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Hollywood Protagonists, Tend To Be Active, To Seek Out Goals And Pursue Them ...

Hollywood protagonists, tend to be active, to seek out goals and pursue them rather than having goals simply thrust upon them. Almost invariably, the protagonist's goals define the main line of action.'
It is fortunate that Thompson has left room for exceptions in her analysis as The Dude is certainly an exception. The Dude has no clear motivation for anything other than his love of bowling. He seems to undertake his role as private investigator because it is easier than ignoring it. As he proclaims himself when things start to get too involved, The dude just wanted his rug back!
It is coincidence that draws him into the films plot and the will of others that keep him connected to it. Initially it is the fact that he shares a surname and is confused with ‘The Big Lebowski' (David Huddleston) who is in trouble with known villain and pornographer Jackie Treehorn (Ben Gazzara.) It is this simple mistaken identity that brings intrigue, violence and crime into the dude's life.
The Dude's house is constantly invaded when he is vulnerable and attempting to relax and he becomes the victim of unchecked aggression. Firstly he is attacked when he returns home from bowling to an unlit apartment, secondly he is knocked unconscious when he is lying on his rug closed eyed listening to a cassette player and lastly the nihilists set loose a marmot in his bath tub whilst he is bathing.
The Dude is also very suggestible and is easily led by the will of his friends. He is often heard read repeating what other characters have said earlier in the film, sometimes out of context. It is at Walter's (John Goodman) suggestion that he go to see Mr. Lebowski to get recompense for his soiled rug, it is also Walters's intervention that foils the handover of the ransom and seemingly gets The Dude more deeply involved in the plot. Rather than paying visits or ‘shakedown' potential witness, the dude is perpetually summoned to meetings, at which further narrative information is divulged. Left to his own devices the Dude would discover very little.
With his unkempt hair and bearded, grubby tee-shirts, shorts and sandals, the Dude is the epitome of the physical embodiment burnt out hippy. He is a laid back stoner willing to relax and let events unfold around him. He is amiable and likeable, and it is from his subjective point of view that we unravel the mystery. The audience is never privy to information that is denied to the dude. It is his character that makes him so easily manipulated by outside sources especially ‘the big Lebowski' whose fake kidnapping sting sets the dude up as fall guy his embezzlement of charity money.
It is the subversion of the archetypal private eye character that makes The Big Lebowski so successful. The Dude is a recognizable and fully developed character that the audience can relate to as opposed to a figure that is so well documented it has almost become a stereotype or a parody of itself.


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