The Long Goodbye Lesson Plan

Why does Harlan Potter want Marlowe to give up on finding his daughter's murderer?

Though he only appears briefly in The Long Goodbye, Harlan Potter casts a large shadow over the novel's proceedings. When we finally meet him, he does his best to convince Marlowe to give up investigating his daughter's murder. Why might this be the case?

Have students go through Marlowe's conversation with Mr. Potter: it should become clear that he desires a certain amount of privacy, even at the expense of justice. The man grew up in a different world from the one he sees around him, and he wants to take the steps to recreate that experience in his later years. At this point, he's not...