How to Analyze a Quote
Prompt: Which of the hero types would you say best describes Sam Spade? Justify your response with textual
evidence from The Maltese Falcon.
Claim: In The Maltese Falcon Dashiell Hammett portrays Sam Spade as an anti-hero who fights the good fight
but is motivated by self-interest more than principles.
I. Selecting a quote that supports the claim
First, I have to choose quotes that support the claim. For this claim I need quotes that address these ideas:
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Anti-hero
Fights the good fight
Self-interest over principles
“Spade took her face between his hands and he kissed her mouth roughly and contemptuously. Then he sat
back and said: ‘I’ll think it over.’ His face was hard and furious.” (57)
Second, I answer the four questions to “test” the quote. The more questions I can apply to the quote, the
better the quote.
Question 1) What figurative language could be discussed?
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None
Question 2) What strong words could be discussed?
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“roughly and contemptuously”
Question 3) What elements of characterization could be discussed?
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Attitude towards women—word choices say it all (According to Mirriam-Webster Dictionary,
contempt=despise, despise=to regard as negligible or worthless, negligible=so small as to be neglected
or disregarded)
Unprofessionalism—he’s doing this with a client!
Self-interest—expects payment for service . . . in varying forms
Question 4) What “clues” to inferences could be discussed?
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Clue: “Then he sat back and said: ‘I’ll think it over.’”
Questions for inference: What does Spade really mean? Why hold back an answer? Is this a strategy?
II. Analyzing and Discussing the Quote
First, I have to introduce the quote. An unidentified quote leaves the reader with questions.
Provide context (the circumstances surrounding the quote)
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Who is this said to?
Why is it said?
When Miss O’Shaughnessy offers her body as payment, “Spade took her face between his hands and he kissed
her mouth roughly and contemptuously. Then he sat back and said: ‘I’ll think it over.’ His face was hard and
furious.” (57)
Second, I must shorten the quote. I must analyze every part of the quote; therefore, I should only cite what
is needed to support my claim.
When Miss O’Shaughnessy offers her body as payment, “Spade took her face between his hands and he kissed
her mouth roughly and contemptuously. Then he sat back and said: ‘I’ll think it over.’ His face was hard and
furious.” (57)
Third, I have to analyze—not summarize—the quote. The goal isn’t to tell what is happening in the quote, it
is to give an opinion as to what it means and support that opinion with textual evidence.
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Use my answers to the 4 questions to guide my analysis.
o Strong words: “roughly and contemptuously”
o Characterization:
 Attitude towards women—word choices say it all (According to Mirriam-Webster
Dictionary, contempt=despise, despise=to regard as negligible or worthless,
negligible=so small as to be neglected or disregarded)
 Unprofessionalism—he’s doing this with a client!
 Self-interest—expects payment for service . . . in varying forms
o Clues for Inference
 Clue: “Then he sat back and said: ‘I’ll think it over.’”
 Questions for inference: What does Spade really mean? Why hold back an answer? Is
this a strategy?
Show how the quote supports my claim.
o How do these qualities establish Sam Spade as an anti-hero more motivated by self-interest
than principles?
III. Class Examples (not Exemplars)
Original quote “Spade took her face between his hands and he kissed her mouth roughly and
contemptuously. Then he sat back and said: ‘I’ll think it over.’ His face was hard and furious.” (57)
1st period
When Miss O’Shaughnessy offers her body as payment, Spade “kissed her mouth roughly and
contemptuously. Then he sat back and said: ‘I’ll think it over.’” (57) Unlike the traditional white knight that
saves the damsel-in-distress, Spade expects payment for his services, even in the form of sexual favors. His
attitude towards Miss O’Shaughnessy reveals a significant moral flaw in regards to women—they are simply
objects to be used and discarded however he pleases. Spade is not a romantic hero; his physical treatment of
his client, kissing her “roughly and contemptuously,” reveals his true intentions towards women as well as his
unprofessional, violent nature.
3rd period
When Miss O’Shaughnessy offers her body as payment, Spade “kissed her mouth roughly and
contemptuously. Then he sat back and said: ‘I’ll think it over.’” (57) His contemptuous treatment of Miss
O’Shaughnessy reveals his attitude towards women—as objects to use for his own benefit and to discard
when he tires of them. Not only do his actions show womanizing behaviors, but they also reveal his
unprofessionalism; after all, she is his client. His sarcastic reply, “I’ll think it over,” suggests that he already
knows his intentions with Brigid; however, he wants to probe for more information first. His conniving
methods establish him as an anti-hero who will bend moral rules in order to solve the case.
4th period
When Miss O’Shaughnessy offers herself as payment, Spade “kissed her mouth roughly and
contemptuously. Then he sat back and said: ‘I’ll think it over.’”(57) His careless treatment of her shows his
attitude towards women; he sees them as playthings he can manipulate and then dispose of. Her offer and his
consideration of it show that they are both unscrupulous; both are willing to bend rules to get what they
want. His nonchalant response, “I’ll think it over,” shows his distrust of her; before making any kind of a deal
he wants a down payment—in the form of information. Based on his manipulative actions, Spade
encompasses characteristics that depict him as an anti-hero rather than the traditional hero.
5th period
When Brigid O’Shaughnessy offered her body as a form of payment, Spade “kissed her mouth
roughly and contemptuously. Then he sat back and said: ‘I’ll think it over.’” (57) His manipulation of her
reveals his self-interest and disregard for women. To Spade, women are objects to be toyed with and then
ignored, as a three-year-old would dispose of his toys. From his response to Miss O’Shaughnessy’s offer, “I’ll
think it over,” we can infer that he knows that she is lying and wants more information before he consents to
her proposition. His womanizing and his manipulative methods are moral flaws, which prevent him from
being the hero that he could be.
6th period
After Brigid O’Shaughnessy offers her body as payment, Spade “kissed her mouth roughly and
contemptuously. Then he sat back and said: ‘I’ll think it over.’” (57) His forceful actions show his attitude
towards women, whom he feels are beneath him and not worthy of his respect. He responds to her offer, “I’ll
think it over,” as though he doesn’t want to seem eager. Until she proves that she can be truthful, he will not
take any additional form of payment, but he is considering it. His willingness to continue the case knowing his
client is a liar shows his self-interested motives, and it is this corruptibility that makes him an anti-hero.