Concepts of Gender, Race and Class in The Maltese Falcon Authored by Dashiell Hammett - Book Report/Review Example

The Maltese Falcon: A Critical Reading 0 Introduction The Maltese Falcon is a detective novel ed by Dashiell Hammett which came into publication in the 1930’s. It tells the story of detective Sam Pade who finds himself involved in an intricate case of finding a jewel encrusted falcon. The mysterious and valuable object which have been described as a gift to the Carles V of Spain brings about three murders. Spade, determined to find out the truth behind the killings, immerses himself in a group of people who are desperate to obtain for themselves the much coveted falcon. The plot unfolds and we learn in the end who did the killings and for what reason it was done. The falcon turns out to be fake and the criminals are pinned by Sam Spade who have been bent on acquiring justice for his murdered partner whose wife he was having an affair with. This paper aims to provide an in-depth analysis regarding gender and class relations present in the composition if there are any. This is in line with the view that literary works mirrors society even if unconsciously. What does the text say about the people then? How did they interact with one another? What was the role of women, men and those in between? These are the questions that would be guiding the discussions. Information regarding gender issues are presented first before the analysis of the text for every gender, class and race presented. However, we would almost be dealing with gender issues because this is what isprominent in the work. This is done so you, the reader, could better appreciate the discussion involving the literary work. I would like to inform the reader to adapt a more critical view as most of the concepts here presented may seem to be far fetched. I have tried my best to argue my ideas and it would up to you whether they hold substance. 2.0 On Gender Issues 2.1 On the Woman In ages past, the woman was only deemed fit for household chores and the raising of children. They had no right to vote and share their views on matters concerning the family and the community nor were they allowed to vote or decide their marriages. Even today, some societies have meticulously preserved tradition on the status of Adam’s partner. To serve as objects of desire and weakness – that was their role. Nonetheless, there have been significant changes on the way society regards women. Various reforms have been made to the point that they now enjoy most of the liberties of men giving rise to the term “women empowerment”. Feminism comprises a number of social, cultural and political movements, theories and moral philosophies that are concerned with the impact of cultural, political, and economic practices and inequalities on discrimination against women. Feminism is also described as an ideology focusing on equality of both sexes. Some have argued that gendered and sexed identities, such as "man" and "woman", are social constructs. Feminists often differ in opinion over the sources of inequality, how to attain equality, and the extent to which gender and gender-based identities should be questioned and critiqued. Liberal feminists, such as Gloria Steinem, believe the women’s liberation movement revolves around the equality of genders, and that gender should not be the only factor in shaping a persons social identity or socio-economic rights. Radical feminists would also argue that feminism is about ending societal domination and elitism. Modern feminist political activists commonly campaign for a womans right to bodily integrity and autonomy on matters such as reproductive rights, including the right to abort, access to contraception and quality prenatal care; for protection from domestic violence; against sexual harassment and rape; for workplace rights, including maternity leave and equal pay; and against other forms of discrimination. Many feminists currently regard feminism as a grass-roots movement that seeks to cross boundaries based on social class, race, culture and religion. They also argue that an effective feminist movement should address universal issues, such as rape, incest, and prostitution, and culturally specific issues, such as female genital cutting in some parts of Africa and the Middle East and "glass ceiling" practices that impede womens advancement in developed economies. Feminism explores subjects such as patriarchy, stereotyping, sexual objectification and gender oppression. (Antrobus, 2004) I now undertake a feminist reading of the Maltese Falcon text. Brigid O’Shaughnessy represents the modern woman- the no longer servile character and the woman empowered. The fact that she was able to talk Spade into believing that she needed help in dispatching Thursby so she can be with her sister tells a lot of the character of the woman. She was able to think for herself and be brave enough to fool someone. Later in the story, we learn that Brigid actually tried to take the falcon for herself and had been the architect of the murder of Archer and Thursby. She was able to spin an intricate web of deceit and lies and we can say that she deceived almost everybody - Gutman, Thursby, Cairo, Jacobi and even Spade. She is no longer a passive member of society who acts according to the whims of the men and the institutions they have created to reinforce that power. She is a symbol of the modern woman- intelligent and capable of many things. Nonetheless, as our society still has some sectors untouched or trying to be untouched by the feminist revolution, there are also those whose hands are still tied. There are still those women who are still servile and dictated by men. This is reflected in the character of Iva- Miles Archer’s wife. Spade and Iva had an illicit affair but the way Spade disregarded Iva and told her to consult an attorney depicts the condition of the disenfranchised woman – a plaything that can be disposed of, an object only of lust. However, one may argue that Iva’s relationship with another man is a sign of empowerment because she had the nerve to get into another relationship. While this is valid, I argue that entering a secret relationship is by no means a sign of empowerment. The reason behind this is that the relationship was kept secret which implies that there was a need to keep the public from knowing it. Why? It is because it is frowned upon. Any woman caught cheating on her partner is treated as an outcast, a person deserving of enmity. I ask then, does this also apply on cheating men? The macho effect still pervades our society which implies that when a man commits the act, it is considered as normal but when the woman does so, she is considered as dirty. We come to know that Brigid is the classic femme fatale who uses her body to get what she wants. To get the falcon and to have the opportunity to be reach, she seduces the Russian general, Thursby, Jacobi and even Spade . Why is it that when we refer to the woman, it would always involve her body? Why is it that to get what she wants, she had to use her body? Actually, it tells a lot about the resources available to the woman as determined by society. With almost all industries dominated by the male, she is left to peddle what she is allowed to get hold of and that is her body. Using the body to get something in return is not new for women. In fact, many of them had resorted to such just to be able to finance their basic needs. Does prostitution ring a bell? There is one more matter that should be deconstructed and this is with regards to Brigid being the architect of the death of Thursby, Archer and Jacobi. It would seem to me that she is to be seen as the anti-hero, the criminal or in simpler terms- the bad character. It is rather interesting that she turned out to be the villain in the story because males are often the one depicted as such. Though we do not know the true intention of the writer, I speculate that there was an attempt to depict the modern woman as a criminal and place the empowerment she is experiencing in a negative light. It is as if the characterization was a warning sign that tells the public that if women were left to acquire knowledge and be freed from domestication, there is a good chance that she will turn out as a person that cannot be trusted. 2.2 The Homosexual Homosexuality can refer to both sexual behavior and sexual attraction between people of the same sex or to a sexual orientation. When describing a sexual orientation, it refers to enduring sexual and romantic attraction toward others of the same sex, but does not necessarily involve sexual behavior.. Homosexuals were regarded as undesirable. The hate against these people could and is already translating to violence. In the United States, the FBI reported that 15.6% of hate crimes reported to police in 2003 were based on perceived sexual orientation. 61% of these attacks were against gay men. The 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay student, is the most famous incident in the United States. (Johnson, 2004) In Hammetts novel, Cairo, an accomplice of Gutman and Brigid is blatantly homosexual. Cairo perfumes his calling cards and handkerchiefs with gardenias, fusses about his clothes and becomes hysterical when blood from a scratch ruins his shirt and makes subtle fellating gestures with his cane during his interview with Spade. We ask now, why is there a need to include a homosexual character? I can only suspect that Cairo was placed in the story to at least provide a glint of humor to the dark atmosphere of the story. This is typical of the treatment of homosexuals who are seen as, in the words of Spade, ‘queer’. Homosexuality is discriminated upon and seen as undesirable. If you are one, expect to be treated as an outcast as most people will consider your actions comical but not acceptable, amusing but repulsive. You are not taken seriously. In other words, you become the focus of jokes because you are a freak of nature. Perhaps another amusing aspect of the story is the characterization of the homosexual as a criminal or trying to be one. Again, I do not know the intention of the writer himself but I am entertaining the idea that there was an attempt to depict homosexuality as a form of crime. Indeed, the idea of homosexuality as a form of crime is nothing new. It was even put into law. Homosexual acts are punishable by death in some present-day countries including Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Many historical nations have punished homosexual acts by death, including the Roman Empire under Constantine, Nazi Germany, and Afghanistan under the Taliban. Of course, one can also argue that the mere inclusion of the homosexual is already a form of recognition of these people. Cairo was even one the major characters. If there was indeed an attempt to discriminate, then they would not have been included in the story. In retrospect, I believe that their presence is indeed a form of recognition but what is important to realize is that they were recognized with a lack of respect. There was a hidden agenda in their recognition. It is how we treat people that matters and not only in acknowledging that they exist. Our inquiry into the depiction and inclusion of homosexuality in the story does not end there. We should note that, as is the case of Brigid who represents the modern woman, the homosexual was the loser in the end. Sam Spade, the symbol of the pride filled man, overcomes them all. It is like saying that the male will dominate them in the end no matter what traps, threats or circumstances they place him in. 2.3 The Man It is argued that most of societies today is of the patriarchal form which is defined to be the structuring of society on the basis of family units, in which fathers have primary responsibility for the welfare of these units. The concept of patriarchy is often used, by extension, to refer to the expectation that men take primary responsibility for the welfare of the community as a whole, acting as representatives via public office. The feminine form of patriarchy is matriarchy, but there are no known examples of matriarchies from any point in history. Encyclopædia Britannica says it is a "hypothetical social system". The Britannica article goes on to note, "The view of matriarchy as constituting a stage of cultural development is now generally discredited. Furthermore, the consensus among modern anthropologists and sociologists is that a strictly matriarchal society never existed." The anthropologist Margaret Mead went so far as in saying that, "All the claims so glibly made about societies ruled by women are nonsense. We have no reason to believe that they ever existed. ... men everywhere have been in charge of running the show. ... men have been the leaders in public affairs and the final authorities at home." (Baron-Cohen, 2003) Analyzing the story, we see that it is replete with ideas of men being the hero, the boss and the rich one. Sam Spade was the symbol of the man – able to acquire the affection of another man’s wife, able to gain the admiration even that of the lady antagonist and able to emerge as the winner. To say the least, the story was typical to that of the man getting his lady and emerging victorious – much like how James Bond movies end. Gutman, the fat one, was the symbol of coercion and corruption. Taken in another light, he was in fact the symbol of power that men so painstakingly attach to his self. He was the boss of Brigid, Cairo and Walter. That control he has of others especially that of the woman and the homosexual signify the current state of relationship among genders in our society today. The man is trying to gain superiority. If we look deeper, we can realize that the search for the Falcon turned out to be a contest for the different genders. Whoever wins it is acknowledged as the superior among them. This idea may be the reason why the falcon turned out to be a fake. If there was a winner, the story might be criticized as discriminatory. For example, if the homosexual wins, then the story might be criticized by the religious sectors of society. When the woman wins, some egocentric male would regard the composition as rather unreal. The losing side may boycott the publication and sales would not be enough to cover the cost. Again, this is just speculation on our part. 3.0 On Class and Race We have mentioned early in the paper that a critical reading regarding class and race is very minimal. With regards to class, most of the characters belong to the same class that we would classify as ‘can afford’. All of the characters belong to the same race and that is Caucasian except for the mention that the falcon was originally circulating in European hands and that it was formerly in the hands of a Russian general. Nonetheless, there are important points that relates to them and this is what we will be trying to present. In the story, we see how Gutman tried to bribe his way into obtaining the falcon. We also see how Brigid tried so desperately to obtain the falcon which was worth millions of dollars. What is important to realize is that Brigid was Gutman’s payroll. Instead of bribing her way to the falcon, she had no other recourse but to use her charms and her body to obtain the falcon. We can see this as a classic example of how the rich can use their money and how those without money are left to cross their morality just to get want they want and even what they need. It is a class struggle between the rich and the poor. In our society, most of the dirty work is done by those who are scampering just to make sure that they do not die of hunger. Those without money wear tuxedos and look elegant and charming. I do not wish that you would believe in what I say but what I am offering you is just one probable interpretation of the boss-servant relationship present in the story. With regards to race, we can see that most of the characters were Caucasian. We ask then how come they were the only characters and no reference was made of other race. It is because the story was set in a Caucasian dominated society or is it because they wanted to project the image that only the stories of Caucasians are should be listened to? Would the inclusion of other races endanger sales of the story or is because only Caucasians can afford to buy one and should therefore be telling a story about them? We are full of speculations which we regretfully cannot confirm due to the lack of available sources. What I do know is that the story certainly left out some parts of society. Conclusion As we could see, the Maltese Falcon contains information on the relations of genders, class and race only if we are to look deeper. One might argue that we have been cynical towards our analysis but what have been said and done where ideas subject to one’s own critical thinking and predisposition. I encourage the reader to think outside the box for only in doing so can we see the hidden messages behind the texts. References: Antrobus, Peggy. (2004). "The global womens movement - Origins, issues and strategies", London: Zed Books Baron-Cohen, Simon (2003) The Essential Difference: The Truth about the Male and Female Brain. New York: Perseus Books Group Johnson, David (2004). The Lavender Scare: The Cold War Persecution of Gays and Lesbians in the Federal Government, Chicago: University of Chicago Press Hammett, Dashiell (1989 ed). The Maltese Falcon. New York: Vintage. Read More