Essay - The Queen of Spades Alexander Pushkin in His Short Story...

The Queen of Spades

Alexander Pushkin in his short story "The Queen of Spades" explains the symbolism of ***** ***** ***** Spades himself when stating that the Queen of Spades "signifies secret ill‑will" (*****). Throughout, the deck of cards signifies a duel, a word even used ***** referring to the dealing ***** Chekalinsky. The use of ***** ***** links the mundane act ***** playing cards with the aristocratic and noble art of *****ing. In t***** first encounter, Hermann's queen loses, and the queen ***** loss for Hermann. After all, he thought he saw an ace, yet it was ***** Queen of Spades. ***** ill w***** has been shown by t***** old wom***** and her grandson who told Hermann the story, and now that ill w***** plays out in his every hand.

***** is an engineer ***** attends card games but never bets, always watching his friends but never turning a ***** himself. His ***** comment on this fact, and when he finally does make a bet and play a game of cards, they are amazed. What they do not know is that their friend ***** been seduced by the story told by Tomsky about his grandmother and the ***** of the three ***** that made it possible for her to pay her debts and regain ***** lost wealth. The secret ***** told to her ***** Count St. Germain, ***** the story of ***** cards has the ring of a fable, something fantastic that could ***** have taken place, the sort of story ***** by one gambler to anot*****.

The number three seems to ***** magical significance. The ***** dealt out three cards and won three times. The three ***** represent a ***** that Hermann must know. The secret of the cards was told to ***** old woman ***** Count St. *****, a name that then represented magic and the supernatural, he being the stranger who seemed to have ***** knowledge of just the sort ***** ***** would like to possess.

From that moment, Hermann thinks of nothing but the secret of the cards. He believes ***** ***** and becomes obsessed w*****h getting the ***** from the Countess, a central theme being the effects of obsession. ***** *****rays his *****, makes light ***** the feelings of the Countess's ward, ***** causes ***** death of the ***** woman to get ***** secret. There is a complex relationship between the character of Hermann, h***** vision of the three cards, and the plot of ***** story. The three cards serve as the motivating ********** in ***** *****. Because of the ***** cards, ***** undertakes certain actions which lead him to his **********. The reason why the cards ***** this power is because of ***** ***** of Hermann. Other men were present the night Tomsky told ***** story, and they do not become ***** with the cards or behave in an immoral fashion to secure the *****. Hermann ********** take these *****, ***** he does so ***** ***** character traits which influence his actions.

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