Women In The Maltese Falcon

Throughout the course of time women have evolved to better themselves instead of pleasing others. In the novel The Maltese Falcon By Dashiell Hammett has two characters that are important women. These 2 women are key characters to the story to aid in solving the murder mystery. Each woman has completely different personality that clearly displays the change from the stereotypical persona of a woman always being dependent on a man to evolving to this new self sustained woman.

The first woman who best fits the preconceived notion of a female always catering to a man would be Effie Perine. She works for the protagonist, Sam Spade, as his secretary and right hand woman. What ever Spade needs to be done she will do it without question or hesitation.

Brigid breaks the stereotype that women are to stay in the shadows of men. Brigid is blunt, cunning, and self centered. She truly shows this at the beginning of the novel when Spade calls her out on her bluff by stating, “ ‘you aren’t… exactly the sort of person you pretend to be’ ’’ (Hammett 91). For someone to lie it shows their true character and for a woman to lie to a man during the time that women are being oppressed is a big statement showing that they want to be equals with men. Brigid does not hold anything back and she acts as she thinks she does not care what others think about her she just wants to he heard and will do anything to make that happen. Effie is a woman who can not function if she does not have a man telling her what to do and how to do it. Whereas Brigid is the complete opposite she is completely independent and will get what she wants because she knows how to work the system. It is never stated in the book clearly that she is able to function on her own but the reader can infer that she is the type of woman that, “...have [has] been organizing to redefine their place in society, to demand equality and justice” (Lavigne, para 1). Brigid’s demand for equality has not been question by other character in the novel. Instead her personality makes the male characters change to accommodate to her, they realize that she is not

Brigid states in the first paragraph that she is, “a young woman” (Hammett 8). The reader can infer that Effie is an older woman because it is stated that she has a house and a stable job working for Spade. Since they are far apart in age you can see how Effie was raise in the time when women were okay with taking the back seat and doing as their told. But Brigid is much younger and was raised in the time of the woman's evolution from being a shadow to taking the spotlight. Now women, “...gained a sense of independence. They learned new skills” and constantly breaking the stereotype men think of them to be