All right, I guess I need to back up my assertions.
>I'd have to disagree with you on two points
here.
>First, I don't think it unreasonable that a
female
> impersonator could fool Hammer. I mean, did you
see
> "The Crying Game" that you mention? He looked
pretty
> damned good to me. Not that I would... oh, forget
it.
I agree Jaye Davis was great in that role in "Crying Game"
(with the help of cinematic make-up and lighting). And I
agree there are quite a few convincing female impersonators.
HOWEVER. Mike Hammer is "allegedly one of the greatest
detectives in New York" as I've said, and he's spent more
than his fair share of time in the seedy underbelly of New
York. So it's not a big stretch to infer that he's met more
than a few female impersonators in his time. AND he's
supposed to be a great detective, so the details like
hand-size, adam's apple and tell-tale stubble SHOULD tip him
off. So it IS unreasonable that Hammer would be fooled, even
by an amazing female impersonator.
Now I say Hammer is "allegedly" a great detective because
Spillane tells us he's a great detective. However Hammer
usually solves the case only AFTER all the possible suspects
are dead and only the killer remains. So in fact that makes
Hammer a lousy detective.
> I also don't see the plot as "obnoxiously"
homophobic
> or sexist. I don't even know what gender it would
be
> sexist towards. The killer is a guy, right? Is
it
> sexist towards men?
True the man/woman is the killer and in Spillane's world
deserves to be blown away, but Hammer takes extra pleasure in
the act because the man/woman had the gall to try and seduce
him. The definition of "homophobia" is:
1. Fear of or contempt for lesbians and gay men. 2. Behavior
based on such a feeling.
I don't know, but cheerfully blowing a guy away because he
tried to seduce you shows a bit of "contempt for gay men"
wouldn't you say? And yes, I know he was a killer, so that
was part of the deal. However, throughout his books
Spillane/Hammer is always making points about what is manly
and how wimps are not tolerated. And Hammer does show
contempt for gay men in several books.
As for the sexist part. True it's hard to define that
specific act as sexist, but Hammer in general recalls the
sexist attitude of the era and "paranoia towards women" that
someone else has mentioned. In Hammer's world the only things
women are good for are sex and to be rescued (and in Velma's
case to be ogled and answer the phones). And if they're a
killer they need to be blown away.
True Hammer only makes explicit his hatred of Commies and the
Mafia and criminals, but from a modern perspective Hammer is
sexist in his world view.
Channing
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