Sam Spade's Role In 'The Maltese Falcon'

In “The Maltese Falcon”, one can identify how Effie Perine, Iva Archer, and Brigid O’Shaughnessy have an important role in the novel and have an impact in Sam Spade’s role as a detective. They all have similar and distinguish characteristics, from appearance to personality and one may infer that these women have been influenced over the flapper era. In this novel, the author does a phenomenal job using these three women to symbolize the true meaning of the roaring 20s.
Iva Archer is married to Mile Archer and is having an affair with Sam Spade. Throughout the novel, the reader can recognize Iva’s unconditional love and obsess over Spade. For example, Iva has always persisted to see Spade throughout the book, from the beginning where she comes into Spade’s office wanting his attention and affection, till the end of the book where the author ends it with Iva Archer wanting to come in to Spade’s office. Another occurrence is when Iva is at the door of Spade’s house and sees O’Shaughnessy in his apartment. This is the scene where she gets jealous and calls the detectives, Tom and Brundy, and claims that he was involved with Mile’s murder. She was essentially setting him up due to her obsession towards Spade.
Effie Perine is Spade’s secretary and can be described as a loyal, intelligent, honest, and naive individual. …show more content…
They are all being used by Spade’s interest. Spade uses Iva for sex and doesn’t even care that he is having sex with his partner's wife. This shows that Spade honestly only cares about himself and uses people around him for his best interest and needs. He also uses Effie Pernie for connections and takes advantage over her kindness. O’shaughnessy is more similar to Spade because she uses her sex appeal and false innocence to attract men to help her in desperate needs. They also break the stereotypes of a staying home women and living under the patriarchal