Character Analysis: The Maltese Falcon
Reading Response to the Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.
By
Elgran
[Course]
[Instructor]
[Date]
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, is a novel about Detective Sam Spade who is unknowingly lured into finding a seemingly valuable artwork called the Maltese Falcon. Along with is partner Miles Archer, Sam Spade is tricked by Miss Wonderly into tracking a Floyd Thursby who according to her initial story at the beginning was running off with her younger sister. Spade and Archer accepted the job apparently because they felt the pay was good and that they could earn more if they executed the job properly. However, event that unfolded immediately afterwards made it obvious that detective Spade had gotten himself into a serious …show more content…
criminal case. First was the death of his partner Miles Archer, then the allegation by Lieutenant Dundy and Tom Polhaus that Spade is a prime suspect in the murder of his partner. In his bid to find out what happened to his partner and to clear himself of allegations of murder, detective Spade finds out the truth about Miss Wonderly whose actual name was Brigid O 'Shaughnessy and her connection to Floyd Thursby who was not running away with Brigid 's sister, but was her acquaintance who had betrayed her and perhaps had in his possession a prized Object -the Maltese Falcon. Eventually, Spade is able to obtain the Maltese Falcon and why it was so important. Also, Spade is able to discover the reasons for which his partner was murdered, as well as the party responsible for the murder crime which turned out to be Brigid O 'Shaughnessy.
The Maltese Falcon turned out to be and interesting read for me, the direct style and the fact that it was not too lengthy made it a bit easy to finish it within a short time. I discovered that Dashiell Hammett himself was once worked as an operative for the famed Pinkerton National Detective Agency (Marling, n.d.). This could explain his in passion for hard-boiled detective fiction novels. There are several reasons why I find the Maltese Falcon an interesting novel, from the plot to the fundamental theme of greed and the characterization as well as the inclusion of the well rooted stereotypical classification of women as expected in a detective fiction novel or film. Starting with the plot, the Maltese Falcon as a hard-boiled detective fiction does not disappoint in the expected fast paced setting. From the point when Miss Wonderly walks into Spade and Archer’s office, it was a pulsating encounter for Spade hopping from one scene to the other searching for clues and and answers while further getting entangled in a complicated situation. Personally, I found it a bit difficult to drop the book as I wanted to get to the end of it as quickly as possible. In this regard, I think the novel could have used a little more suspense as it was somewhat straight forward with less ambiguity. Asides from this tiny complaint from me, it was a novel I enjoyed reading.
Also, I personally feel the way and manner Hammett throws introduces readers to the characters makes it easy to connect these characters with their actions.
From the opening description of Samuel Spade, one could easily anticipate the kind of character he will be. “He looked rather pleasantly like a blond Satan.”(Hammett, 1929 pp. 1) This description in my view depicts Spade as a someone possesses shrewdness and will normally put self-interest first when dealing with others. A stand out character foe me is the character of Brigid O 'Shaughnessy, for her manipulative, femme fatale nature. This is a major stereotypical characterization of women in most detective fiction novel and it is still very much evident in today’s novel and films. Her character portrays that of a woman who will stop at nothing to achieve her aim and will use what she considers her most potent weapon (her beauty) to get other to do or give her what she wants. The character of Sam Spade the protagonist of the novel, clearly depicts someone that is greedy and places self-interest and monetary gains over every other thing. When approached by Miss Wonderly to help solve a problem, Spade despite knowing the client was lying accepted the task because of the financial gain he stands to gain. He made this clear when he stated "We didn 't exactly believe your story...We believed your two hundred dollars."(Hammett, 1929 pp. 17) Apparently, Spade’s greed will undoubtedly get him into trouble as his acceptance of the
job pulled him into a web of crime and uncertainties and it was interesting to see him struggle to clear himself of any wrong doing.
Finally, I love the fact that Hammett sought to keep the story in the realistic realm as much as possible. Quite unlike some detective fiction novels I have read, the characters and the manner in which the plot progresses does not appear far-fetched as one can easily relate with the event in the novel. Hammett’s crafting of the dialogue and his narration of were ensured that the reader is not lost and in some complex imaginative world but could relate it with what can be expected when faced with similar situation. I believe that is what should be expected of a hard-boiled fictional story.
References
Hammett, D. (1929). The Maltese Falcon. Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Vintage Books. New York
Marling, W. (n.d.). Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961). Detnovel.com. Retrieved November 14, 2013 from http://www.detnovel.com/Hammett.html
By
Elgran
[Course]
[Instructor]
[Date]
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, is a novel about Detective Sam Spade who is unknowingly lured into finding a seemingly valuable artwork called the Maltese Falcon. Along with is partner Miles Archer, Sam Spade is tricked by Miss Wonderly into tracking a Floyd Thursby who according to her initial story at the beginning was running off with her younger sister. Spade and Archer accepted the job apparently because they felt the pay was good and that they could earn more if they executed the job properly. However, event that unfolded immediately afterwards made it obvious that detective Spade had gotten himself into a serious …show more content…
criminal case. First was the death of his partner Miles Archer, then the allegation by Lieutenant Dundy and Tom Polhaus that Spade is a prime suspect in the murder of his partner. In his bid to find out what happened to his partner and to clear himself of allegations of murder, detective Spade finds out the truth about Miss Wonderly whose actual name was Brigid O 'Shaughnessy and her connection to Floyd Thursby who was not running away with Brigid 's sister, but was her acquaintance who had betrayed her and perhaps had in his possession a prized Object -the Maltese Falcon. Eventually, Spade is able to obtain the Maltese Falcon and why it was so important. Also, Spade is able to discover the reasons for which his partner was murdered, as well as the party responsible for the murder crime which turned out to be Brigid O 'Shaughnessy.
The Maltese Falcon turned out to be and interesting read for me, the direct style and the fact that it was not too lengthy made it a bit easy to finish it within a short time. I discovered that Dashiell Hammett himself was once worked as an operative for the famed Pinkerton National Detective Agency (Marling, n.d.). This could explain his in passion for hard-boiled detective fiction novels. There are several reasons why I find the Maltese Falcon an interesting novel, from the plot to the fundamental theme of greed and the characterization as well as the inclusion of the well rooted stereotypical classification of women as expected in a detective fiction novel or film. Starting with the plot, the Maltese Falcon as a hard-boiled detective fiction does not disappoint in the expected fast paced setting. From the point when Miss Wonderly walks into Spade and Archer’s office, it was a pulsating encounter for Spade hopping from one scene to the other searching for clues and and answers while further getting entangled in a complicated situation. Personally, I found it a bit difficult to drop the book as I wanted to get to the end of it as quickly as possible. In this regard, I think the novel could have used a little more suspense as it was somewhat straight forward with less ambiguity. Asides from this tiny complaint from me, it was a novel I enjoyed reading.
Also, I personally feel the way and manner Hammett throws introduces readers to the characters makes it easy to connect these characters with their actions.
From the opening description of Samuel Spade, one could easily anticipate the kind of character he will be. “He looked rather pleasantly like a blond Satan.”(Hammett, 1929 pp. 1) This description in my view depicts Spade as a someone possesses shrewdness and will normally put self-interest first when dealing with others. A stand out character foe me is the character of Brigid O 'Shaughnessy, for her manipulative, femme fatale nature. This is a major stereotypical characterization of women in most detective fiction novel and it is still very much evident in today’s novel and films. Her character portrays that of a woman who will stop at nothing to achieve her aim and will use what she considers her most potent weapon (her beauty) to get other to do or give her what she wants. The character of Sam Spade the protagonist of the novel, clearly depicts someone that is greedy and places self-interest and monetary gains over every other thing. When approached by Miss Wonderly to help solve a problem, Spade despite knowing the client was lying accepted the task because of the financial gain he stands to gain. He made this clear when he stated "We didn 't exactly believe your story...We believed your two hundred dollars."(Hammett, 1929 pp. 17) Apparently, Spade’s greed will undoubtedly get him into trouble as his acceptance of the
job pulled him into a web of crime and uncertainties and it was interesting to see him struggle to clear himself of any wrong doing.
Finally, I love the fact that Hammett sought to keep the story in the realistic realm as much as possible. Quite unlike some detective fiction novels I have read, the characters and the manner in which the plot progresses does not appear far-fetched as one can easily relate with the event in the novel. Hammett’s crafting of the dialogue and his narration of were ensured that the reader is not lost and in some complex imaginative world but could relate it with what can be expected when faced with similar situation. I believe that is what should be expected of a hard-boiled fictional story.
References
Hammett, D. (1929). The Maltese Falcon. Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Vintage Books. New York
Marling, W. (n.d.). Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961). Detnovel.com. Retrieved November 14, 2013 from http://www.detnovel.com/Hammett.html