While often symbolic of freedom, aspiration, and bravery,
the falcon can be used as an antithesis to these concepts when darkly
utilized. John Huston in his film, The Maltese Falcon, uses the statuette
falcon to symbolize society’s never ending greed while complicating this
argument by highlighting the complexities of knowing another person’s true
self. As a result, the falcon ultimately
establishes a parallel between its own nature and that of Brigid O’Shaughnessy.
The connection
between the falcon statuette and greed is a fairly intuitive one. That is, the monetary and cultural value of
the statuette is the driving force behind the entire film, causing the murder
and betrayal of multiple people. The
characters, Gutman and his minions especially, make it clear that they are not
working under the premise of ethics but the attainment of money and power. After declaring that Wilmer is like a son,
Gutman then says, “Well, if you lose a son, it’s possible to get another. There’s only one Maltese Falcon,” and
thoroughly betrays Wilmer. Huston’s
critique of society is clear; society, Huston is saying, operates solely under
a quest for endowment, often sacrificing human life or relationships to acquire
it. Because the falcon is never actually
ascertained, we can be sure that this unhealthy greed bears no fruit.
Furthermore, Huston
creates a startling comparison between Brigid and the falcon to show that Spade’s
search for love is just as hopeless as Mr.Gutman’s crusade for wealth and
power. Much like the falcon, Brigid is
shrouded in mystery and concealment from the beginning of the movie. As the falcon’s location is constantly changing,
so is the identity of Brigid. Brigid
attempts to appear innocent and victimized to Spade, but as the details of her
situation leak out, she is forced to make concessions regarding her true
person. This process of pealing back the
layers of Brigid also relates to the falcon.
Indeed, the falcon has a “black enamel” that makes it appear to be
worthless, hiding an encrustation of jewels underneath. Only by whittling away this coating can the
audience understand the character of Brigid.
By comparing
Brigid to the falcon, we see that Brigid is likewise unattainable for Spade. Indeed, the audience is left truly wondering
if the falcon is real or not, additionally pondering if Brigid’s love for Spade
is existent. It is this inability to
know the truth that drives Spade to turn Brigid into the police. Huston displays the difficulty of knowing the
true self of others, and the impossibility of living with the consequences of
insecure trust. With swirling ulterior
motives, Spade could never truly know Brigid’s feelings, as is shown in his
quotation: “I’ve no earthly reason to think I can trust you…All we’ve got is
that maybe you love me and maybe I love you.”
And thus, a
dichotomy of people is formed: those who lust after uncertain power and wealth,
and others who lust after chimerical love.
Both are guilty of the same crime, and both fall into the same pitfall
of fixation over something that is not truly there. Finally, Huston’s theme becomes clear: amidst
all the deceit and lies, there is only one thing happiness can be derived from,
the real and hard truth. After all, the
falcon is only the things “dreams are made of”.
Posted by: Ryan Winstead
I enjoyed your interpretation of the movie. One thing that's begun to stand out to me regards the symbolism of the Falcon itself. I agree with your observations of what it symbolizes, but I also see it as symbolic of the entire movie. Not one character in the movie's motives are clear, not even Sam Spade.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the most honest character in the movie is Gutman, who makes his motivations quite clear--he wants the Falcon and will do whatever he can to acquire it. Granted, Spade does wind up turning to honesty at the end of the movie, but he was clearly struggling with his decision to do so. In fact, Spade doesn't turns Brigid O'Shaughnessy in because it's the right thing to do. He does it because ultimately, he can't trust her.
Perhaps the shrouded nature of the Falcon represents the art of mystery as a whole, because the movie is an exercise in unraveling the layers of the story, while demonstrating the lengths the characters, and perhaps people in general, will go to keep their secrets. I do, however, question Gutman's overall motivation. Did he want fortune and glory (judging by the way he dressed and the resources at his disposal, he was a man of means) or did he simply want to possess the Falcon and what it symbolized?
Most of me believes he simply wanted to own the Falcon, but then again, the draw of riches, even when someone has substantial wealth to begin with, doesn't seem to go away, at least in the portrayals Hollywood offers.
I agree with the comparison that falcon is directly associated with greed. All the characters besides spade see value in the falcon, and will do what ever it takes to get that value. They kill and sneak around others in search of this greed. What i think is ironic is that the falcon is fake and the there is a deaper sentimental value displayed in this movie. That is, that greed will never get you anywhere in life. All the characters that went after the falcon turned out to be arrested. Showing that greed can only badly.
ReplyDeleteAs for spades greed for love, I feel that it is not greed but an example of "right person, wrong time". He does obviously love her but she also turns out to be the women that does wrong in the story. His character fits the cultural view of what an "american" gentleman should do if presented an issue like this. He turns away greed to love and has to cut his losses and move on. The action he takes puts him above all the other characters as he defeats greed.
I an a fan of spades character and how he may appear to be a womanizer and sneaky fellow, but hes the only one that does the right thing in the end. I would also like to argue that you never see him do anything with any of the other women besides the one he loves. He provides an example that doing the right thing sometimes hurts and that it is the "american" way. Now if he did mingle with a married women I don't support that, but his moves in the end make me like his responsibility.
In conclusion spade provides an example that all should follow. Maybe not all of his characters actions are just, but his final action to turn down greed is a great lesson this movie provides.