Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon

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Authors of every time period are effected by what is happening in their lifetime. Dashiell Hammett was not an exception to this. Being a writer in the 1920's gave Hammett a variety of influences that would effect his writing. What Dashiell Hammett accomplished, experienced, and overall felt about the events in his life led him to his masterpiece, The Maltese Falcon, which showcases his beliefs on morality by making it a well thought-out theme. The most influential points that piece together the theme of The Maltese Falcon is the 1920's women suffrage, the ever-famous realist fiction movement, and Hammett's favorite occupation as a detective. If one were to analyze the theme of The Maltese Falcon there would be a good chance of them finding an abundance of the stories' references to the suffrage. The most noticeable example would be the main character's business relationship with his secretary. Detective Spade treats his helper, Effie Perine, with the same respect and friendliness that he gives his male acquaints. (Jones) Throughout the book, Spade praises Perine for her unyielding loyalty. Any job that he wants done he goes to Perine, instead of a male. When it comes to getting rid of a dead body in his office, he goes to the one person he feels he can trust the most, Effie Perine.…show more content…
Raymond Chandler, one of Hammett's close friends, influenced Dashiell to try out the writing type. It was not long before Chandler was overall impressed by Hammett's works saying they "embody a powerful vision of life in the hard-boiled detective formula." (Malmgren) Realism fit Hammett perfectly. He was able to write about real events by putting his imagination to work. By using what could be real events, he was able to effect his audience at a deeper level. This is exactly what Hammett wanted, since he knew the more relatable the story the easier it would be to get his moral message
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