The Maltese Falcon

Dashiell Hammett

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1930

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-8

Chapters 9-12

Chapters 13-16

Chapters 17-20

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Guns

Guns in The Maltese Falcon symbolize information about the characters wielding them. Cairo is the first character to pull out a gun when he attempts to search Spade’s office for the falcon. His gun is a “short compact black pistol” (50), making it the only gun in the novel with compactness as its defining characteristic. When considered alongside the novel’s homophobic attitude that maligns Cairo’s effeminate mannerisms and way of dress, the small pistol symbolizes his lack of traditional masculinity. Gutman’s pistol is also small, suggesting a similar effeminacy, but it stands out as “an ornately engraved and inlaid affair of silver and gold and mother-of-pearl” (229). This reflects a man who is not only extremely wealthy and unafraid of violence but also someone who prioritizes aesthetics over function.

Wilmer, on the other hand, carries two large guns and is quick to show them off. Despite their size, rather than being a sign of his masculinity, they symbolize the fact he is self-conscious about his small stature and is overcompensating for it. This is most evident in his interactions with Spade, who is not in the least bit intimidated and sees through the boy’s façade. Spade, whose version of masculinity is most strongly endorsed by the text, needs no guns because he has the confidence and ability to operate without them. He is physically strong and imposing, he has control of his emotions, and he has the intellect and savvy to navigate even the most volatile and dangerous situations. The contrast between Spade and Wilmer—and how their attitude toward guns reflects their masculinity—is most evident when Spade symbolically emasculates Wilmer by disarming him with brute force. It both embarrasses Wilmer in front of his boss and establishes Spade in a position of dominance heading into his negotiations with Gutman.

The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese falcon is the most prominent symbol in the novel as it motivates and underscores all the characters and action throughout the text. As Gutman explains in his lengthy and detailed history of the statuette, it was initially intended as tribute for Emperor Charles V as a sign of appreciation and continued allegiance. Ostensibly, this makes the falcon a symbol of loyalty. However, from the very beginning, this idea was undermined by the fact that instead of giving a real bird to the emperor, the Order used their immeasurable (and stolen) wealth to produce a golden jewel-encrusted bird instead. This gold statuette never arrived, and ironically, something that was meant to symbolize loyalty triggered a centuries-long history of deceit, backstabbing, and obscurity.

In the novel’s present, the falcon broadly symbolizes the dangers of greed, self-interest, and obsession. O'Shaughnessy, Gutman, and Cairo stop at nothing in pursuit of the falcon. They lie, betray, and kill as they blindly chase what turns out to be a fake, ensuring their own demise in the process. However, because the falcon represents an unthinkable and life-changing amount of wealth, it is also a vehicle for the text to explore social class. At the end of the novel, after realizing the reality of the situation, O’Shaughnessy asks Spade if things would have turned out differently if the falcon had been real and he’d been paid his money. While Spade avoids answering the question directly, its implications linger. Spade is a working man, and throughout the novel it is clear he is always in need of money. O’Shaughnessy’s history and motivations are less clear, but the money would have allowed her to live independently. For Spade and O’Shaughnessy, the falcon represents a financial freedom, and the revelation that it is fake is devastating for them both. This is underscored by Gutman’s reaction to learning the bird is a fake. He not only gets over it almost instantly but is excited by the prospect of continuing to hunt for it. Gutman already has wealth and freedom, and for him, pursuing the falcon is akin more to a hobby than a matter of survival.

Spade’s Eyes

Frequently throughout the novel, the narrator describes Spade’s yellow eyes. This often happens in moments of great tension, weight, or emotion, such as when he and O’Shaughnessy first kiss and "[h]is eyes burned yellowly” (100), or when his “yellow-grey eyes […] hold an almost exaggerated amount of candor” (27) as he bends the truth while being questioned by Dundy and Polhaus. Describing Spade’s eyes as yellow provides a sense of animality that is in line with other physical descriptors of Spade throughout the novel: His body is described as thick and rounded like a bear, and he often grins wolfishly. Spade does have physical capabilities above and beyond everyone else in the novel and overpowers both Cairo and Wilmer when necessary. Likewise, he has animal-like instincts for danger and deception, and uses them to navigate the web of treachery he becomes entrenched in after his partner is killed. However, yellow can also represent sinister intent or evil. At first glance, this appears to track with Spade’s ostensible immorality and disregard for authority. However, the end of the novel sees Spade act in the name of truth and justice rather than self-interest and greed, making Spade’s yellow eyes a symbol of the constant fight to stay true to his moral code in a world full of corruption, temptation, and immorality.