As a private eye in the 1940’s you would think that Sam Spade would follow the rules and be a role model as at the time it was seen as one of those glory jobs that are always depicted in filmsand such. But he is far from that from the time readers get through the first few pages. Think about a 1940s representation of Dr. House. As he knows the cops thinks that he killed hispartner but wont go out of his way to prove his innocence as he knows they have nothing, sort ofa “I know I’m smarter then you attitude”. As the story progresses he readers see his actions slowly change the way he goes about his business.
The first couple pages of the novel kicks off the story with Sam Spade accepting an offer totake on a case by a women who readers later find out is named Brigid O’Shaughnessy. Before Spade and his partner Archer even heard the rest of her story he accepted the case based on the fact that she was good looking as described in the first few pages.
Sam winked at his partner.
Archer came forward to stand at a corner of the
desk. While the girl looked at her bag he looked at her bag he looked at her.
His little brown eyes ran their bold appraising gaze from her lowered face down
to her feet and up to her face again. Then Spade looked at his partner and made
a silent whistling mouth of appreciation.
Spade lifted from his chair and
said “We shouldn’t have any trouble with it.” (Hammet, 7)
Because of his hastiness to accept the case it leads to the death of his partner and the possiblecharge of homicide for his partners death. Later Spade meets a man named Joe Cairo, who also seeks the assistance of a private eye to find the where abouts of the Maltese Falcon. When he finds out that both Brigids and Joes case conflict with each others but he takes it on anyways as he sees the opportunity to take the falcon himself.
After confronted by Joe Cairo Spade later finds himself with Brigid to confront her about his new case and it doesn’t sit so well with her as she was supposed to be his focus at the time and did not expect Sam Spade to pick up another case.
“Surely your not considering it,” she said.
“Why not? Five thousand dollars
is a lot of money”
“But mister spade you promised to help me.” Her hands were
on his arm. “I trusted you. You cant –“ She broke off, took her hands from his
sleeve and worked them together.
Spade smiled gently into her troubled eyes.
“Don’t lets try to figure out how much you’ve trusted me,” he said. “I promised
to help you-sure- but you didn’t say anything about any black birds”
“You
wont – you cant- treat me like that.” Her eyes were cobalt
blue prayers. “Five thousand dollars is,” he said for the third time, “a lot of
money” (Hammet, 57)
One of the sub characters in this novel is Casper Gutman. Although Dashiel Hammet doesn’treveal to much about him, what the readers do get is enough to tell readers that he’s all about looking out for number one. Numerous times in the book he puts the people around him in danger only to get his hands on the falcon, something that he is so obsessed with that he spent the last seventeen years of his life circling the glob in search of the Maltese Falcon.
The first thing that readers end up noticing about the man is that his daughter means nothing to him compared to the wealth that is to be gained with the apprehension of the falcon. And only seems to be aware of her presence when he can use her to distract Spade long enough to get the falcon. He even put her in physical danger and in trouble with the law as she pretended to be drugged and kidnapped in the Hotel. Later Spade finds out that she wasn’t drugged at all as shortly after he arrived Rhea escaped from the hotel. Its also not a coincidence that Rhea is seventeen years old as well as it was a point made by Hammet to show how Gutman essentially missed out entirely on raising his daughter.
Another small character in this novel is Wilmer Cook, also known as Gutmans “secretary” Wilmer sees Gutman as a father figure, or a role model but as the readers find out Gutman doesn’t exactly see Wilmer as a son. This is said later on in the novel as Gutman was telling Wilmer that he was to be a fallback guy and take on the charges that were laid on Gutman for his actions involving several murders that were done to acquire the falcon.
"I couldn't be any fonder of you if you were my own son; but — well, by Gad! —
if you lose a son it's possible to get another — and there's only one
Maltese
falcon."(Hammet, 194)
Two more characters that play hug roles in this novel are Joel Cairo and Brigid O'Shaughnessys, both of them are caught up in capturing the falcon. First of all Brigid made up a story about her sister going missing because she wanted her accomplice in stealing the falcon(Mr.Thursby) followed around because she didn’t trust him. She tells Spade how much she needs him for protection knowing how much he is in love with her. But every time she sees the chance to steal the falcon with out anyone knowing she disappears from Spades side. In the end the reader finds out that she had actually killed Archer to take the spotlight off of her.
Joe Cairo becomes obsessed with the falcon as well as the novel progresses he was even said to be “deadly” by his employer Mr. Gutman. He proved this bypointing Sam Spade at gunpoint in the beginning of the novel until Spade agreed to take his case. At the end of the novel he even agrees to travel with Mr.Gutman to search for the falcon as he still had the dreams of the untold wealth that followed the falcon.
In this novel, Hammet uses greed as a fuel for most of the main characters ambition as all of them became obsessed with the wealth that was promised to them with the capture of the Maltese Falcon. Weather or not it was the story’s antagonist Mr.Gutman or the protagonist Sam Spade each character at somepoint put aside there morals and thought for the people around them for personal gain.
Refrences - Hammett, Dashiell. Maltese Falcon. First Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Edition. New York: Vintage Books, 1930.
No comments:
Post a Comment