In the novel The Maltese Falcon written by Dashiell Hammett the point of view being used to third person dramatic. This view follows the events and experiences that occur around private investigator Samuel Spade. Samuel Spade acquires knowledge through these events, and as he receives this knowledge, so does the reader. This effectively works for the story, because it weaves more mystery around the characters Brigid O'Shaughnessy, Mr. Gutman, Cairo and Wilmer. Samuel Spade does not know these characters or their stories, and when he learns them, so does the reader. This enables third person dramatic to be productive, for any other view would require information given beforehand to understand the story. Since information is not given beforehand, confusion would result in following characters such as Cairo or Mr. Gutman, because the reader would not understand what they were doing and why they were doing what they were doing, because the reader can not see their thoughts. If third person dramatic is being used, the play of events must follow a character that does not know everything. Samuel Spade is that character. .
The story is unfolded through someone outside of it, and serves to show events as if one were watching them as an outside party. With this novel being a mystery, this allows the reader to judge and think using their own imagination. They have to figure out upcoming events by themselves, and the "who, what, when, where and why- of things. Using this helps the reader come to their own conclusions rather than be influenced by any of the characters. An example of this is where Miles Archer, Spade's partner, is murdered. The police accuse Spade of murdering his partner, and while Archer is murdered, they give no information or events of Spade during that. The reader has to come their own conclusion, for Spade only said he was "walking around thinking things over,"" (21) and that there were "no witnesses,"" (21).
