Screwed or hero are the only two options? I do not see Spade
as screwed in the noir sense (just everyday, time will heal
screwed). However, I do not see him as a hero either. I see
him as a professional, which I see as a separate category
(which can overlap the other two). By your definition of hero
(solves the problem), a janitor who mops up a spill is a hero
as he "solved a problem." Spade solves his case. This is his
job. In fact, he ends up exactly where he started, cowering
in his office trying to avoid Archer's wife. In fact, he's
worse off (but again, not noir screwed), because she's now
single and sure to want more from him than he wants to
give.
Mark
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