Classics Without All the Class discussion

Does anyone tell the truth in this novel? In Sam Spade’s world, must one resort to deception in order to survive? Of all the characters, why is Sam the most difficult to deceive?

I think that one of the most interesting things about the story is that there is basically just the present (no past, no future)--except for one story. There is some summing up of how the bird got to where it is, of course, but no flashbacks that explain why Spade is so slick, or why Brigid is such a good liar.

The only break in this is a single story that Sam Spade tells to Brigid. It's about a guy named Flitcraft who just ups and disappears one day. Sam finds him years later, and it turns out he was walking along and almost gets nailed by a falling beam.

This guy realizes that he is sort of "lying to himself" about what life should be, and he escapes to find a new start. But when Sam finds him, he's back to the same "lie" of a normal humdrum life.

From Chapter 7: "He went to Seattle that afternoon," Spade said, "and from there by boat to San Francisco. For a couple of years he wandered around and then drifted back to the Northwest, and settled in Spokane and got married. His second wife didn't look like the first, but they were more like than they were different. You know, the kind of women that play fair games of golf and bridge and like new salad-recipes. He wasn't sorry for what he had done. It seemed reasonable enough to him. I don't think he even knew he had settled back naturally in the same groove he had jumped out of in Tacoma. But that's the part of it I always liked. He adjusted to beams falling, and then no more of them fell, and he adjusted himself to them not falling."

This one break from the form of the rest of the whole book stands out to me. What does it portend? Maybe Spade is supposed to be the one outside of the lies, the one that can see them as an outsider instead of from within where everything is muddled. Maybe something else. Great quote, though.

I was going to post a question about the Flitcraft Story but Daniel has introduced it nicely so we can keep discussing it here. This stood out for me as well but I was struck by how Spade seemed to relate to the man in gthe story who left everything in search of a more fulfilling existence. While he made sure his previous family was taken care of, he detached himself emotionally from them and replaced them with new relationships. I think Spade has these tendencies as well. He obviously does not enjoy being tied down to any one woman and he does not seem to feel or exhibit any genuine warmth towards others. I don't see Spade as a blatant liar though. I agree Daniel, that Spade is an observer of lies more than a liar himself. He actually seems painfully honest in several places even though his truthfullness was often questioned by others. Still reading. I am about 3/4 done, very enjoyable story.

I see Flitcraft as me/the reader.

When I first met "Miss Wonderly" she was charming and sympathetic. I trusted that she was on the up-and-up and I was surprised when I found out she wasn't. Still, even though I should have known better, I went back to trusting that she had come clean and again I was surprised when she was shown to be a liar.

Sam Spade is the same for me. Even though I knew he didn't care at all about doing right, I was surprised every time he's perfectly willing to do the opportunistic thing instead of what's right.

It's in my nature to trust charismatic, convincing characters. I'm just not the suspicious type, at least not suspicious enough for the world of The Falcon. Even when Hammett drops a beam on me, I soon go back to my vulnerable, trusting state. It makes for a very exciting read.

You ask a good question Beth. I'm about half way through and the way I understand MF is that Spade accepts people are not perfect (they lie, they're dishonest), but with that understanding he remains truthful to himself.

Also, there's Effie Perine, Spade's secretary, who (so far) manages to not to be drawn into this world of deceit and lies.

I agree....Effie is the closest thing to a moral compass in this story and she is truthful. She is one stable element in Sam's tumultuous life and while there is not romance between them, he needs her. I think all the shady dealings upsets her but she cares for Sam above and beyond being his office assistant and is willing to work around the things that worry her in order to support and look after him. I think his decision in the end hurts and discourages her but I doubt she will stay away for long.

Daniel writes The only break in this is a single story that Sam Spade tells to Brigid. It's about a guy named Flitcraft who just ups and disappears one day. Sam finds him years later, and it turns out he was walking along and almost gets nailed by a falling beam.

I think Spade's whole story is the beam falling on him. His life is hum-drum and he is stuck in a relationship with his partner's wife that he really doesn't seem to want to be stuck in anymore. Along comes Brigid (the beam) with all the possibility of love and money and a whole new and exciting life. When it all comes to naught,Sam is stuck in the same hum-drum life and telling Effie to send Iva in. I think the book ends truer to the story than the movie which omits that last very important scene.