The Gutting of Couffignal
Encyclopedia
The Gutting of Couffignal (1925
) is a hardboiled
crime short story
by Dashiell Hammett
, who is considered one of the greatest writers of this genre and the first of this school to have his work considered for literary qualities never until then associated with "genre writing." It appears, along with nine other stories by the author, in The Big Knockover and Other Stories.
has been hired to guard presents given at a wedding, on a small and exceedingly exclusive island called Couffignal. In order to live on the isle, an income in the millions is expected. Late at night, as a storm is raging, the lights go out across the island, followed by the sounds of gunfire. The hired detective is asked to go down to see what is causing the scene. Rain is pouring down. He discovers an armed car has come across the bridge, which has been blown up to prevent any outside forces impeding the robbers' escape or the rescue of the denizens, and a machine gun is firing on anyone in sight. The rest of the gang members rob the houses, stealing millions. The only way off the island is by boat, but when the Op tries to explore the bay, he is shot at by another machine gun. Throughout it all, an escaped political refugee, Princess Zhukovski, accompanies the detective as he elusively chases the robbers in the rain. He tries to recruit the citizens to help him, but observes "You can't fight machine guns and hand grenades with peaceful villagers and retired capitalists."
Finally, he realizes he has crossed paths with the same people over and over. Upon this discovery, the Op deduces that someone was using the noisy and sporadic shooting to create the illusion of a large robbery, when instead it was a small job between only a handful of men. Chasing one of his perps, the Op twists his ankle and can hardly walk. He spots a crippled young man, forces him into a chair, gives him $5 as collateral, and takes the crutch out of his hands to aid his ability to walk. Upon returning to the safety of the Princess' home and being tended to, the Op finally understands that Zhukovski and a Russian general named Pleshkev are the masterminds behind the entire plot and are robbing their neighbors.
Princess Zhukovski laughs when he pulls his gun on her, unable to chase her while she cooly strolls towards the door, confessing all. He threatens to shoot her, but she shrugs. The story ends as:
1925 in literature
The year 1925 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* April: F Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway meet in the Dingo Bar on rue Delambre, in the Montparnasse Quarter of Paris, France shortly after the publication of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and shortly before...
) is a hardboiled
Hardboiled
Hardboiled crime fiction is a literary style, most commonly associated with detective stories, distinguished by the unsentimental portrayal of violence and sex. The style was pioneered by Carroll John Daly in the mid-1920s, popularized by Dashiell Hammett over the course of the decade, and refined...
crime short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Dashiell Hammett
Dashiell Hammett
Samuel Dashiell Hammett was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories, and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade , Nick and Nora Charles , and the Continental Op .In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on...
, who is considered one of the greatest writers of this genre and the first of this school to have his work considered for literary qualities never until then associated with "genre writing." It appears, along with nine other stories by the author, in The Big Knockover and Other Stories.
Plot introduction
The Continental OpThe Continental Op
The Continental Op is a fictional character created by Dashiell Hammett. A private investigator employed as an operative of the Continental Detective Agency's San Francisco office, he never gives his name and so is known only by his job description....
has been hired to guard presents given at a wedding, on a small and exceedingly exclusive island called Couffignal. In order to live on the isle, an income in the millions is expected. Late at night, as a storm is raging, the lights go out across the island, followed by the sounds of gunfire. The hired detective is asked to go down to see what is causing the scene. Rain is pouring down. He discovers an armed car has come across the bridge, which has been blown up to prevent any outside forces impeding the robbers' escape or the rescue of the denizens, and a machine gun is firing on anyone in sight. The rest of the gang members rob the houses, stealing millions. The only way off the island is by boat, but when the Op tries to explore the bay, he is shot at by another machine gun. Throughout it all, an escaped political refugee, Princess Zhukovski, accompanies the detective as he elusively chases the robbers in the rain. He tries to recruit the citizens to help him, but observes "You can't fight machine guns and hand grenades with peaceful villagers and retired capitalists."
Finally, he realizes he has crossed paths with the same people over and over. Upon this discovery, the Op deduces that someone was using the noisy and sporadic shooting to create the illusion of a large robbery, when instead it was a small job between only a handful of men. Chasing one of his perps, the Op twists his ankle and can hardly walk. He spots a crippled young man, forces him into a chair, gives him $5 as collateral, and takes the crutch out of his hands to aid his ability to walk. Upon returning to the safety of the Princess' home and being tended to, the Op finally understands that Zhukovski and a Russian general named Pleshkev are the masterminds behind the entire plot and are robbing their neighbors.
Princess Zhukovski laughs when he pulls his gun on her, unable to chase her while she cooly strolls towards the door, confessing all. He threatens to shoot her, but she shrugs. The story ends as:
"Stop, you idiot!" I bawled at her. Her face laughed over her shoulder at me. She walked without haste to the door, her short skirt of gray flannel shaping itself to the calf of each gray wool-stockinged leg as its mate stepped forward. Sweat greased the gun in my hand. When her right foot was on the doorsill, a little chuckling sound came from her throat.
"Adieu!" she said softly.
And I put a bullet in the calf of her leg. She sat down--plump! Utter surprise stretched her white face. It was too soon for pain. I had never shot a woman before. I felt queer about it.
"You ought to have known I'd do it!" My voice sounded harsh and savage and like a stranger's in my ears. "Didn't I steal a crutch from a cripple?"
External links
- Checklist of where every Hammett story appeared