Analysis of Maltese Falcon

A detailed Summary of Analysis of Maltese Falcon

I don't recall if Gutman said it in the movie about the Falcon being coated by lacquer to obfuscate that it's really made of gold and jewels. I think it was implied that nothing is what they really seem to be. This is what I believe Dashiell Hammett was trying to communicate through his novel, 'The Maltese Falcon.' In this paper I will write about why I believe what is Hammett trying to convey through his cast of characters. These characters are unlike the image and stereotype cast upon their roles.

Sam Spade isn't exactly the typical (stereotypical?) main character or rather a detective character (I think for any main character.) By his looks/appearance, "He [Spade] looked rather pleasantly like a blond satan" (p. 3). Suggesting he is not angelic looking like lets say Humphrey Bogard (an indication that the movie isn't true to the novel). The film ruined the ironic un-charming hero concept the novel have and so do I as one of my first example of the "things-are-not-what-they-seemed-theory-for-Hammett's message." Spade is callous, avaricious, and shares a similarity with Mike from 'The House of Games.' Why I think Mike and Spade are similar? For one thing Brigid O'Shaughnessy gave Spade a talk/speech about him using her pret

Brigid O'Shaughnessy (whom I will refer as Brigid because her last name is long) is a complex character in which that she appears to be a typical damsel-in-distress but suppose to be "a beautiful and treacherous woman whose loyalties shift at the drop of a dime." (backcover) Yet Brigid is demure and gentle throughout the novel. In the movie however she seemed blunt unlike her very shy novel counterpart. She was less shy in the movie and she said why she needed Spade and Archer's help right away wereas in the novel she said "Could you-? I thought-I-that is-" softly. I think due to the women's movement that happened recently then they decided to make Brigid less shy. Brigid's character is unlike the usual damsel-in-distress female role though she her mannerisms is. Brigid's non damsel-in-distress characteristics are subtle. Brigid's treacherous acts were mentioned but she was never shown acting it outright. These acts were also vague that it barely makes you think of Brigid any less. When I read the book I didn't see how Brigid is treacherous. Brigid lied but that doesn't seem treacherous at all maybe because I think it was written in a way as if she is telling a tiny white lie. Her so called treachery are obfuscated by her demure mannerism as if to soften them. In the end of the novel/film when she revealed that she killed Miles she said it in a way that it was an innocent accident and goes on with her "You used me..." speech to make it look like the victim. Brigid's lines were written in a way they it makes her look victimized and sorry that we are inclined to be sympathetic of what a tortured soul sh

Some common words found in the essay are:
Spade Archer's, Dundy Dundy, Ford Mike, Brigid O'Shaughnessy, Spade Spade, Cairo Gutman, Humphrey Bogard, Sam Spade, Santa Claus, Mike Spade, mike spade, hammett trying, bad guy, spade spade, hammett trying convey, bad gutman, ford mike, trying convey, main character, spade callous, women mike,

Approximate Word count = 1087
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels