The Thin Man Character Analysis

“Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction” (Erich Fromm). In The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man written by Dashiell Hammett, Hammett displays the high increase of criminal activity that takes place during the prohibition era in the United States. In Hammett’s novels, the characters’ monetary greed leads to negative consequences. As a result of their monetary greed, the characters face death, in-humanity, and betrayal. In both books, money takes a great toll on every character. Although, some characters try to resist, money ultimately overtakes them. In The Maltese Falcon, the priceless statuette lures the characters into a pointless wild goose chase while …show more content…
In this particular novel, the characters do not find out who is behind the deaths of Julia Wolf, Clyde Wynant and Arthur Nunheim, until the very end. Throughout the novel, Mimi Jorgenson, the Wynant’s, and Herbert Macaulay work with Nick and Nora trying to find out where Clyde is, and who killed Julia Wolf. The big shock is that the same person that murdered all three people has been standing along them the whole time. Macaulay, the family lawyer, intelligently took advantage of his clients’ loyalty to him. Why did he do this? The answer is always money; Clyde Wynant was a wealthy and eccentric inventor, and Macaulay wanted all of Wynant’s earnings. The whole adventure of trying to find the guilty person was just as much a wild goose chase as the Maltese Falcon. Macaulay is a very smart villain in this story; as he is ‘trying’ to help find the guilty, he gives the incorrect facts to lead the others in opposite directions. Nick states to Guild, “Herbert Macaulay’s working for Wynant: you didn’t take Macaulay’s word for it that the man in Allentown wasn’t him?” (Hammett 85) It is very evident that Macaulay’s plan is well organized and successful, as even Nick believes that Macaulay is trustworthy because he works for the Wynant’s. Due to the Macaulay’s manipulative plan, many of the characters were left confused; which is why Nick had to explain how Macaulay pulled off the murder of three people: “He killed Wynant and he killed Julia and he killed Nunheim,” I assured Mimi. What do you want to do? Be next on the list? (Hammett 192). Clearly, Macaulay creates a masterful plan, where he is able to murder three people and disguise their bodies well. Here, Hammett displays how the pure greed for money and wealth leads to a once trustworthy man killing a father, a friend and a former convict in cold