Who Is Hammett's Code In The Maltese Falcon

In the The Maltese Falcon, Hammett gives multiple characters a sense of code, not entirely consisting of honor, but a code by which each character lives. Through this code a character's decisions do not seem to be so complicated or all together out of the ordinary. A character such as Gutman has a code that allows him to do whatever he possibly can to reach toward the Maltese Falcon. Gutman will move ceaselessly toward the Falcon, no matter if it is as old as he claims, or so new that it is actually a fake. Gutman is indifferent because that is what his code will allow. A character such as Brigid on the other hand, even though she also has a code, her's is not one of Machiavellian proportions such as the one Gutman holds. She would do anything

Both Gutman and Brigid cannot do what they truly need to to acquire the Falcon but instead have to either pay or manipulate, respectively, to reach their end. Sam Spade, the protagonist of Hammett's narrative, also holds a code but does not flaunt it such as Gutman or Brigid, but, instead, hides it and uses deception to fool others into believing that he is going in accordance with their plans instead of actually proceeding to follow his code of honor and justice to where justice will be served. Spade's code is one of honor and he follows this code even if it is not apparent. His code is to, by any means, reach the conclusion and the truth of any mystery that comes before him and turn the culprit, whoever that culprit may be, over to the justice system and see that justice be served. He continually uses Gutman and Brigid and their interests against each other and exploits their weaknesses while not exposing his entirely. By granting characters codes to live by, Hammett, in his noir crime caper, The Maltese Falcon, uses these characters such as Gutman and Brigid, and their codes to contrast Sam Spade's sense of honor along with his seemingly always changing idea of wealth and what to value in his

are counterfeits: Brigid a counterfeit innocent, Gutman a counterfeit sage, Wilmer a counterfeit tough guy. 'Worst of all is Spade, a counterfeit hero.' (Symons 7)." Hammett and all of this deception goes back into the unveiling of Spade's moral code that is completely different than that of Gutman or Brigid. Symons calls Spade a counterfeit hero due to the fact he does not stay within the confines of the law. Yet, while all are basing their actions after codes that are supposedly leading to happiness, Spade's is the only one that takes the law into account even if, as Kelly acknowledges, he is just breaking the law to the extent of which the law will allow him. Spade's code is based on justice but not the law as he does not adhere to the law when he is going about in his investigations for he is more concerned with catching the culprit and bringing them to justice than being limited by the law. He could have washed his hands of the issue brought up by the Falcon, but he must put on this guise for he knows that the law may not serve justice for he knows that without him going around the law and cutting to conclusions such as Brigid's murder of Miles that the regular police force, the one stuck in the confines of the law, would never have been able to catch Miles' killer, but instead would have simply arrested him for the affair he had been involved with with Iva