The Queen of Spades

[Montreal]

Upon reading this Russian "short story" by Aleksandr Pushkin, I was wondering what the major theme/meaning of the story was.

Also, the ghost of the Countess claimed she was forced against her wish to meet Hermann; does anyone have an idea as to who forced her?

[kiki1982]

I was wondering that too, but I was reading that story on the train in Poland, so I didn't really have access to the internet...

I have looked a little round now and have concluded that the Queen of Spades stands for the fact that there is no sure course in the game of gambling and certainly not in life. One cannot eiminate the risk, but one can be careful.

There also seems to be an analogy with Napoleon-Hermann as both become so self-secure that they run into their own bad luck and lose all the ever accomplished.

I'm not sure what the countess meant by 'I was forced to come', but maybe, as the narrator casts doubt over the whole of that passage (Claire Whitehead), it is rather Hermann's own wish that gets her back to the world of the living to betray her secret than anything else. Mind you, for all we know it could be his own fantasy or imagination that makes up the secret. In fact, there might be none, and she could only have had enormous luck in her games.

The Queen of Spades in itself represented retribution and the evil eye, which is certainly one for Hermann. As he is envious of the countess, the countess casts her evil eye on Hermann, and what happens to him? Bad luck.