"The Big Lebowski" is not!

[Outer Element]

Ok, this has been bugging me ever since either the first or the second time I saw the film (can't remember which--lost my train of thought there):

?The Big Lebowski,? is used as a moniker for the pretend-millionaire Lebowski by just about everyone who talks about The Big Lebowski, the movie, as far as I can tell. However, the movie is not about this Lebowski. It?s about the Dude and his interactions with the rest of the characters, including his ?evil twin.? If the title alludes to any character in particular, it should refer to the Dudely protagonist. But it doesn't, because the Dude is not "big" in any sense and because he dissociates himself from this name ("You're Mr. Lebowski--I'm the Dude"). Since ?Mr. Lebowski? portrays himself as big?indeed, much bigger than he really is--the title of the movie has been popularly assigned to him. However, as previously stated, the movie isn't about him. Therefore, this is a misnomer.

If The Big Lebowski doesn't allude to either Lebowski, it must mean something else--something bigger. I say that it refers to the larger theme of "the whole durned human comedy, perpetuating itself down through the generations." Like "The Big Sleep," it's a term describing not any particular human, but a condition of being human?westward the wagons, across the sands of time.

I don't know what else you'd call "Mr. Big" besides TBL, but I just don't think that's him, dudes.

I just needed to get that off my chest. Will take a ?Big Chill? pill now.

[Caesar dude]

Which begs the question.....which of the two Lebowskis is bigger.... I know my answer...

Peace dude.

[Outer Element]

Hey, man, the Dude has his flaws. He covers his ass when he feels the need; he's a reactionary to Walter's foibles; his brain-mouth connection doesn't work so well; he self-medicates 24/7. It's part of the humorous nature of the character. We just select his best traits--abiding, in particular--and put them on a pedestal, aided by the Stranger's tall-tale-style setup. Big? Well, he's just your average joe hippie that rolls with the punches, and that's what we like.