"He was looking at me and neither his eyes nor his gun moved. He was as calm as an adobe wall in the moonlight."
Well, good for Walter, but I'm not so sure (big Chandler fan that I am) that this is a good example of his craft and art. You don't see the thug -- you see the wall in the moonlight. You are removed from the location of the moment and transported somewhere else. When the metaphor swamps the reality, you're in trouble. Also, walls aren't calm.
2 comments:
"He was looking at me and neither his eyes nor his gun moved. He was as calm as an adobe wall in the moonlight."
Well, good for Walter, but I'm not so sure (big Chandler fan that I am) that this is a good example of his craft and art. You don't see the thug -- you see the wall in the moonlight. You are removed from the location of the moment and transported somewhere else. When the metaphor swamps the reality, you're in trouble. Also, walls aren't calm.
I have to agree. Chandler has some of the greatest sentences ever, but that second one's not one of them.
Post a Comment