One of the most memorable characters from The Big Lebowski is Sam Elliott’s mysterious The Stranger, but he may actually just be a figment of The Dude’s imagination. The Big Lebowski is a 1998 Coen brothers neo-noir about Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) who becomes wrapped up in a kidnapping scheme after a couple of thugs mistake him for a millionaire of the same name. The Dude originally just wants his rug replaced, but finds himself in an increasingly complicated situation when his friend Walter (John Goodman) tries to take the ransom money, the Big Lebowski’s daughter seduces him, and nihilists continue to hunt him down.
The Stranger, played by typecast cowboy Sam Elliott, is the narrator of The Big Lebowski, setting up the story before The Dude is even shown on screen. The film then shows The Stranger about halfway through the story when The Dude goes to contemplate his harrowing situation as he orders a White Russian at the bowling alley bar. The Stranger passes on some wise words in old-west style, then departs. The Big Lebowski then shows The Stranger at the very end to close out the plot with The Dude at the bowling alley.
Though obviously serving as the narrator, it’s unclear whether The Stranger is an actual, real-life person within the world of The Big Lebowski or is simply a figment of The Dude’s addled imagination. The Stranger appears to "The Dude" Lebowski in the middle of the film when he requires assistance in how to proceed, so it’s suspected The Stranger may actually be an imaginary figure he produced out of his subconscious. Since The Stranger is only ever seen talking to The Dude, the bartender - which The Dude could have also imagined - and the camera as a knows-all narrator, he’s likely not real within the confines of the story. It doesn’t even appear The Dude really knows who he is considering he only calls him “man” and seems surprised that he knows so much about him.
Another theory is that The Stranger is God, coming to The Dude in a time of need to pass on wisdom. This explanation actually has more evidence when considering The Big Lebowski’s theorized biblical comparisons to The Dude as Jesus, Maude as Mary Magdalene, The Stranger as God, and The Big Lebowski as Satan. The way in which The Stranger speaks to The Dude is through coded scripture-like talk. When he passes on the sentiment about how sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes it eats you, The Dude is taken back by the profoundness of the phrase, asking if it’s an Eastern philosophy. The Stranger replies, “far from it,” implying it’s a Western phrase, and if The Stranger is a cowboy manifestation of God, a Western saying is essentially scripture.
While several movies have narrators removed from the intimacy of the plot who are real within the confines of the story, The Stranger appears as a different manifestation. He’s The Big Lebowski's storyteller and passes on wisdom in the fashion of the Old West, representing Westerns that have obvious influence over American life and the film itself. Since The Dude is a stoner figure who really just wants to hang out, go bowling, and drink White Russians, it’s likely that within the plot, The Dude is tripping out and The Stranger is a manifestation of his imagination. On the other hand, The Stranger is dually a third-person figure that somehow knows all details of the plot, playing multiple roles as both real-to-the-audience narrator and transcendental preacher for The Dude in The Big Lebowski.