A few thoughts on the subject, mostly from an article that I
wrote a few years ago on constructions of masculine identity
in early Hammett novels:
Hammett's clearest depiction of the presumably homosexual
male in The Maltese Falcon is that of Joel Cairo. Cairo first
appears in Sam Spade's office, heralded by his engraved
calling card. Effie Perrine, Sam's secretary, simply says,
"This guy is queer." Although the Oxford English Dictionary
dates the use of the word "queer" to denote homosexuality to
1932, when W. H. Auden described "an underground cottage
frequented by the queer," it seems a bit hard to believe that
Hammett's use here is mere coincidence. Through this type of
stereotype, Hammett may be playing to his mainstream readers'
homophobia, reassuring them that it is appropriate to
ridicule and even despise such distortions of "normal"
masculinity. Regardless of his purpose, Hammett's description
of Cairo seems to be almost a parody of the physical markers
that make up the cultural stereotypes of the thirties toward
homosexuality: "Mr. Joel Cairo was a small-boned dark man of
medium height. His hair was black and!
smooth and very glossy. His features were
Levantine. A square cut-ruby, its sides paralleled by four
baguette diamonds, gleamed against the deep green of his
cravat. His black coat, cut tight to narrow shoulders, flared
a little over slightly plump hips. His trousers fitted his
round legs more snugly than was the current fashion. The
uppers of his patent-leather shoes were hidden by fawn spats.
He held a black derby hat in a chamois-gloved hand and came
toward Spade with short, mincing, bobbing steps. The
fragrance of chypre came with him." Cairo is a parody of
effeminate masculinity. He speaks in a "high-pitched thin
voice." Just in case the reader has any doubt, Brigid
O'Shaughnessy explicitly refers to a boy that Cairo "had" in
Constantinople. Though enraged by the accusation, Cairo does
not deny it; he retorts: "The one you couldn't make?" They
proceed to slap each other, and Spade stops the fight by
choking Cairo. Hammett clearly contrasts the two men. While
Cairo see!
ms more inclined to catfights, Spade fights in a
"manly" manne!
r.
Wilmer Cook is, at the very least, a male of ambiguous
sexuality. Wilmer is described as a gunsel, a term that now
denotes a "cheap thief or criminal," but originally was a
slang term used by hoboes and prisoners to refer to young,
inexperienced-and probably homosexual-boys (who were often
kept by an older man). Wilmer is described as small, even
undersized, with "very fair skin." Hammett clearly implies
that it is possible, if not likely, that Wilmer is
homosexual. Wilmer is rarely called by his name by anyone but
Gutman; he is usually just referred to as "the boy." He tries
hard to be tough, but the only time that he is not put in his
place (as a "boy") by Spade is when Spade has been drugged
first. Wilmer carries two large pistols, as if he is trying
to assert his masculinity, but this effort is in vain; when
he draws the weapons, Spade has little difficulty taking them
from him in what seems a symbolic castration. After being set
up as the "fall guy" for the murders, Wil!
mer tries to rebuff the sympathetic caresses of Joel
Cairo, but Cairo's affection hints at the possibility of a
previous relationship. Wilmer is impotent in his efforts to
be a "man." He has the final word, however, when he escapes
Gutman's plan to turn him over to the police and soon after
shoots and kills Gutman, perhaps claiming manhood as his
birthright from his symbolic father figure.
If Wilmer is homosexual, then Gutman is perhaps thrust into
the role of the aforementioned older man who "keeps" the
gunsel. Thus, it could be argued that the whole gang might be
homosexual.
~Marc
----- Original Message ----- From: Michael Robison
Part of the endurance factor for THE MALTESE FALCON is its
ambiguous nature. [. . .] A while ago I was reading an
article about the portrayal of homosexuality in early
hardboiled and the author suggested that the entire Gutman
gang was homosexual. I thought that was interesting since the
standard interpretation limited it to just the two.
miker
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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