Vincent,
A few points re your comments below:
> The op's sense of "right" in the Maltese Falcon
is
> clearly subjective. He does not cite any
objective
> philosophical or theological standard for
his
> estimation that the search for his partner's
killer
> is "right."
The Op wasn't a character in THE MALTESE FALCON. Sam Spade
was. And while he may not cite any specific theologicial or
philosophical standard to support his position, the way he
expresses himself ("When a man's partner is killed, he's
supposed to do something about it.") suggests that he
believes not only that he's doing what he's supposed to be
doing, but that he's doing what he believes is EXPECTED of
him. So, by extension, he must believe that some larger
philosophical standard, or at least some societal
expectation, undergirds his position, even if he's not
capable of expressing it.
> I liked what you said about existentialism, but
the
> worldview is not universal in the sense
that
> someone
> can say they are in a position to right what
is
> wrong.
> I don't know that Hammett's detective is
> existemtialist, but the morality in the story
seems
> like the old "code of the West." That is
a
> romaticized
> sense of justice is drawn and evolved in
an
> environment that had no documented legal
recourse.
> The
> kind of extreme vigilantism that breeds a Judge
Roy
> Bean.
>
> Such an outlaw code is the "law of the street"
that
> is
> seen in the Maltese Falcon. Life among
society's
> outcasts (which includes PIs who make a
living
> rubbing
> elbows with them) is not hinge on any
universal
> sense
> of morality. Like the "code of the West," the
rules
> are hinged on survival.
Spade may skirt the edges of legality, but I don't see how
you can call what he does with Brigid "an outlaw code" or
"extreme vigilantism."
He turns her over to the cops to stand trial, for crying out
loud! He doesn't take the law into his own hands and shoot
her himself (as Mike Hammer did in the counterpart scene of I
THE JURY), but submits to the legal processes of the criminal
justice system.
JIM DOHERTY
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