Maltese Falcon Symbolism

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Jonathan Safran Foer once said, “Because sometimes people who seem good end up being not as good as you may have hoped.” Foer references to the belief that people who seem to be kindhearted have another side to their personality that may not seem to be as gracious as others perceived them to be. The idea of people having underlying components to their personalities has become a popular theme among literature as people tend to realize that the ones with a gracious exterior can end up being the most inconsiderate among society. An example of literature that affirms this belief of people with exteriors that contradict their personalities is The Maltese Falcon. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett is a classic example of detective fiction and …show more content…

San Francisco’s alarming setting is seen when Brigid explains to Spade that Thursby “...always went heavily armed…” anywhere he would go due to the extent of crime that occurred in the streets of San Francisco. Thursby traveling everywhere with weapons shows the degree of crime in San Francisco as it shows that even a criminal like Thursby doesn’t feel safe walking around without having protection to save him from other criminals like himself. Hammett’s decision to use San Francisco during the 1920s, a place where criminals are scared of other criminals, reveals the perfect setting for detective fiction to take place in as it gives Hammett the opportunity to always have engaging events transpire to entice readers. Hammett’s enticing setting for detectives and the use of crime create a classic style for detective fiction as it emphasizes the history of San Francisco while captivating readers to pursue reading the detective fiction …show more content…

An example of this fear is when Spade announces that “Everybody… has something to conceal,” which refers to how people have the fear of their secrets being revealed. Brigid is one of the characters that has a secret throughout the novel that she tries to hide from Spade as it could affect her future relationship with him. Her fear is present as she continues to develop a relationship with Spade to the point where her secret could cause her relationship and freedom to be in jeopardy. Brigid’s fear exists as she continues to search for the falcon, which helps develop the feeling of a true detective fiction novel as it gives the readers the feeling of nervousness and a need to know the secrets that Brigid is

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