Short Story Analysis

This assignment provides a detailed analysis of four short stories: "I'll Be Waiting" by Raymond Chandler, "Death & Company" by Dashiell Hammett, "Dealer's Choice" by Sara Paretsky, and "The Maltese Falcon" also by Dashiell Hammett. Each story is discussed in terms of its plot, characters, themes, and the authors' use of language to create a sense of mystery and intrigue.

Running head: SHORT STORY ANALYSIS
Short Story Analysis
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1SHORT STORY ANALYSIS
“I’ll Be Waiting” by Raymond Chandler
“I’ll Be Waiting” written by Raymond Chandler (1888–1959) is one of his shortest
stories and like the usual stories written by him this one also is a detective story. Regarding
the story, Chandler himself wrote “I didn’t think much of the story when I wrote it—I felt it
was artificial, untrue and emotionally dishonest like all slick fiction” (Chandler). The story
revolves around the characters of Tony Reseck, Eve Cressy, Tony’s brother Al and the man
for whom Cressy is waiting (Chandler). The story has an abrupt opening where Cressy is
waiting for the man whom she accidentally hurt. Eve tells about the man she is waiting for in
the words “"Waiting for a tall dark guy that's no good, Tony. You wouldn't care why. I was
married to him once. I might be married to him again. You can make a lot of mistakes in just
one lifetime” (Chandler). However, Tony is concerned about Eve as the last woman who
stayed in the hotel room ended her life by jumping off the balcony. However, according to
the critics, “The girl, the detective, the bad boys looking for someone are all in their places,
but there is no visible action” (Sigelman and William). The symbolism as well as the imagery
which Chandler uses in the story is totally in synchronization with the mystery which
surrounds the plot from the beginning.
“Death & Company” by Dashiell Hammett
The short story “Death & Company” by Dasheill Hammett (1894-1961) is a detective
story which revolves around a murder (Gale). According to Raymond Chandler, "Hammett
gave murder back to the kind of people that commit it for reasons" (Chandler). This particular
short story of Hammett is noted for its stark realism and its portray of actual crime scenes.

2SHORT STORY ANALYSIS
The story revolves around an “Op’s client”, apparently a wrong bird with the name of
Chappell (Gale). The wife of Chappell has been kidnapped by an outfit called “Death &
Company” and therefore he takes the help of the Op to get her wife back. The story gives
several interesting facets of the life of the old man and even provides “……the history of
kidnapping from Ross to Parker and waved it in their faces” (Gale). This short story is often
considered to be the first appearance of Hammett in the “Black Mask” (Gale). Commenting
on the importance of this story in the field of detective stories and also the importance of
Hammett in the world of Literature, Tony Hillerman remarked "If not the greatest, Dashiell
Hammett is certainly the most important American mystery writer of the twentieth century,
and second in history only to Edgar Allen Poe, who essentially invented the genre" (Gale).
“Dealer’s Choice” by Sara Paretsky
Sara Paretsky (1947-), is another short story writer who takes the help of the detective
genre to captivate the readers (Paretsky). It is to be noted that her best works have female
protagonists at their center which are often considered to be a literary representation of her
personal character (Paretsky). The short story under discussion here, “Dealer’s Choice”
revolves around the character Easter who in order to settle of the problem of her brother’s
gambling seeks the help of “Detective Marlow's office” (Paretsky). This particular short story
just like the other short stories of the same genre has an intriguing with many sudden twists
as well as turns (Paretsky). Her literary works are often seen as a response to the literary
works of Raymond Chandler. In fact, the detective Marlow who forms an important part of
this particular short story also features in most of the literary works of Chandler. This
particular work of Paretsky also tries to redefine the role of women in the traditional detective
works (Paretsky). According to the Newsweek (2018), “Sara Paretsky's private eye has been
called the most engaging woman in detective fiction since Dorothy Sayers' Harriet Vane".

3SHORT STORY ANALYSIS
Thus, it can be said that the works of Sara Paretsky is aimed to redefine the traditional genre
of the detective fiction (Paretsky).
“The Maltese Falcon” by Dashiell Hammett
Hammett, often considered to be the master of the detective genre is more famous for
his novel than his short stories (Gale). “The Maltese Falcon” is one such novel of Hammett
on which is present day reputation largely rests. According to Ross Macdonald, "As a
novelist of realistic intrigue, Hammett was unsurpassed in his own or any time... We all came
out from under Hammett's black mask". This particular novel of Hammett just like his
famous works has an intriguing at its centre. In fact, the very beginning of the novel creates
an atmosphere of intrigue (Huston et al). The novel revolves around the search of the sister of
Miss Wonderly, who runs away with the money of Miss Wonderly with a crook called by the
name of Thursby (Gale). She therefore, takes the help of a professional detective to find her
sister and also to get her money. The entire novel revolves around this particular action.
Commenting on the art of Hammett in this particular novel, Raymond Chandler wrote in
“The Simple Art of Murder”, "Hammett wrote... for people with a sharp, aggressive attitude
to life. They were not afraid of the seamy side of things; they lived there. Violence did not
dismay them; it was right down their street. Hammett gave murder back to the kind of people
that commit it for reasons, not just to provide a corpse ... He put these people down on paper
as they were, and he made them talk and think in the language they customarily used for
these purposes" (Chandler). The place as well as the influence which Hammett wielded on
the modern Literature has been adequately summed up in the words of Ross Macdonald when
he says, "We all came out from under Hammett's black mask".

4SHORT STORY ANALYSIS
References
Chandler, Raymond. Raymond Chandler Speaking. Univ of California Press, 1997.
Chandler, Raymond. Stories and early novels. Vol. 79. Library of America, 1995.
Chandler, Raymond. The simple art of murder. Vol. 6. Parnell Classics, 2014.
Gale, Robert L. A Dashiell Hammett Companion. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000.
Huston, John, et al. The Maltese Falcon. Warner Bros., 1941.
Paretsky, Sara. "Dealer's Choice." Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe (1988): 118-32.
Sigelman, Lee, and William Jacoby. "The not-so-simple art of imitation: Pastiche, literary
style, and Raymond Chandler." Computers and the Humanities 30.1 (1996): 11-28.
Thompson, George J., William F. Nolan, and Vince Emery. Hammett's Moral Vision: The
Most Influential Full-Length Investigation of Dashiell Hammett's Novels Red Harvest, the
Dain Curse, the Maltese Falcon, the Glass Key, and the Thin Man. Vol. 3. Vince Emery
Prod, 2007.