For this week I did a close reading from "The Maltese Falcon" and I chose a very interesting excerpt that'll really add to the imagery of the story.
"Spade's face became pale and hard. He spoke rapidly in a low furious
voice: 'Think again and think fast. I told that punk of yours that you'd
have to talk to me before you got through. I'll tell you now that
you'll do your talking today or you are through. What are you wasting my
time for? You and your lousy secret! Christ! I know exactly what the
stuff is that they keep in the subtreasury vaults, but what good does
that do me? I can get along without you. God damn you! Maybe you could
have got along without me if you'd kept clear of me. You can't now. Not
in San Francisco. You'll come in or you'll get out--and you'll do it
today'" (Dashiell Hammett, "The Maltese Falcon", 110).
This passage is from the second third of the book and I think that it paints a pretty good picture of how the times were back in San Francisco in the mid-30s to late-40s. The one thing that really stands out in the novel is the use of dialogue to create imagery throughout the entire book. The excerpt that I picked has a decent amount of dialogue but there is a whole lot more that also creates a great picture. It's crazy because I believe that the novel really depends on the use of its dialogue to create a picture of what is really going on but the way that it is used makes it like you can't really imagine reading the book without that use of dialogue. The passage's use of dialogue allows us to visualize Spade being upset and having a sort of argument with the man and that couldn't have been accomplished without the dialogue.
Austin, nice job on your analysis. I think you are right that the use of imagery is very apparent in this text and it is able to give the readers a really good idea of what it would be to be in the story. Dialogue between characters os also sed to give the reader more insight into the characters and what they are experiencing.
ReplyDeleteHi Austin. When I read the quote, you wrote down from the book I was confused at first, but then after I read your analysis it made more sense to me. I do remember hearing an angry tone while reading the quotes. I agree that dialogue helps create a picture in our heads while reading. You did a great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Austin,
ReplyDeleteI agree, the dialog in this story is pretty sharp and cracking. The slang that was used back then is interesting in comparison to modern slang. It does help to paint a vivid picture of the times and action.