I thought I'd wrap up by linking --even if only tenuously --
the western
tradition with our current reading, _The Maltese
Falcon_.
John Cawelti and others have pointed out the development of
the lone
cowboy protagonist into the lone P.I. Obviously, Sam Spade
follows this
tradition of the lone hero.
Likewise, Sam's Good-Guy side sometimes seems ambiguous or
murkily mixed
up with a Bad-Guy side. This is not unusual for the hero in
the
traditional western. (See, for example, _Riders of the Purple
Sage_,
_Arizona Ames_, _The Lone Star Ranger_, etc.)
The _Falcon_ features a big-time bad guy, a "king of the
range" type of
character: Guttman. Actually, Mr. G describes himself more of
a mover
and shaker than he might actually be, but his international
travels and
exotic intrigues certainly raises him above the level of the
common
hood. Further, he apparently has a lot of capital at his
disposal, but
prefers to gain what he wants using underhanded
methods--typical villain
characteristics in the traditional western. There's also a
quest for a
treasure, but that's been tied to the whole thread of WESTERN
(big
letters, cultural canon) literature, not just westerns.
The traditional western usually has a love-interest--they
are, at heart,
romances whose romance elements are often submerged in a
more
action-oriented plot. The _Falcon_ strays from the western in
this
point: There is no real romance for Sam. He tangles with
Bridgit, but
her character and behavior hardly ties her to the traditional
romantic
female role. In fact, her actions more closely resemble those
of a shady
male bad guy, which ties in the with anima/animus debates
we've seen
posted to this group in the recent past. Meanwhile, Effie has
qualities
similar to the traditional romantic heroine, but her role
remains minor
in novel's main action and Sam, while at times drawn to her
nurturing
character, is clearly more attracted to the bad girls he
encounters.
(Well, that brings us back around to the Cole Younger/Belle
Starr
relationship.)
Lastly, there is a gunslinger (Wilmer) and a tenderfoot
(dandy Joe
Cairo). AND, the action happens out West--San
Francisco!
--Duane
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