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The Dynamic Character Of Sam Spade In The Maltese Falcon

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The Maltese Falcon was a detective novel written by Dashiell Hammett in 1929. It takes place in foggy San Francisco in the late 1920’s. Its eerie description is the perfect setting for a detective solving a crime, with murder and mayhem. In this novel Dashiell brings to life several different characters, each with their own traits. Sam Spade is the private detective and the protagonist of The Maltese Falcon, his characterization is described as that of a round, and dynamic character with an indirect revelation.
Sam Spade’s description is written as a round character because it is hard to understand what his intentions are throughout the novel. You are unable to tell if his character is driven by financial gain, or self-preservation to clear …show more content…

In the beginning of the novel Sam comes across as a nice guy, a little sexist but willing to help his new client find her sister or so he thinks. As time goes on Sam becomes deceptive and is able to manipulate many of the other characters. He shows little respect for authority and comes across with a hard and shifty personality. An example of this is how he gets himself out of situations with the police each …show more content…

His voice was placid, almost amused, but his face was not. “Well, I’ve got better grounds than that, or grounds that suit me better. My clients are entitled to a decent amount of secrecy. Maybe I can be made to talk to a Grand Jury or even a Coroner’s Jury, but I haven’t been called before either yet, and it’s a cinch. I’m not going to advertise my clients’ business until I have to. Then again, you and the police have both accused me of being mixed up in the other night’s murderers. I’ve had trouble with both of you before. As far as I can see, my best chance of clearing myself of the trouble you’re trying to make for me is by bringing in the murderers-all tied up. And my only chance of ever catching them and tying them up and bringing them in is by keeping away from you and the police, because neither of you show any signs of knowing what the hell it’s all about.” (149)
Sam also deceives Brigid by spending the night with her, leading her to believe that he is in love with her or cares about her only to turn her into the police at the end of the

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