We read the same book? From the beginning, Spade plays all of
them. Off themselves and off each other as he works towards
solving the case. He takes his disadvantage of knowledge as
well as his realization that they're all lying and leverages
it into weapon to use against people with motivations that he
doesn't initially know. He backdoors them and makes them
reveal unwittingly what's truly going on at each step of the
way until he finally solves the case. A classic strategist,
he orchestrates all their moves in such a way that they
believe they are driving their own actions while he holds the
puppet strings over each of their heads. We're not privy to
details within his mind and there are events that occur
off-stage ... thankfully or the book would have been to heavy
to hold. But the clues are there to be seen and to be
inferred for those who look. I don't know if Hammett played
chess or if he read Sun Tzu ... it's likely that he read
Clausewitz or more likely Machiavelli and it shows in his
masterful depiction of an exceptional strategist. Although
there very well may be a clue in Spade's Luciferisch looks
has more applicability and Spade represents the trickster
archetype which is also known for all the attributes I have
mentioned.
-- Anthony Dauer, MSM IS Alexandria, Virginia
2nd Annual Country Noir Issue ...
http://www.adau.net/judas_ezine/
... submit by 4 May 2002
-----Original Message----- From: Kerry Sent: Sunday, April 21, 2002 11:48 AM
But Spade is a sap, as are all the characters in The Maltese Falcon, conned by some unseen hand into lying, cheating, killing and, perhaps most telling of all, the mistrust and denial of love. This for the pursuit of a worthless chunk of lead.
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