Pushkin's “Queen of Spades”: A Displaced Mother Figure

Alexander Pushkin's story “The Queen of Spades,” written in 1833, deals with a young officer named Hermann, who is obsessed with obtaining the secret of three cards which will bring him fabulous wealth. Hermann's single-mindedness in extracting the secret from a rich old countess leads him to court her ward, Lizaveta Ivanovna. As the young officer stands in the countess' boudoir one night demanding the secret of the three cards from the 87-year-old woman, she suddenly dies of fright. Several days later, the ghost of the countess appears to Hermann in a dream and discloses the secret on condition that he play not more than one card in twenty-four hours and that he never play again after three successive nights. Before departing, the ghost of the old countess tells Hermann that she will forgive him her death on condition that he marry her ward, Lizaveta Ivanovna. Hermann then attempts to win his fortune at the house of the famed Moscow punter Chekalinsky. On the first night, Hermann plays a three and on the second, a seven. On the third night, however, instead of drawing an ace, Hermann draws the queen of spades.

Pushkin remarks laconically at the end of the story that Hermann went insane and is now confined to the psychiatric ward of the Obukhov Hospital.

Interpretations of Pushkin's story have tried to explain why Hermann made his fatal mistake with the cards and