The Maltese Falcon Group

Question:

maarraoui
maarraoui
Student

In the Maltese Falcon, is the falcon a symbol?  What does it symbolize?  Does the falcon have a different meaning for different characters?

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Posted by maarraoui on Wednesday August 19, 2009 at 8:54 PM and tagged with literature, maltese falcon.

Answers:

  1. kkosach
    kkosach Teacher
    High School - 9th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    In Native American symbolism, the falcon or hawk is extremely powerful.  Hawks remind us that we must see things for what they really are, not for what we want them to be.  Unfortunately, in today's world, society just doesn't have time.  The hawk's eyes are made up of two lenses--one for seeing what is around him, and one for zooming in on his prey, which explains why they can dive with such accuracy from great heights.  It is in this spirit that I suggest that the falcon, and the drive to obtain it, is a story about stripping away conventional wisdom to seek truth.

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    Posted by kkosach on Wednesday August 19, 2009 at 9:07 PM

  2. hi1954
    hi1954 Teacher

    eNotes Editor

    Best answer as selected by question asker.

    That's an interesting perspective.  The falcon in the story is a figurine of course, but it does symbolize something to the characters.  For Spade's secretary and her professor it's a romantic or historic mystery, for Sam Spade it's the elusive answer to all his questions.  For the others, it's a symbolic quest, to actually posses this fabulous historic artifact.  Of course, they want it for it's economic value, the fact that they would be rich, not for any historic value.  And in a sense the falcon is simply luring them to their doom, some to death, some to prison, and Sam Spade back to his lonely life.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/maltese-falcon

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    Posted by hi1954 on Thursday August 20, 2009 at 2:53 AM