Pushkin "The Queen of Spades" Alexander Pushkin's "The Queen of Spades" manipulates the readers' expectations in many ways throughout the story. What is expected to be a typical "˜happily ever after' story is not what it seems at all. The outcome of the character is nothing like what was expected."The Queen of Spades" begins at the end of a card game. As the gentlemen reflect on their wins and loses Tomsky tells a story about his grandmother, the Countess. He tells the guys that the Countess has the ability to play three cards and always guess the right ones. Everyone thinks it's a lie but Tomsky swears it's true. This story intrigues Hermann, an engineer, who is not a gambler beca ...view middle of the document...
When Lisaveta returns from the party she is actually relieved that Hermann is not in her room. Her feeling of relief shows that she doesn't love Hermann she was just hoping to be rescued.When Hermann sees that the countess is alone he approaches her and asks her for the secret. She tells him that it was just a joke but he doesn't believe her. He tries to convince her that he is most deserving of the secret and when she doesn't tell him he pulls out a gun. She died right then and there. Hermann the goes to Lisaveta's and tells her what happened. She tells him how to get out and he leaves.At the funeral, for the Countess, Hermann goes up to the coffin to pay his respects to her. He feels no remorse about what happened. When Hermann looks at the Countess he sees her wink at him and he falls to his knees. Later when Hermann is alone in his room he has a vision of the Countess and she tells him the three cards to play. He then goes to a gambling game and tries his luck. The fist card and second card wins but the last doesn't. He ends up losing all his money. In the end Hermann is in a mental institution, Lisaveta is married to "a very agreeable young man," and Tomsky is going to marry Princess Polina.There were many instances throughout the story where Pushkin violates the reader's expectations. The relationship between Lisaveta and Hermann is one that took place nothing like expected. They both had hidden meanings behind their pursuit of the relationship. Hermann wanted to get close to the Countess and get her secret. Lisaveta was just using him to get out of her life with the countess."Lisaveta Ivanovna, still wearing her ball dress, sat in her room, plunged in deep thought. On arriving home she had hastened to send away the sleepy maid who had reluctantly offered her services, and, saying she would undress by herself, had go...
