Part 6/14:
This critique extends to other archetypes like Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlo. Marlo isn’t a hero because he acts heroic as much as because he lives by an internal code of chivalry—knight-like ideals—despite the corrupt environment of Los Angeles. Chandler describes Marlo as a man who maintains a noble spirit amid the “mean streets,” embodying a postmodern knight’s quest. The contrast is stark: Don Quixote’s delusional heroism versus Marlo’s realistic, deliberate adherence to principle despite knowing about the world’s evil.