Dashiell Hammett's The Thin Man and The Glass KeyIf you know nothing of Dashiell Hammett except that he authored The Thin Man, you might expect, as I did, that his novels would be darkly mysterious and witty, but you would not expect writing that suggests he was disenchanted, deeply cynical and bitter. Reading his novels, you will step into tight, dimly lit, smoky speakeasies or a posh New York hotel room crowed with suspicious men and women who hate to be awoken before noon. Only one character is guilty of murder, but no one is innocent. The darker of the two novels, The Glass Key, nearly discouraged me from opening another Hammett novel.
None of the characters evokes sympathy. No one is trustworthy, not even the protagonist, Ned Beaumont. The author doesn't even seem to love this novel, as careless as he seems about certain details that will aggravate most readers. I was distracted, for example, by the repetition of the main character's full name, Ned Beaumont, throughout the novel, though other characters' names are shortened to a first or last name or even a kind of epithet, like "the blond man," referring to Ned's friend Paul Madvig. I began counting the number of "Ned Beaumonts" on each page, like students count the number of times their teacher says, "Um."
The title becomes increasingly distracting, too, as its meaning remains obscure until the last pages, and its revelation is unsatisfying. Janet Henry, the token love interest, dreams she and Ned Beaumont find a cottage, something like the witch's cottage in Hansel and Gretel; and a glass key, which they use to enclose a brood of poisonous snakes in the house, shatters in their hands. The snakes slither over them. The symbolism is obvious, too obvious, and comes across as the author's desperate attempt to add depth to his otherwise shallow novel.
The topic, big corruption in small towns, is worth exploring, and the theme, that corrupt politicians will entangle the innocent, nearly makes the novel meaningful. The resolution, though, was contrived. Janet Henry's pleading to run away with Ned was a predictable Hollywood ending, making me suspicious that Hammett hoped for a film deal.
Character development: C
Setting: A
Writing style: C
Overall Grade: C+
The Thin Man was surprisingly delightful, an antidote to the The Glass Key. Nick and Nora already occupy a part of my imagination: I remember them fondly as William Powell and Myrna Loy, the most attractive, impervious, cool couple to ever grace the silver screen, and I couldn't erase their images from my mind, though I rarely succeed in re-imagining a character if I've seen a movie before reading the book.
Again, Hammett's dark mind colors the novel, for this is not The Thin Man I remember from watching the movie as a child, unless I overlooked the subtleties. Despite all the familiar clever quips, outrageous characters, and intriguing plot twists, the hints of domestic abuse cast a dark shadow that could not have appeared in the movies. Between late night parties in their hotel, the Charleses try to unravel the twisted family ties between siblings Dorothy and Gilbert Wynant and their neurotic mother, Mimi, who are all suspect in the mysterious death of Julia Wolf, Clyde Wynant's secretary. Four pages are devoted to an excerpt from a book on criminal cases that Nick buys from a second-hand store and gives to Gilbert: It describes a grisly story of cannibalism among early American pioneers. The question of why Hammett interrupts his tale with this lengthy excerpt remained in my mind until the end, although it's most likely a red herring, meant to send us chasing after Gilbert as the most likely murder suspect.
Ignoring that minor detail, I enjoyed the main characters' sporting humor, unfaltering even in the face of the gravest danger. When Shep Morelli enters their room, threatening the couple with "a blunt black .38-calibre automatic," Nick quips, "...do you mind putting the gun away? My wife doesn't care, but I'm pregnant and I don't want the child to be born with--" They pepper every conversation with their wit, a humor that can exist only in Hollywood scripts, but is nonetheless entertaining because we like the idea of a world in which we could remain as cavalier and smooth when a jumpy, sweating thug points a gun at our chest.
The title again remains a mystery until the end, but this time I appreciated its tongue-in-cheek dark humor. This novel shows signs of thoughtful crafting, as though the author was delighting in his characters as much as the reader.
Character development: A
Setting: A
Writing style: B+
Overall grade: A-
