The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski, as a classified as comedy and noir, is a film about a sloppy slacker that likes to call himself “The Dude” who eventually gets into a messy situation involving a kidnapping. The Dude is an Absurd hero who lives his life the way he wants to and doesn’t try to make more interesting by doing other activities other than bowling. It’s about someone who doesn’t belong, about “…he's the man for his time and place.” (Stranger) Regardless of its success in the box office and what critics had to say about it, The Big Lebowski gained its popularity through time and the writings of academics in film and literature. As the story unfolds to the dungeons of nonsense, the audience gets to see fictional characters that undoubtedly relate to
Take his obsession with the rug, “Dude’s rug is shabby at best, but as he says on more than one occasion, ‘it really tied the room together, man.’ Small space or not, the apartment is his and he takes pride in it.” (Tangney) When the Chinaman undoes his pants, Dude says, "Not on the rug, man." As if it would be acceptable for him to urinate anywhere else in the room. Dude's contentment with the new rug from the Lebowski mansion rules out any particular sentimental attachments to his original rug, unlike Maude who bought her rug as a gift to her mother. As Maude tries to engage him on the subject of sex, "Sex. The physical act of love. Coitus. Do you like it?" he is disinterested, " I was talking about my rug." When he is offered $20,000 to deliver ransom money to a group of supposed kidnappers, he tells Walter, "20 grand, man. And, of course, I still get to keep the rug..." Even when Maude offers him a $100,000 to recover the stolen money, he still prioritizes the rug. Jackie Treehorn later offers him 10% deal on finding the money and after being spiked The Dude mumbles his simple motive again as he loses consciousness, "All the Dude ever wanted was his rug back...it really tied the room together." On two occasions we see The Dude relaxing, standing on the rug with one foot in the air meditating. Then we see laying on the rug listening to an audio tape as his arms make meditative gestures. The Dude is definitely not a materialist; therefore, this rug obsession is most likely symbolic. It seems that the rug represents The Dude's spiritual well-being, and his ability to remain calm. The connection to this is emphasized in the first dream sequence; Dude is seen chasing after Maude who is flying away towards