The novel ‘ABC Murder’ reflects around a serial killer, ABC, who kills individuals alphabetically. The killer, with an unknown identity, sends provoking letters to Poirot, who is identified to be a detective. However, ABC covers his act with Cust, whom he takes advantage of because of mental disability. He offers Cust a job on behalf of a stocking company and arranges for his presence at each murder scene. ABC, who privately kills individuals in different cities, is however identified to be Franklin Clarke (Christie, 2010). On the other hand, The Big Sleep features Marlowe, a detective, who is hired by General Sternwood to investigate Geiger. Geiger is a pornographer, who had been blackmailing the General with his daughter, Carmen’s naked pictures. Marlow takes the task, which is involved with lots of murder and in the end; the puzzle of the whole drama is solved. Despite the two novels having noticeable differences, the similarities are rather illustrated in the themes of justice, motive, as well as the murder mystery. This essay thus gives a clear comparison of the themes depicted in the novel ‘The ABC Murder’ and ‘The Big Sleep.’
Similarities
Both novels put across murder and mystery as the main themes in the story. In the novel ‘ABC Murder,’ an individual, who identifies himself as ABC, commits the murders. ABC sends letters to Poirot clarifying him of the next murder place, which he selects alphabetically. For instance, he kills Ascher, in Andover few days after alerting Poirot of the place. In another incidence, the serial killer sends Poirot a letter notifying him to keep an eye on Bexhill. Later, a girl by the name Betty is murdered at the place (Christie, 2010). The unidentified murderer thus commits his crimes mysteriously while blindfolding Alexander Bonaparte Cust to cover him up in all the crime scenes.
Although the mysterious murderer is unknown at first, his identity is revealed as Franklin Clarke by detective Poirot. Just like ‘ABC Murder,’ the novel ‘The Big Sleep ‘has also elaborated on the theme of murder and mystery. Various persons in the novel are murdered mysteriously with the identity of the criminals unknown. For instance, it is not clear who killed Geiger, the pornographer, who blackmailed General with his daughter’s naked pictures. Although Lundgren, Geiger’s lover, suspects Brody, who had been eyeing Geiger’s racket, to be Geiger’s killer, the real killer remains unidentified through the scene. Secondly, the death of Reagan remains a mystery although it is identified later in the novel that Carmen was behind the murder but remains unclear who killed Reagan, his beloved son-in-law to General
Justice is another theme that is clearly depicted in the novel ‘ABC Murder’ as well as ‘The Big Sleep.' First, in ‘ABC Murder,' ABC blindfolds Cust and hires him as a stockings salesperson (Christie, 2010). He directs him to the murder scenes as a cover-up for his awful acts. In an extreme case, Cust confesses to being the serial killer due to his mental disability. However, through the help of detective Poirot, Franklin is identified as the serial killer, and Cust finds justice from the murderous mysteries. In ‘The Big Sleep’ Marlow ensures justice in his investigations. For instance, he does not fear the wealth of General but is determined to find who the killer of Reagan is. Carmen, the General’s daughter, is identified to be the killer. Justice is also identified when Agnes is released from custody upon the death of Brody (Chandler, 2014).
Both novels depict the theme of motive. First, in ‘The ABC Murder,' each person is determined to know ABC. Just like the characters, who help Poirot to find the serial killer, Poirot is much determined to identify the criminal, who he finally identifies to be Franklin Clarke. On the other hand, despite Marlowe‘s task ending after the death of Geiger, he is still motivated to find out the whereabouts of Reagan, whom he finally identifies was killed by Carmen (Chandler, 2014).
While ‘ABC Murder’ portrays the theme of serial killing throughout the novel, ‘The Big Sleep’ does not. The novel displays the theme by illustrating how Franklin Clarke murders several individuals in the country without disclosing his identity. Franklin, who goes by the name ABC, succeeds in his mission by blindfolding Alexander Bonaparte Cust’s, who appears in every crime scene committed cleverly (Christie, 2010). In that case, Franklin murders Ascher in Andover, Betty in Bexhill and Clarke in Churston. Although he is held responsible for the crimes at the end, Franklin can be termed as a serial killer, considering the manner in which he commits his crimes.
Unlike ABC Murder, ‘The Big Sleep’ illustrates the theme of morality and ethics. Immorality is rampant among the characters of the novel. The individuals, who do more wrong than good, are identified to commit such actions in revenge rather than conducting the relevant authorities. For instance, Lundgren kills Brody after suspecting that he might be the killer of his lover, Geiger. However, Marlowe preserves his sense of morality by doing what is right despite the awful environment. Although he is interested in Mona, he respects her loyalty for Eddie Mars. He presumes his code of ethics by ensuring justice among the people.
Although ‘The ABC Murder’ depicts the theme of principle, it does not clearly illustrate as ‘The Big Sleep' does. Marlowe’s character portrays high sets of principles, which are governed by his code of ethics. First, he displays high sets of honesty despite residing in a community that does not value the importance of honesty. He does his investigation in an honest manner and displays the honest outcome. Unlike other corrupt leaders in Los Angeles, Marlowe understands the importance of his work and even refuses payments when he feels that his job is unsatisfactory. He displays a high sense of dignity even if he feels that his efforts are ineffective in the highly corrupt society and will only lead to the big sleep.
On the one hand, while the novel ‘The Big Sleep’ illustrates the theme of sexuality and sexual identity, ‘The ABC Murder’ does not. Sexuality has been identified to be the main drive for the achievement of goals in the novel ‘The Big Sleep.' First, Carmen uses his sexual identity to achieve several goals. The latter is elaborated when he is found naked, not affected by the death of Geiger, but giggling in her usual manner. Her sexual aggressiveness helped her to achieve her goals, which included the murder of Reagan.
Conclusively, it can be concluded that the two novels ‘The Big Sleep’ and ‘The ABC Murder’ are highly related in the manner in which they illustrate their themes of murder and mystery, justice as well as motive. They truly define what happens in the modern society and how various individuals deal with emerging issues in their distinct societies. Concurrently, the two novels are quite different from each other as illustrated from the themes of principle, sexuality, sexual identity, morality and ethics, which are elaborated in the novel ‘The Big Sleep.' On the other hand, the novel ‘The ABC Murder’ gives a deep insight into the theme of serial killing, which is not recognized in the novel ‘The Big Sleep.’
References
Chandler, R. (2014). The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler. Secrets of Crime Fiction Classics: Detecting the Delights of 21 Enduring Stories, 127.
Christie, A. (2010). The A.B.C. murders.
