Editing Mike Hammer (character) (section)

==Character==
While [[pulp magazine|pulp]] detectives such as [[Sam Spade]] and [[Philip Marlowe]] are hard-boiled and cynical, Hammer is in many ways the [[archetype|archetypal]] "[[Machismo|hard man]]": brutally violent, and fueled by a genuine rage against violent crime that never afflicts [[Raymond Chandler]]'s or [[Dashiell Hammett]]'s heroes. In ''The Big Kill'', Hammer describes himself to a [[bargirl]] as a [[misanthropy|misanthrope]]. Spillane admitted to pulp writer [[Carroll John Daly]], generally regarded as the inventor of the hard-boiled private eye figure, that Hammer was also loosely modeled on Race Williams, Daly's most frequently used detective character.

While other hardboiled heroes bend and manipulate the law, Hammer often views it as an impediment to justice, the one virtue he holds in absolute esteem. Hammer nevertheless has a strong respect for the majority of [[police]], realizing they have a difficult job and their hands are frequently tied by the law when trying to stop criminals.

Hammer is also [[patriotism|patriotic]] and [[anti-communism|anti-communist]]. The novels are peppered with remarks by Hammer supporting American troops in [[Korean War|Korea]], and in ''Survival...Zero'' [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]]. In ''[[One Lonely Night]]'', where Hammer attends a [[communism|communist]] meeting in a park, his reaction to the speaker's [[propaganda]] is a sarcastic "Yeah."

So far as violence is concerned, the Hammer novels leave little to the imagination. Written in the [[first-person narrative|first person]], Hammer describes his violent encounters with relish. In all but a few novels, Hammer's victims are often left vomiting after a blow to the stomach or groin.

Hammer is an [[ageless character]]. Spillane said of his character: "See, heroes never die. [[John Wayne]] isn't dead, [[Elvis Presley|Elvis]] isn't dead. Otherwise you don't have a hero. You can't kill a hero. That's why I never let him get older."

The ''[[Washington Times]]'' obituary of Spillane said of Hammer, "In a manner similar to [[Clint Eastwood]]'s [[Harry Callahan (character)|Dirty Harry]], Hammer was a cynical loner contemptuous of the 'tedious process' of the legal system, choosing instead to enforce the law on his own terms."<ref>[http://www.washtimes.com/national/20060717-105745-4982r.htm Washington Times – Mystery novelist Spillane dies<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>