Maltese Falcon essays

Maltese Falcon essays Brigid O'Shaughnessy and Lady Lou are both dynamic characters with intriguing personalities. As seen in their respective roles in The Maltese Falcon and She Done Him Wrong, both possess the ability to tantalize the men around them. Throughout both works, one can observe the tactics these women utilize in an attempt to reach their goals. However, despite their manipulations, the battle of the sexes ends favoring the men who do not make themselves susceptible to the ploys of Brigid and Lou. Because the final result shows the women being outsmarted by the men, both narratives illustrate the limitations of women. In examining the reasons why Sam Spade was capable of not being totally hypnotized by the tactics of Brigid O'Shaughnessy, it is important to note the differences between their motivations. When Spade recounts the story of Flitcraft to Brigid, he indirectly makes evident those aspects of his life and career that he values most. Although Flitcraft had a very successful life and was secure in his finances and relations, he disappeared from all that is familiar to him only to start again. Spade ends his story by telling Brigid that by having such an orderly life, Flitcraft had "got out of step, and not into step, with life" (Hammett 64). Spade enjoyed telling this story because it indirectly illustrated his own personal outlook on life. Like Flitcraft, Spade felt that a fulfilling life would require more than financial security and a steady job. The fact that Flitcraft left his wife without much trepidation parallels Spade's own detachment to a woman. He did not show sympathy fo r the family of Flitcraft, nor did he express any remorse for the actions Flitcraft took. Brigid O'Shaughnessy, on the other hand, has her sights set on one thing only the black falcon. In making a comparison between the goals of these two characters, one can see how narrow Brigid's motivations are compared to those of Sam Spade. While she is...