Red Wind

After reading the foreword on pulp literature, “Red Wind” was everything I would have expected out of a hard-boiled story. It was fast-paces with one twist of the plot after another. The story was full of action and dialogue rather than long, drawn-out descriptions, which made it more entertaining and easier to read.

The female character, Lola, was particularly interesting. For most of the story, she was portrayed as the typical female character- naïve and in need of rescue. When Marlowe met her in the beginning of the story, she had been wandering the apartment building, oblivious to the murder of Joseph Coates, carrying a gun she did not even know how to use. At that point in the story, Lola seemed to be predictable and superficial. She was portrayed this way at the end of the story as well when she learned that Joseph Coates had stolen her real pearls. Prior to learning this, she was willing to pay five thousand dollars for a set of pearls she thought to be her own, furthering her portrayal as a naïve woman with little intelligence. However, she broke out of this stereotype when she saved Marlowe’s life while risking her own. Her actions were brave and smart, and definitely not typically expected out of a woman. For most of the story, the reader was made to feel pity for her, but in that moment, the reader was made to feel proud.

The way in which the relationship between Lola and Marlowe evolved was also interesting. When Marlowe met Lola, he looked at her as just another pretty woman who had been fooled by a man. He was condescending towards her and even mocked her at one point. When describing the murder of Joseph Coates, he purposely paused throughout his story because he “liked an effect as well as the next fellow.” He enjoyed seeing her in suspense and took advantage of his position of authority. However, after Lola saved his life, his feelings changed towards her. He gained a sense of respect that he did not have before, and probably would never have had if she had not saved his life. I think that his respect and feelings for her played a big factor in his desire to solve the mystery, and were also the reason he did not care about how much money he got at the end of the story.

Questions:
Why did Marlowe have another set of pearls made? Was it some way of consoling Lola?

Who was Joseph Coates planning on showing the stolen documents to?