The Maltese Falcon is widely considered one of the best mystery stories of all time. It has a gritty style and realism that make it unique in my opinion. As I looked further into this book, I learned that Hammett (the author) is considered by many to be the creator of the specific genre (as it is known today) that Maltese Falcon falls into, called Hardboiled Fiction. I was intrigued by this section of crime/mystery stories and decided to investigate how the genre came to be and what made Hammett one of the main founders of the genre. In the following essay I will examine some key aspects of the Hardboiled narrative and its history. The first part will focus on the history of the genre, which includes what its main aspects are, where they were originally published among other key features. Secondly, the rest of the article will focus on Hammett, his story, and how many of the key characteristics of the main character of the fiction Hardboiled reflects himself. The examination of Hammett's character will focus on Sam Spade and specifically the story of The Maltese Falcon. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Hardboiled fiction is a type of crime and detective novel that began in the 1920s. The characteristic of these stories is that they are much more realistic in terms of describing the clashes, the violence (usually organized crime) and the environment in which the story is set (urban most of the time). Usually in many of these stories the detective is very tough, in the sense that he gets involved in a lot of altercations. The altercation tends to be the result of the wit used by the main character. Wit and jokes are the language used by the detectives in these stories to relate to the audience. Jokes were a common language at the time these stories were popular, something that was recognizable in everyday conversations. Another characteristic of many detectives in Hardboiled fiction is that they work alone. Working alone suits their job as a hardened detective works in the gray area of ​​rules. They follow them vaguely but carry out acts that border on illegality. Finally, the detectives in these stories generally have a relationship with a very pretty girl in the story. They are attracted to her, but ultimately the case is always more important than the girl. Going a little deeper into the organized crime aspect of these types of stories, you can see Prohibition as the main influence. Prohibition was an era in the United States beginning in 1920 and ending in 1933 that prohibited the production, sale, and importation of alcohol. There was still such a large demand for alcohol in the United States that gangs began to appear and run illegal businesses creating alcohol or running shops where you could go to drink (easy talk). Large organized crime groups led to a lot of violence and corruption (government officials and police involved) which ultimately led to the end of Prohibition. This increase in organized crime occurred right around the time that Hardboiled fiction was starting to be published. These stories were simply adaptations of what was actually happening at the time. Anything that readers could relate to was always a big selling point. Hardboiled stories were first published in pulp magazines. These magazines were cheap and inexpensive due to the materials used to produce them. This made them extremely accessible to the public. Due to the easy access and popularity of these types of magazines, new genres of fictionthey were able to spread rapidly. Pulp magazines were also known for having the craziest covers, which is what attracted people to them. They covered many genres and many of them had themes aimed at a more adult audience. The first magazine credited with publishing hardboiled crime pieces was The Black Mask Magazine. The stories eventually built layers that ranged from the tough guy detective stories written by authors like Carroll John Daly, to the sophisticated, multi-layered stories created by Hammett. Daly, who is credited with being the godfather of the genre, created the first true hard-boiled detective called Race Williams. Hammett is credited with creating the genre as it is known today, adding layers to what Daly had originally created. Much of what Hammett used to create this genre of fiction came from personal experience. The other key founder of the genre was Raymond Chandler, who took what Hammett created and added a little more detail to his stories. His stories contained a more physiological element that Hammett did not include. Hammett was more faithful to the book and focused on the case and mystery more than the characters themselves. Before Hammett became the writer most people know him as today he was a detective for the Pinkerton Detective Agency. This knowledge of police procedure allowed him to write his mysteries with a sense of realism and grit that can only be achieved by experiencing reality. Hammett's experience in war also gave him experience with violence and gory situations. War makes a man more difficult as he has to go through very harsh conditions to protect the country. Being a detective is why many of Hammett's stories like The Maltese Falcon were not about the murders themselves but the events surrounding them. In the story the murder was just part of the bigger picture of getting this hawk and figuring out who owned it. Murders are always just one part of a crime, and Hammett's experience in the field helped highlight this truth. This is also why Sam Spade, Hammett's most important character, was very serious; it was reflected. Investigators cannot get emotionally involved, they have to look at everything directly to understand what happened. Sam Spade also shares a name with Hammett, whose full name is Samuel Dashiell Hammett. The biggest indicator that Sam Spade was created to reflect Hammett himself was his tough guy persona. Sam Spade exuded an aura that couldn't be outdone. In the story The Maltese Falcon the police department, Effie and even Gutman and his crew always tell Spade that one day his actions will catch up with him. He always shrugs off those remarks almost acting as if he is above the law. Spade never thinks about how people perceive his actions. He only does what he does for himself and his results. This is exactly the kind of man Hammett was: he remained true to his ideals, never complained, and tried to convince others to agree. He did things for himself and never apologized for it. He was a detective, he was used to being around murders and crimes. He spent time in prison for his Marxist views but never raised a public outcry. He accepted the punishment, served his sentence and returned to normal life. Hammett lived a life where he relied on himself and never asked for help, which is why Spade did most of the work himself without revealing key details of The Maltese Falcon to anyone. Working alone reflected Hammett's mentality of being responsible for his own actions. You can't be a man.