Bad weather
From the beginning, the reader is left with the impression that the characters are suffocated and live in a constricting environment. The greenhouse and the bad weather are both elements used to create this idea and the way the weather is described during the first time Marlowe visits the General’s house only accentuates even more the idea of confinement. The sky was described as being dark, with heavy rain falling outside and the occasional lightning seen on the sky. The image created through all this elements is that of a tense atmosphere, with the main characters just waiting anxiously for something bad to happen.
Seductress
The women in the novel all posed a sexuality that appears at times to be flirtatious. Even when Marlowe talks with married women, they are still described as wanting to seduce the detective and deceive him. Women are thus stereotypical and portrayed as being seductress whose only power is their sexuality. The women are also described as being shallow and superficial, being interested only in a person’s appearance and disloyal to their partners.
Manly room
After Marlowe takes Carmen home, he returns to Geiger’s house to look for the body. The body however is nowhere to be found and the house has been cleaned, leaving no evidence behind. While looking through the house, Marlowe discovers a room he describes as being "manly’’. In comparison with the other rooms inside the house, there is little to no ornamentation and is not overcrowded with furniture. By describing the room as being manly, Marlowe transmits the idea that a man should be simple and yet elegant and he should avoid any excessive decorations that can be associated with women.
Los Angeles
The action takes place in Los Angeles in the 1930s; through the novel, the writer creates the image of a depraved, criminal and dangerous city. No one is safe and everyone has something to hide in the city of Los Angeles. Through the description of the characters and the city itself, the author portrays the city as being on the brick of destruction, with its citizens tearing one another for profit and to save themselves.
