Deception and Detection: The Trickster Archetype in the film, The Big Lebowski, and its Cult Following

A scene towards the end of the film The Big Lebowski (TBL) unmistakably illustrates the connection between the trickster and detective work. The comedy film describes the travails of the Dude, whose outsider life is concerned with three things: drinking White Russians, smoking marijuana, and bowling. The Dude accidentally becomes involved in a kidnapping and the seedy world of pornography producers and actors, thugs, loan sharks and violent German nihilists. The Dude is propelled along with the events of the kidnapping by outside forces while his only concern is to get back to bowling. The story has been described as, “a 1940s Raymond Chandler whodunit on acid (Yost, 2003).” At one point, thugs working for Jackie Treehorn, a pornography producer, have abducted the Dude (Coen & Coen, 1998, 1:15:40). Treehorn questions the Dude about a missing woman, and then is interrupted by a phone call. Treehorn takes the call, writes down something on a pad of paper, tears off the top sheet and leaves the room. Now alone in the room, the Dude examines the notepad, picks up a pencil and begins to rub its point on the notepad in an attempt to trace the writing on Treehorn’s sheet. I think: finally, the Dude is acting like a detective! I actually feel a sense of relief after watching the Dude sleepwalk through the mystery for so long. And what di