The Maltese Falcon

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1930

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-8

Chapters 9-12

Chapters 13-16

Chapters 17-20

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Chapters 9-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 9 Summary: “Brigid”

With Dundy and Polhaus now gone, Spade curses Dundy for five minutes straight. Once he has regained composure, he asks O'Shaughnessy what happened with Cairo. She claims she was simply trying to frighten him into staying quiet and defended herself when he attacked, causing Spade to become frustrated again and tell her she that doesn’t know what she is doing.

Spade reminds her that since she has now talked to Cairo, it’s time for her to tell him what is going on. Again, she tries to avoid doing so, claiming that it is late and would take too long, and she should be heading home. Spade reminds her that the young man outside is likely still watching over the place. She asks him to check, and Spade does. The man is gone, but Spade lies and tells O'Shaughnessy he is still there, so they have lots of time.

O'Shaughnessy tells him that she doesn’t know what makes the falcon so valuable, but that she was offered £500 to help Cairo and Thursby get it from a Russian man named Kemidov in Marmora. After procuring the bird, Thursby then offered her £750 if they cut out Cairo, who was ostensibly planning to do the same to them. By the time they got to New York, O'Shaughnessy learned that Thursby had no intention of paying her, which was when she went to Spade for help to learn where the falcon was. Spade listens intently, and when she is done, calls her a liar, and she confesses that not much of the story she just told him is true, and that she has always been a liar. When he asks her to start again, she claims she is too tired—of herself, of lying, and of not knowing what is a lie and what is the truth. She kisses him, and the chapter ends with the two of them entangled.

Chapter 10 Summary: “The Belvedere Divan”

Spade wakes the next morning, searches O'Shaughnessy’s clothes for her apartment key, and sneaks out without waking her. He thoroughly searches her apartment but finds nothing of interest. Before leaving, he opens the kitchen window and marks the lock with his pocketknife to make it look like someone broke in. When he arrives back at his apartment, O'Shaughnessy is awake and scared. He tells her he went out to get breakfast and to check if the young man was still outside watching for them. Over breakfast, O'Shaughnessy refuses to talk about the falcon.

Later, Spade drops O'Shaughnessy at her apartment and takes a cab to Cairo’s hotel. After learning that Cairo is not in, Spade notices the young man that has been following him sitting in the lobby pretending to read a newspaper. He sits down beside him and asks where Cairo is and tells him to inform G they’ll have to talk to him soon. The boy gets aggressive and swears at Spade, but Spade keeps his cool. He gets Luke, the hotel detective, to kick the boy out. Once the boy is gone, he asks Luke to help him get some information on Cairo and learns that he didn’t sleep in his room the previous night. Hours later, Cairo enters the hotel looking tired and disheveled. He claims he was held and questioned by the police until very recently and that he stuck to Spade’s story.

When Spade arrives at his office, Effie is on the phone with Iva for the third time that day. She also informs him that Polhaus called for him, and a man named G called and would call again later. O'Shaughnessy is also at his office because she didn’t know where else to go after realizing her apartment had been broken into. Spade suggests that she stay with Effie for a few days to ensure that she is safe. Effie agrees to it, and they plan to head out in different cabs to ensure they aren’t followed.

Chapter 11 Summary: “The Fat Man”

After sending O'Shaughnessy to Effie’s house, Spade receives another call from G, whose actual name is Mr. Gutman. They arrange to meet at Gutman’s hotel in 15 minutes, but before he can leave, Iva shows up asking for forgiveness. She tells him that she sent the police to his apartment the night prior because she was angry at him for being so distant and dismissive with her. She also reveals that Archer’s brother, Phil, found out about their affair and believes Spade killed Archer because he wouldn’t grant Iva a divorce. Spade remains calm as she tells him and tells her that he forgives her. He instructs her to see Sid, his lawyer, and explain everything to him so that she can be prepared the next time the police question her.

Spade arrives at Mr. Gutman’s hotel suite and is greeted by the boy who has been following him, whose name is revealed to be Wilmer. The narrator describes Gutman’s obesity in great detail and often reiterates it throughout their conversation. He offers Spade a cigar and a drink and talks a lot about how much he appreciates a man who is straightforward and honest. He asks Spade who he is working for, but Spade will not commit to O'Shaughnessy or Cairo and claims he might just be out for himself. Gutman asks whether he, O'Shaughnessy, or Cairo knows what the bird is. Spade admits he doesn’t know what it is, but claims he knows where to find it, and he is unsure if the others know because they won’t tell him anything. The idea that he might be the only person in the world who knows what the falcon is excites Gutman. Despite his talkativeness, Gutman avoids revealing anything about the bird to Spade, which eventually frustrates him. He smashes his glass on the table and shouts at Gutman for wasting his time and gives him until 5:30 p.m. to decide whether he wants Spade’s help. Before leaving, he warns Gutman to keep the boy away from him because he’ll kill him the first time he gets in his way.

Chapter 12 Summary: “Merry-Go-Round”

As he rides the elevator back down to the main floor, Spade realizes his hands are shaking and catches his breath. He goes to see Sid to learn what Iva has disclosed to him, and after some reluctance due to client confidentiality, Sid tells him everything. The night Miles was murdered, Iva was following him because she believed he was having an affair. When she discovered he was actually working, she was disappointed and stayed out all night at the movies, hoping to make Miles angry. Spade doesn’t fully believe the story but thinks it will probably hold up to police questioning.

Back at his office, Effie looks worried and asks Spade why O'Shaughnessy didn’t come to her house. Spade loses his composure and violently shakes Effie while he tries to figure out what happened. Convinced no one could have followed them, he heads back out to find the cab driver who was supposed to drop her off. The driver explains that she asked to stop so she could get a paper, and after reading the paper, she asked to be taken to the Ferry Building instead. The driver doesn’t remember seeing her meet with anyone when she got there.

Spade buys a copy of the paper but finds nothing of use in it. He searches O'Shaughnessy’s apartment and finds nothing there either. When he arrives back at his office, the boy is waiting for Spade with his guns pointed at him from inside his pockets. The boy says that Gutman wants to see him again, and Spade mocks him on the way. Before they enter Gutman’s suite, Spade lags a couple of steps back, grabs the boy from behind, and disarms him. With the boy’s pistols now in his pockets, Spade knocks on Gutman’s door.

Chapters 9-12 Analysis

This section of the novel focuses on control: self-control, controlling others, and controlling a situation. Spade’s expletive-laden five-minute outburst after Dundy and Polhaus leave is the first example of him losing control of his emotions, but also reveals the extremes he is able—and willing—to go to in order to gain control of a situation. Similarly, after growing frustrated with Gutman’s unwillingness to do business with him, he loses his temper and smashes a glass before storming out of the room. His reaction in the elevator immediately after—an exhalation and grin—suggest that this outburst was performative and intended to force Gutman’s hand. This performative outburst is then juxtaposed with a genuine loss of control when he returns to his office and learns that O’Shaughnessy never arrived at Effie’s apartment. He berates and violently shakes Effie while trying to figure out what happened and what to do next. Ironically, this legitimate loss of self-control ultimately stems from his frustration with his inability to control O’Shaughnessy. Moving her to Effie’s was an attempt to keep her in his possession and control the situation—however, O’Shaughnessy is not interested in being a pawn in Spade’s plans and wrestles back control at the first opportunity.

With the introduction of Casper Gutman, the novel employs another harmful trope—this time, using obesity as a signifier of greed and immorality. Hammett luxuriates in the description of Gutman’s overweight body and emphasizes his size at every opportunity. There is rarely a moment when Gutman moves or speaks that the narrator doesn’t mention his “jouncing bulbs” or “fleshy lips” (118, 120). These descriptors are in concert with Gutman’s ostentatious show of wealth and suggest that greed, wealth, and overconsumption go hand in hand. Gutman’s manner of talking—and his talkativeness in general—suggest a man who both likes the sound of his own voice and is used to people listening to him. He dominates the conversation with Spade, but for all his verbosity, says very little of substance. Ironically, despite his claim that he likes straight talkers, he is not one himself.

These chapters of the novel also see Spade use anti-gay slurs to refer to Cairo and Wilmer, which is emblematic of the text’s overall antigay bias. He refers to Cairo as “the fairy” when trying to get a rise out of Wilmer—whom it is later suggested is gay as well. When he angrily leaves Gutman’s suite, he warns Gutman to “keep that gunsel away from [him...]” and threatens to kill Wilmer if he gets in his way again (123). The term gunsel both refers to a gun-carrying criminal and is slang for a young man who is kept as an often passive partner by an older man. This understanding provides an alternative reading of Spade’s extreme discomfort around Wilmer throughout the text, as it goes against Spade’s understanding of masculinity and what a man is supposed to be. For modern readers, the line between the depiction of Spade’s biases as aspects of his character and the endorsement of them by the narrative is murky: Spade’s ability to manipulate people through insult suggests that he is a savvy detective who is able to use contemporary attitudes to his advantage. Meanwhile, the novel’s prose style and depictions of these characters who fall outside of conservative masculine ideals suggest that they are deserving of scorn. As with many pulp novels, there’s a need to consider the work as both a historical artifact and as a work of literature.