How do I create a claim?
Author + character = our opinion of the character
Our opinion + theme = claim:
With the manipulative female character Brigid O’Shaughnessy, Hammett shows readers that in a world where the lust for money
destroys everything that is meant to be good, what passes for love is often a cheap imitation.
What goes in an introduction?
1.
Hook
Poets and songwriters have one favorite theme: love. The emotion has been described in every possible manner, from
personifying it to detailing its effects. Even the songs and poem that focus on the pain of love gone wrong still express the longing
for this human emotion that connects us to one another.
2.
Topic: you MUST name the novel and the author (first and last) as well as provide a brief summary of the book
Throughout the twentieth century, this obsession with love took many forms, but for the first time in human history, love
began to show a truly ugly side. After World War I, with its widespread devastation, humans began to doubt their own capability for
genuine love. During the 1920s, particularly in the United States, people redirected their desire for relationships into the unending
quest for the almighty dollar. Dashiel Hammett perfectly depicts this greed and its effects in The Maltese Falcon.
3.
Claim:
With the manipulative female character Brigid O’Shaughnessy, Hammett shows readers that in a world where the lust for
money destroys everything that is meant to be good, what passes for love is often a cheap imitation.
What goes in a body paragraph?
1.
Topic Sentence
Hammett develops only three female characters in The Maltese Falcon and two of them—Iva Archer and Brigid
O’Shaughnessy-- use sex, which is meant to be an expression of love, as a tool to gain wealth or status; O’Shaughnessy is the best
developed of the two characters and she definitely strengthens Hammett’s message regarding greed
Clincher
She is a clear warning about what happens to important emotions like love when greed gets in the way.
2.
Evidence



3.
In the 1920s, the setting of this novel, organized crime families created very lucrative businesses providing illegal
alcohol and prostitutes. In addition, women enjoyed more freedom during this time period, so their behavior was
often criticized by older generations which had been more restricted. The combination of women for sale and women
who were more socially active, often frequenting the speakeasies that sold illegal alcohol, left women in general open
to criticism.
“She was tall and pliantly slender, without angularity anywhere. Her body was erect and high-breasted, her legs long,
her hands and feet narrow. She wore two shades of blue that had been selected because of her eyes. The hair curling
from under her blue hat was darkly red, her full lips more brightly red. White teeth glistened in the crescent her timid
smile made” (4).
Later in the book, O’Shaughnessy, frustrated when Spade won’t do what she wants, reveals how far she is willing to
go by offering to “buy” Spade “with [her] body” (57).
Analysis




Hammett picked up on these new insecurities regarding women when he created the character Brigid O’Shaughnessy.
Hammett’s physical description of O’Shaughnessy sharply focuses the reader on her beauty, which is of the sexually
appealing variety:
The reader is forced by Hammett to experience O’Shaughnessy’s appearance as the person viewing her—Sam Spade,
already characterized as a womanizer by his adulterous affair with Iva Archer—experienced her: as sexually attractive.
Since the reader now knows that O’Shaughnessy is motivated by greed for wealth, her offer can be read as a form of
prostitution: exchanging sex for money. Her affiliation with Floyd Thursby, a known gang member, only helps
Hammett send a clear message about O’Shaughnessy: she, like other members of organized crime families, is willing
to do anything for money.
What goes in a conclusion?
Reemphasize the importance of your claim and reasons to:

The book as a whole
The interaction between Sam Spade and Brigid O’Shaughnessy is central to the book’s plot. They meet in the opening pages, when
O’Shaughnessy starts Spade on the quest for the Falcon, and they do not part until the closing moments when Spade refuses to
cover up O’Shaughnessy’s murder of his partner Miles Archer. But the impact they have on the book’s plot is no more important
than their impact on its central theme: the destructive power of greed. O’Shaughnessy in particular advances this message by
personifying greed’s corruptive powers: gorgeous on the outside, she is morally bankrupt on the inside.

You as a reader

Society as a whole
This warning was certainly timely in the years immediately preceding the Great Depression, but it is equally important now, with
America’s economic struggle to overcome the effects of unbridled greed on the part of institutions and individuals. Making money a
god destroys all that God intended to be good in this world, even the emotion that should bind us together as families and friends.
When money rules, love either dies or becomes something ugly. Today’s Americans need this reminder every bit as much as the
Americans of Dashiell Hammett’s time.
Brigid O’Shaughnessy: A Warning about Love and Money
Poets and songwriters have one favorite theme: love. The emotion has been described in every possible manner, from
personifying it to detailing its effects. Even the songs and poem that focus on the pain of love gone wrong still express the longing
for this human emotion that connects us to one another. Throughout the twentieth century, this obsession with love took many
forms, but for the first time in human history, love began to show a truly ugly side. After World War I, with its widespread
devastation, humans began to doubt their own capability for genuine love. During the 1920s, particularly in the United States,
people redirected their desire for relationships into the unending quest for the almighty dollar. Dashiel Hammett perfectly depicts
this greed and its effects in The Maltese Falcon. With the manipulative female character Brigid O’Shaughnessy, Hammett shows
readers that in a world where the lust for money destroys everything that is meant to be good, what passes for love is often a cheap
imitation.
Hammett develops only three female characters in The Maltese Falcon and two of them—Iva Archer and Brigid
O’Shaughnessy-- use sex, which is meant to be an expression of love, as a tool to gain wealth or status; O’Shaughnessy is the best
developed of the two characters and she definitely strengthens Hammett’s message regarding greed. In the 1920s, the setting of this
novel, organized crime families created very lucrative businesses providing illegal alcohol and prostitutes. In addition, women
enjoyed more freedom during this time period, so their behavior was often criticized by older generations which had been more
restricted. The combination of women for sale and women who were more socially active, often frequenting the speakeasies that
sold illegal alcohol, left women in general open to criticism. Hammett picked up on these new insecurities regarding women when
he created the character Brigid O’Shaughnessy. Hammett’s physical description of O’Shaughnessy sharply focuses the reader on her
beauty, which is of the sexually appealing variety: “She was tall and pliantly slender, without angularity anywhere. Her body was
erect and high-breasted, her legs long, her hands and feet narrow. She wore two shades of blue that had been selected because of
her eyes. The hair curling from under her blue hat was darkly red, her full lips more brightly red. White teeth glistened in the
crescent her timid smile made” (4). The reader is forced by Hammett to experience O’Shaughnessy’s appearance as the person
viewing her—Sam Spade, already characterized as a womanizer by his adulterous affair with Iva Archer—experienced her: as
sexually attractive. Later in the book, O’Shaughnessy, frustrated when Spade won’t do what she wants, reveals how far she is willing
to go by offering to “buy” Spade “with [her] body” (57). Since the reader now knows that O’Shaughnessy is motivated by greed for
wealth, her offer can be read as a form of prostitution: exchanging sex for money. Her affiliation with Floyd Thursby, a known gang
member, only helps Hammett send a clear message about O’Shaughnessy: she, like other members of organized crime families, is
willing to do anything for money. She is a clear warning about what happens to important emotions like love when greed gets in the
way.
When sleeping with Spade doesn’t fully accomplish her goal, O’Shaughnessy begins to declare her love for him; however, by
this point in the book, readers know that she routinely lies and that she is morally corrupt, and her talk of love only strengthens the
message that love has become empty and meaningless in a world where only money matters. . . . . . body paragraph 2 not finished
The interaction between Sam Spade and Brigid O’Shaughnessy is central to the book’s plot. They meet in the opening pages,
when O’Shaughnessy starts Spade on the quest for the Falcon, and they do not part until the closing moments when Spade refuses
to cover up O’Shaughnessy’s murder of his partner Miles Archer. But the impact they have on the book’s plot is no more important
than their impact on its central theme: the destructive power of greed. O’Shaughnessy in particular advances this message by
personifying greed’s corruptive powers: gorgeous on the outside, she is morally bankrupt on the inside. This warning was certainly
timely in the years immediately preceding the Great Depression, but it is equally important now, with America’s economic struggle
to overcome the effects of unbridled greed on the part of institutions and individuals. Making money a god destroys all that God
intended to be good in this world, even the emotion that should bind us together as families and friends. When money rules, love
either dies or becomes something ugly. Today’s Americans need this reminder every bit as much as the Americans of Dashiell
Hammett’s time.
Conclusion:
Reemphasize the importance of your claim and reasons to:
 The book as a whole
The interaction between Sam Spade and Brigid O’Shaughnessy is central to the book’s plot. They meet in
the opening pages, when O’Shaughnessy starts Spade on the quest for the Falcon, and they do not part
until the closing moments when Spade refuses to cover up O’Shaughnessy’s murder of his partner Miles
Archer. But the impact they have on the book’s plot is no more important than their impact on its central
theme: the destructive power of greed. O’Shaughnessy in particular advances this message by personifying
greed’s corruptive powers: gorgeous on the outside, she is morally bankrupt on the inside.
 You as a reader
 Society as a whole
This warning was certainly timely in the years immediately preceding the Great Depression, but it is equally
important now, with America’s economic struggle to overcome the effects of unbridled greed on the part of
institutions and individuals. Making money a god destroys all that God intended to be good in this world, even
the emotion that should bind us together as families and friends. When money rules, love either dies or
becomes something ugly. Today’s Americans need this reminder every bit as much as the Americans of
Dashiell Hammett’s time.
Lisa.camp@petalschools.com