Carmen’s pearl-handled revolver

Carmen’s pearl-handled revolver is the object through which Philip Marlowe connects Carmen Sternwood’s attempt to shoot him with her earlier killing of Rusty Regan. First returned to Carmen after Marlowe has cleaned and loaded it, the gun later becomes the tangible evidence he places before Vivian Regan: its chambers are empty because Carmen fired all five shots at him, and Marlowe explains that Regan was shot with the same weapon during a shooting lesson at the old wells.

Identity and Handling

The revolver is Carmen’s small, pearl-handled gun. Marlowe carries it in his pocket and returns it to her after cleaning and loading it, calling it her artillery. He cautions her not to shoot people unless she becomes a better shot, recalling an earlier warning and linking the weapon to her demonstrated lack of accuracy.

Carmen responds to the returned gun with visible fascination and asks Marlowe to teach her to shoot. The exchange gives the revolver a seemingly ordinary purpose as a firearm for practice, but the request acquires a darker significance when Marlowe later recounts the lesson at which Carmen turned the gun away from its intended target.

The Shooting at the Old Wells

Marlowe identifies the revolver as the weapon Carmen used on the day Regan disappeared. Late that afternoon, Regan took her to the old wells to teach her to shoot. He set up a can as a target and stood near her while she fired. According to Marlowe’s account, Carmen did not shoot at the can: she turned the gun on Regan and shot him.

The lesson therefore supplies the concealed history behind the disappearance. The gun joins the apparent shooting practice to the murder Marlowe reveals to Vivian, making the weapon a physical link between Carmen’s actions and the mystery surrounding Regan.

Evidence Presented to Vivian

During his explanation to Vivian, Marlowe takes the revolver from his pocket and lays it carefully on her white satin knee. He steps back and watches as she looks down at it. The deliberate placement shifts the conversation from an abstract account to an object she must confront directly.

Marlowe tells Vivian that all five chambers are empty because Carmen fired every shot at him. He then explains that he had loaded the revolver with blanks, anticipating that Carmen might try to shoot him. The empty chambers and the explanation of the blanks distinguish the recent attempt from the earlier killing: Carmen did fire at Marlowe, but the loaded ammunition could not harm him.

Narrative Significance

The revolver changes from something Marlowe returns for Carmen’s use into the central evidence of his disclosure. Its successive appearances bind together Carmen’s request to learn to shoot, Regan’s disappearance, and her later attempt against Marlowe. The careful return and display of the gun also give the revelation its force: Marlowe does not merely tell Vivian that Carmen shot at him and Regan; he places the weapon before her as the material trace connecting the two events.