Where Crime Belongs

Out of the three authors that have been read, Himes has done the best job of putting crime back where it belongs. Perhaps it is because he chose the most controversial racial group of all time. By putting crime in the heart of Harlem, Himes is saying that crime belongs to the black race and makes everything seem natural. Although there is one white character who is taking part in the crime of Cotton Comes to Harlem, he is overlooked and almost forgotten about. His crime also doesn’t fit in and gets away with it because he his white. Himes not only uses the setting of the book to convey this point, but also the black characters. Coffin Ed and Grave Digger say many times throughout the book that the people of Harlem are “hoodlems” and that they are the reason Harlem is the way it is. Himes takes it a step further and puts even more criminal activity on the black race. The two main cops in the book are black, and they are considered to be the ace detectives. However, both Ed and Digger break laws and help out criminals. So now the book has the criminal activity taking place in the heart of Harlem, but also has the two main black detectives characterized as crooked cops. Ed and Digger also believe that crime belongs to black people because of their “means justify the ends” attitudes. They treat their fellow citizens like crap and do not care what happens to them as long as they solve their case. Their attitude towards these “hoodlems” is also seen in the way they are so quick to shoot these criminals. In this book crime is committed by black people, covered up by black people, and is ramped in Harlem, the neighborhood of black people.

The Big Sleep, a look at Marlow

Is Marlow a modern man? No. To be modern is to be of your moment. Marlow’s Los Angeles is a corrupt city full of gambling and illegal rackets. Marlow does not fit in to this city. Although he is not a completely law abiding citizen, he is not morally corrupt or at least not nearly as much as his current surroundings. Marlow’s persona consists of cleaver thinking and deductive reasoning that keep him busy. Perhaps this is why he has not been caught up in the corruption of his environment. However, there are a couple very modern things about Marlow. The things that are modern about his character are not just in sync with his surroundings of Los Angeles, but in sync with the era. I am talking about his addiction to cigarettes and alcohol. The extent to which Marlow smokes and drinks can definitely be linked to the era he lives in. This is the only thing that I really did not like about Marlow and in result Chandler. The amount of time that Chandler spends on the description of Marlow’s bad habits is insignificant to the story line. If something this destructive and damaging has nothing really important to do with the plot it is annoying and a waste of time to read. Now, if the type of cigarette Marlow smoked was special and it tied him to a place and time of an event that would not have been so pointless. I guess it is just a personal opinion though, because I just hate when popular culture of a time promote and encourage such destructive habits.

My Favorite TV Program

My favorite crime TV program is The Profiler. This show is a classic crime scene show with investigators and police. What i liked about this show is how different it was and that the episodes were never similar. The way the main character solved the crime by touching things and having visions that reveal the answer was so unique that you couldn't help to watch. I also really liked that the actors didn't change and the way the writers would occasionally bring back some key characters to help which were very interesting.