Character Analysis: The Maltese Falcon
Reading Response to the Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.
By
Elgran
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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…
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
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…
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