The Long Goodbye Lesson Plan

What drives Marlowe to help Terry Lennox at The Dancers?

One important thing for students to note about Philip Marlowe is that he is, first and foremost, a man of principle: he has a peculiar, but consistent, worldview, and sticks to his convictions no matter what. So it is unsurprising that he does his best to help Terry, who even Sylvia describes as "a lost dog."

Have students consider what Marlowe gets out of the interaction. Although it isn't quite yet, we will soon learn that Marlowe enjoys being the "top dog" in a relationship, and when he sees someone in a worse place than him, he takes the opportunity to help that person and feel good about himself. Marlowe's...