraordinary emphasis put on the recounts of drinking in both narratives is striking. This phenomenal contrast between the significant role of drink within the narrative and the sobriety of the narration on the level of style renders the depiction of scenes around drinking especially noteworthy. Much has been said about Hemingway being a dedicated and heavy drinker and thus literary criticism was often all too easily tempted to reduce the dominance of the topic of drinking in the novels to “… either the unavoidable … aspect of the Hemingway hero …, or [to a] barely mediated reinscription of the author’s private drinking habits” (Nicholls 2000 (b): 86). Another approach was taken by representatives of medical and sociological studies on the representation of alcoholism in mass media who understand Hemingway’s novel as a depiction of the expatriate scene in 1920s Paris and interpret the text as a promotion of drink as political attitude (cf. Room 1984: 543). These approaches, however, do not consider the functional employment of drink and respective rituals as fundamental elements of narrative structure apart from moral and medical connotations. They furthermore assume a highly simplified and homogenous quality of group dynamics on the level of the characters.
This essay follows argues against a reading of Hemingway´s novel as using drink to establish a moral evaluative system. Arguing that both Hemingway and Chandler construe drink as a social and physical code drawing on a complex inventory of gestures and discursive patterns, the essay identifies moments of the narratives which show the constant encoding and decoding of drinking as a communicative practice the logic of which serves to establish in- and out-groups according to why, when, what and how to drink.
In addition to shaping character interactions in a social sense, drink as a structural device functions in a physical sense as it serves as a material prompt for the characters to act out their roles. The strong and explicit focus on the portrayal of drinking habits and rituals adds a plasticity to the narratives which becomes significant especially with regard to Chandler and his style being highly influenced by cinematic aesthetics.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. DRINKING IN THE SUN ALSO RISES
3. DRINKING IN THE BIG SLEEP
4. CONCLUSION
5. WORKS CITED
Objectives and Core Themes
This paper examines the role of drinking as a sophisticated structural and communicative tool within Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises and Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep. It challenges traditional moral or medical interpretations of alcohol consumption in literature, arguing instead that these authors utilize drinking rituals to establish social codes, define in- and out-groups, and reveal complex interactional power dynamics.
- Drinking as a discursive system and structural device for narrative organization.
- The construction of social identities through the encoding and decoding of drinking practices.
- Contrast between the "connoisseurship" of the elite and the utilitarian or atmospheric consumption of other social circles.
- The role of physical rituals (pouring, mixing, spilling) in building visual plasticity and cinematic aesthetics.
- The shift from Prohibition-era moral judgments to a post-industrial view of alcohol as a commodity-based code of communication.
Excerpt from the Book
The interaction between Brett, the count and Jake exposes clearly that each of the characters follows an individual and genuinely different code rendering the interaction complicated both rhetorically and physically. The count represents the connoisseur who knows how to drink and understands this knowledge as part of his cultural capital which, in the Bourdieuian sense, is a marker of distinction and thus power. He takes on a rather patronizing role towards Brett and tries to “teach” her how to approach the excellent champagne, what is in his eyes, correctly. To Brett´s suggestion “How about some of that champagne?”, the count reacts with saying “It isn´t cold, yet.” He thereby indicates his possession of a ritual knowledge that precedes the actual act of drinking. By declaring it a pleasure that requires conscious decisions on how to embed the sensual experience, he turns it into a practice that exceeds mere consumption.
The episode also shows how the code of drinking can be used to demonstrate financial power. It is the count who has brought the champagne. He thus claims and exercises the right to guide the interaction both physically and discursively by deciding on when and how to actually drink the beverage and how to talk about it. Monetary power is turned into social power which, once established, the count tries to maintain. The conversation turns into a discursive battle of contradicting code systems: Brett´s suggestion to drink a toast is rejected by the count: “This wine is too good for toast drinking, my dear. You don’t want to mix emotions up with a wine like that. You lose the taste.” (Hemingway 1926: 66). His patronizing instruction is immediately followed by the narrative voice´s observation: Brett´s glass was empty (ibid.). Brett opposes the count´s fatherly attempts to teach her how to enjoy the champagne by strictly following her own code, which is drinking for psychological and physical needs.
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: This chapter contextualizes the study by rejecting purely medical or moral readings of alcohol, proposing instead that drinking functions as a structural tool in Hemingway and Chandler’s literature.
2. DRINKING IN THE SUN ALSO RISES: This chapter analyzes how characters utilize drinking rituals as a communicative code to establish power, inclusion, and social distance within the expatriate milieu of the 1920s.
3. DRINKING IN THE BIG SLEEP: This chapter explores the role of alcohol in Chandler’s work as a prop that establishes atmosphere, defines the hard-boiled detective archetype, and facilitates social interaction within a corrupt environment.
4. CONCLUSION: This chapter synthesizes the findings, confirming that both authors treat drinking as a sophisticated rhetoric and social reality that renders hierarchical interactions transparent in a post-industrial context.
5. WORKS CITED: This chapter provides a comprehensive list of primary and secondary sources used in the analysis.
Keywords
Alcohol consumption, Hemingway, Chandler, social code, cultural capital, narrative structure, discursive practice, hard-boiled detective, symbolic exchange, commodification, interactional dynamics, semiotics, power relations, performance, modernism.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core argument of this work?
The work argues that in the novels of Hemingway and Chandler, alcohol is not merely a sign of addiction or a moral failing, but a deliberate "structural tool" used by characters to navigate social hierarchies and perform specific identities.
What are the primary themes explored?
The study centers on the intersection of drinking with social power, the establishment of in-groups and out-groups, the role of material objects in narrative plasticity, and the representation of interactional codes.
What is the central research question?
The research asks how the "logics" of drinking—the rituals and discursive patterns surrounding the act—function as a communicative system that creates or denies status and community among the characters.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author uses a close-reading approach combined with semiotic and sociological concepts, such as Pierre Bourdieu’s "cultural capital" and the theory of "commodity fetishism," to analyze the narratives.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body contains detailed case studies of drinking rituals in Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, focusing on characters like the count and Robert Cohn, and in Chandler’s The Big Sleep, focusing on Philip Marlowe and his interactions within a corrupt milieu.
Which keywords best describe this study?
Key terms include social code, cultural capital, semiotics, structural tool, narrative plasticity, hard-boiled detective, and commodity-based communication.
How does the count in "The Sun Also Rises" use alcohol to exert power?
The count uses his connoisseurship—his specific knowledge of how to drink and what to drink—as a form of symbolic power, attempting to patronize others and maintain dominance through the rigid control of the drinking ritual.
In what way does Chandler’s portrayal of Philip Marlowe differ from Hemingway’s characters?
While Hemingway’s characters often direct their movements toward drinking venues, Marlowe uses drinks more as atmospheric props and "social shorthand" that reflect his internal state and his ability to operate within a morally ambiguous environment.
- Quote paper
- Thérèse Remus (Author), 2014, A Bottomless Pit. Logics of Drinks in Hemingway’s "The Sun Also Rises" and Chandler’s "The Big Sleep", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/275606
