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this possible threat in mind, Warshawski chooses not to use him as a partner. In a similar vein,
Warshawski is aware of how even electronic databases like LifeStory can be manipulated by
organizations to create a false picture of an individual. Thus, Warshawski practices selective
partnerships that often change depending upon the case and situation. Through careful selection,
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she manages to retain the power and control that the traditional masculine hard-boiled detective
valued, while still relying on the powerful community that women proletariat writers promoted.
Grafton s Millhone also shows a propensity for partnerships and group efforts in the
author s first novel, A Is For Alibi. Generally, Millhone s partners are her professional peers. In
this text, Grafton introduces the character of Robert Dietz, a Nevada detective who is
investigating Sharon Napier, a potential witness. In G Is For Gumshoe, Millhone uses Dietz s
bodyguard and security service for protection while she works on a case. Dietz also shares case
information with Millhone. This professional dialogue is a testament to the competency of
Millhone s investigative skills. Dietz is not an equal partner in the investigation; rather, he is a
responsible resource Millhone can use to gain information that she feels is not biased by personal
opinion or close ties to a group or situation. Millhone may use brief alliances with those outside
her profession, such as Mrs. Ochsner in B Is For Burglar. Mrs. Ochsner is a retiree who lives
close to a suspect Millhone is investigating. Millhone uses her to keep tabs on the suspect but
limits her involvement in the investigation. As is the case with most hard-boiled detectives,
Millhone is hesitant to rely solely upon the police force as a partner in investigation, for fear that
they will either neglect the cases or overlook important leads. Following Warshawski, Millhone
creates partnerships and uses group efforts to solve cases in a manner that is reminiscent of
women s proletarian literature.
Muller s McCone displays a tendency to use collaborative efforts to solve cases. She,
like Warshawski, uses assistants to ease the investigative process and obtain information in a
much quicker fashion. Her assistant, Rae, handles clients and office duties, while her nephew,
Ricky, uses the computer to electronically gather needed information for her. With the three of
them, McCone has created a strong supportive group that can effectively deal with cases in the
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positive manner of group support found in proletarian literature, while allowing McCone to
retain control over the investigation.
McCone often discusses her cases with Hy Ripinsky, her long-time significant other and
a professional investigator in his own right. In A Wild and Lonely Place, Hy discusses
international politics with McCone, brainstorming with her about the bomber s impact and
terrorism. Later on in the novel, he arranges connections for McCone when she tries to hide
Habiba from her father and grandmother, and he helps her transport the girl. In Listen to the
Silence, it is Hy who advises McCone on how to question her reluctant family members about
the mystery surrounding her birth. She also helps Hy with his cases. In Wolf in the Shadows,
McCone tracks down a missing and injured Hy and then helps him with a kidnapping case gone
awry. Their professional relationship is a sharing of information and responsibility that allows
McCone to retain power when dealing with her investigations, while gaining access to sources of
knowledge she might otherwise have missed. Their partnership, both professionally and
personally, fosters a supportive group atmosphere, which displays the healthy power of support
that women s proletarian literature tried to communicate.
Feminist hard-boiled detectives utilize groups and partners when working on cases to
show the power that a group can give to its investigation. This tradition is one Paretsky, Grafton,
and Muller share with women proletarian writers of the 1930s. The feminist hard-boiled
detective genre is a mix of the tradition of independence and group support that allows the
feminist hard-boiled detective to retain control of the investigation while gaining access to
information they otherwise might not have uncovered.
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7.6 Liar s Club: Truth and Gender in Hard-Boiled Detective Fiction
In History of Sexuality, Foucault discusses the concept of confession as one of the
primary systems through which violators of social order are reintroduced into mainstream society
(6). Similar to the religious process, an individual comes to an authority figure, confesses
transgressions, and receives a penance, punishment, and instructions for correcting the mistake
and being redeemed. The power in this process, as Foucault describes it, is placed in the
mainstream authority figure who hears the confession. This authority figure has the right to
interpret the confession and, therefore, has the power to place the confessor in any role that he or
she sees fit. This process is predicated upon the assumption that the confessor is telling the truth
or, at the very least, relating a factual account. It does not take into consideration the prospect
that the confessor could merely be telling the representative of mainstream society what he or
she wants to hear to avoid harsh social scrutiny. In Foucault s system there is no room for lying.
There is a particular history and connotation associated with lies. John Kucich s The
Power of Lies expounds upon the cultural and gender-connoted role of lies in Victorian society.
While Kucich primarily deals with Victorian culture, his ideas can be applied to 20th century
American society. In Kucich s view, the  truth works to maintain mainstream social values.
Truth is then the standard explanation and descriptions of people and events that is promoted by [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]