Jim Doherty:
You're correct. I don't know why I wrote op, particularly
since Bogart was in my mind's eye when I wrote the comment.
At the same time, I am not certain that just because a
character makes a pseudo-philosophical statement such as,
'When a man's partner is killed, he's supposed to do
something about it,"there is an indication of "some larger
philosophical standard." I make comments like that all the
time. Most of them are personal philosophies drawn only from
the perspective of my life experience.
Nonetheless, I think the group has moved on from this
discussion. I will concede that people can see Spade as
existential, and even ascribed to some sense of
morality.
As for his actions toward Brigid O'Shaughnessy, I don't think
that was mentioned in my comments. I referred to Spade's
entire participation. Throughout the novel, he hustles toward
his own survival, making deals with all of the crooks and no
one. The only rationale he gives for that involvement in the
case is to set things right about the death of Miles Archer.
He could have left the whole thing to the cops. Of course,
that might have led to the loss of a really good novel.
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