Literary Analysis: The Queen of Spades by Alexander Pushkin
The Queen of Spades, by Alexander Pushkin, is a short story about human avarice. The story exhibits themes of obsession, risk, the unpredictability of life, unscrupulous behavior, and normal vs. paranormal. By incorporating all of these themes into his short story, Pushkin is able to achieve systematic manipulation of the reader’s expectations and evoke a sense of frustrated ambition.
The story begins by introducing Herman, a German officer who frequently watches the other officers gambling, but never plays himself. His reasoning, “The game fascinates me, but I am not in the position to sacrifice the essentials of life in the hope of acquiring the luxuries” (461). But Herman’s views on gambling quickly change. One night Tomsky, another officer, tells a story about his grandmother, the elderly Countess Anna Fedotovna , who had lost a fortune at cards, but then won it back with the help of Count St-Germain who provided her with the secret of the three winning cards. After hearing Tomsky’s tale, Herman becomes obsessed with discovering the card secret and winning a fortune. The story of the three cards made quite the impression on Herman and he could think of nothing else at night. He becomes so obsessed with the secret that he pretends to be in love with the countess’ ward, Lisaveta, in order to gain access to the old woman’s house. Herman’s obsession escalates to the point where he even considers romancing the old countess herself, “What if she should tell me the names of those three winning cards? Why not try my luck…? Become introduced to her, try to win her favour, perhaps become her lover…? (467). Even after Herman learns the secret of the three cards and wins a fortune he cannot stop his obsession and continues till he loses everything by mistaking a queen for an ace. After being confined to a mental hospital his fixation remains, “he answers no questions, but merely mutters with unusual rapidity:...