The Big Sleep

by

Raymond Chandler

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Big Sleep makes teaching easy.

Mona Mars Character Analysis

The wife of racketeer Eddie Mars, Mona tells herself that her criminal husband doesn’t have blood on his hands. Mona hides after the disappearance of Rusty Regan to support Eddie’s lie that she and Rusty ran off together. In reality, Eddie helped Mrs. Regan hide Rusty’s body after her younger sister, Carmen Sternwood, killed him. When private detective Philip Marlowe finds Mona’s hiding place, she helps him escape Eddie’s hired thug Lash Canino. Marlowe calls her “Silver-Wig,” after the wig she wears to hide her cropped hair, which she cut off to prove her loyalty to Eddie.

Mona Mars Quotes in The Big Sleep

The The Big Sleep quotes below are all either spoken by Mona Mars or refer to Mona Mars. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Corruption of Society Theme Icon
).
Chapter 20 Quotes

He’s got friends in town, or he wouldn’t be what he is.

Related Characters: Captain Al Gregory (speaker), Philip Marlowe, Eddie Mars, Terrence “Rusty” Regan, Mona Mars
Page Number: 125
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 21 Quotes

Eddie Mars would have been very unlikely to involve himself in a double murder just because another man had gone to town with the blonde he was not even living with … If there had been a lot of money involved, that would be different. But fifteen grand wouldn't be a lot of money to Eddie Mars. He was no two-bit chiseler like Brody.

Related Characters: Philip Marlowe (speaker), Eddie Mars, Terrence “Rusty” Regan, Joe Brody, Mona Mars
Related Symbols: Money
Page Number: 128
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 28 Quotes

Once outside the law you’re all the way outside. You think he’s just a gambler. I think he’s a pornographer, a blackmailer, a hot car broker, a killer by remote control, and a suborner of crooked cops. He’s whatever looks good to him, whatever has the cabbage pinned to it. Don’t try to sell me on any high-souled racketeers. They don’t come in that pattern.

Related Characters: Philip Marlowe (speaker), Eddie Mars, Mona Mars
Page Number: 194
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 30 Quotes

Being a copper I like to see the law win. I'd like to see the flashy well-dressed mugs like Eddie Mars spoiling their manicures in the rock quarry at Folsom, alongside of the poor little slum-bred hard guys that got knocked over on their first caper and never had a break since. That’s what I’d like. You and me both lived too long to think I’m likely to see it happen. Not in this town, not in any town half this size, in any part of this wide, green and beautiful U.S.A. We just don’t run our country that way.

Related Characters: Captain Al Gregory (speaker), Philip Marlowe, Eddie Mars, Mona Mars
Related Symbols: Money
Page Number: 204
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Big Sleep LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Big Sleep PDF

Mona Mars Quotes in The Big Sleep

The The Big Sleep quotes below are all either spoken by Mona Mars or refer to Mona Mars. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Corruption of Society Theme Icon
).
Chapter 20 Quotes

He’s got friends in town, or he wouldn’t be what he is.

Related Characters: Captain Al Gregory (speaker), Philip Marlowe, Eddie Mars, Terrence “Rusty” Regan, Mona Mars
Page Number: 125
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 21 Quotes

Eddie Mars would have been very unlikely to involve himself in a double murder just because another man had gone to town with the blonde he was not even living with … If there had been a lot of money involved, that would be different. But fifteen grand wouldn't be a lot of money to Eddie Mars. He was no two-bit chiseler like Brody.

Related Characters: Philip Marlowe (speaker), Eddie Mars, Terrence “Rusty” Regan, Joe Brody, Mona Mars
Related Symbols: Money
Page Number: 128
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 28 Quotes

Once outside the law you’re all the way outside. You think he’s just a gambler. I think he’s a pornographer, a blackmailer, a hot car broker, a killer by remote control, and a suborner of crooked cops. He’s whatever looks good to him, whatever has the cabbage pinned to it. Don’t try to sell me on any high-souled racketeers. They don’t come in that pattern.

Related Characters: Philip Marlowe (speaker), Eddie Mars, Mona Mars
Page Number: 194
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 30 Quotes

Being a copper I like to see the law win. I'd like to see the flashy well-dressed mugs like Eddie Mars spoiling their manicures in the rock quarry at Folsom, alongside of the poor little slum-bred hard guys that got knocked over on their first caper and never had a break since. That’s what I’d like. You and me both lived too long to think I’m likely to see it happen. Not in this town, not in any town half this size, in any part of this wide, green and beautiful U.S.A. We just don’t run our country that way.

Related Characters: Captain Al Gregory (speaker), Philip Marlowe, Eddie Mars, Mona Mars
Related Symbols: Money
Page Number: 204
Explanation and Analysis: