Discussion Questions
1 The Maltese Falcon centers on detective Sam Spade, a character almost as elusive as the falcon itself. What aspects of his personality remain mysterious? Which of his choices retain their ambiguity?
2 Why does Sam Spade take the case, even though he suspects that “Miss Wonderly” is lying?
3 What kind of vision does The Maltese Falcon present of urban America? How important is San Francisco as the novel's setting?
4 The reader discovers some parts of the mystery at the same time as the detective, other parts much later. At what point did you solve the crime?
5 Is Sam Spade a hero? How would you describe his personal moral code in his violent world?
6 Why might Hammett avoid describing any of the novel's murders in detail?
7 What do the novel's three women—Brigid O'Shaughnessy, Effie Perine, and Iva Archer—have in common? How different are their personalities and motivations?
8 The femme fatale character was popularized by film noir, where she uses her independence, beauty, and charm to manipulate men. How convincing is Brigid in this role?
9 What motivates Sam Spade to find the falcon? Is he tempted by money or Brigid, or does he merely love the chase?
10 Does any character change or grow in The Maltese Falcon?
11 Are Sam Spade's actions in the novel's final scene consistent with his character? What would you have done in his place?
12 Although the reader is never privy to the thoughts of Hammett's characters, what might the falcon symbolize to each of them based on their actions?
“Simplicity and clarity...are the most elusive and difficult of literary accomplishments, and a high degree of skill is necessary to any writer who would win them. They are the most important qualities in securing the maximum desired effect on the reader.”
-Dashiell Hammett, 1926
Additional Resources
Works by Hammett
Red Harvest (New York: Knopf, 1929)
The Dain Curse (New York: Knopf, 1929)
The Maltese Falcon (New York: Knopf, 1930)
The Glass Key (New York: Knopf, 1930)
The Thin Man (New York: Knopf, 1934)
Crime Stories and Other Writings (New York: Library of America, 2001)
Works about Hammett and The Maltese Falcon
Bruccoli, Matthew J. and Richard Layman. Hardboiled Mystery Writers: Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Ross Macdonald. 1989. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2002.
Hammett, Jo. Dashiell Hammett: A Daughter Remembers. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2001.
Johnson, Diane. Dashiell Hammett: A Life. New York: Random House, 1983.
Layman, Richard, ed. Discovering The Maltese Falcon and Sam Spade. Rev. ed. San Francisco, CA: Vince Emery Productions, 2005.
Layman, Richard and Julie M. Rivett, eds. Selected Letters of Dashiell Hammett. Washington, DC: Counterpoint, 2001.
Layman, Richard. Shadow Man: The Life of Dashiell Hammett. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich/Bruccoli Clark, 1981.
Nolan, William F. Hammett: A Life at the Edge. New York: Congdon & Weed, 1983.
Credits
Works Cited
Bruccoli, Matthew J. and Richard Layman, eds. Hardboiled Mystery Writers: Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Ross Macdonald: A Literary Reference. 1989. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2002.
Chandler, Raymond. “The Simple Art of Murder.” Atlantic Monthly December 1944: 57–58.
Hammett, Dashiell. The Maltese Falcon. 1930. New York: Vintage Crime, 1992.Layman, Richard, ed.
Discovering The Maltese Falcon and Sam Spade. Rev. ed. San Francisco, CA: Vince Emery Productions, 2005.
This text created by the National Endowment for the Arts for their Big Read web site: www.neabigread.org
These events are part of The Big Read,
an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts
in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.
For more information about The Maltese Falcon visit http://www.neabigread.org/books/maltesefalcon/
