American Culture In Dashiell Hammett's Maltese Falcon

An artist’s expression is highly influenced by the culture in which they were raised. We see this theory proven in historical music, photography, paintings, and literature. Such influence can be easily noticed, but could also be incredibly difficult to find. No matter the case, I am almost absolute that some type of influence on the creator is there. In the case of the great detective novels, culture often plays an apparently vital role in the development of characters, and the case itself. We find this proven true in many of the novels that we were introduced to. Most notably, for starters, we see American culture be heavily embedded in the novel “Maltese Falcon”.
Dashiell Hammett, in his novel, transcribes a classic tail of the chase for materialism, only to end up with nothing. In the pursuit of wealth, lies and deception tend to arise accordingly; this is the case for the novel’s protagonist Sam Spade. The capitalistic foundation that America was built upon promotes moral dilemmas much like Spade endured. Although not specific only to American culture, Hammett’s use of culture was of much influence to this story.
Although not referring to the endless pursuit of money, a silver-lined problem is also embedded in this story. We find that in the detective’s town, there is a problem with the questioning of the unknown. Surface level knowledge is agreed upon, and authority is not questioned further. Sciascia seems to use this story as a subtle jab at Italian culture. What makes a great detective is his ability to question the unknown, and the absence of the town’s ability to do so is what drives the novel’s detective to keep pushing