“The Queen of Spades”
The Queen of Spades is a story of literature that refers as a reflecting couple of men gambling to illustrate the theme of corruption, violence, and death. Furthermore, in The Queen Of Spades, Hermann’s a Russian officer has a fondness of passion for gambling sits anxiously with a couple of German greediness, which initiates his attempts to avoid the power of chance for him playing a card game. Pushkin's literary it frames a relationship within a discussion of gambling as a social practice in Pushkin's day and other writers' use of gambling to express their social allegiances.
Pushkin was the first one to receive a position while he was working in Russia; he had fame above the boundary from Russia came later. For
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Although on a superficial level it appears that Hermann merely takes advantage of Liza in order to get close to the Countess, Pushkin subtly undermines this interpretation by revealing in his hero a persistent ambivalence between pursuit of the old woman’s secret and possession of the young ward. By declaring the initial appearance of Liza as the moment that seals Hermann’s fate, Pushkin establishes the desire for romantic and sexual possession of Liza as the true catalyst for Hermann’s madness. The idea that Liza, or rather what she represents, is Hermann’s true goal implies that the outward obsession and frustration surrounding the cards is merely displacement of deeper, interpersonal frustration or discomfort. This displacement is represented explicitly in Hermann’s interview with the Countess, while his aberrant, bizarrely sexual thoughts about the old woman suggest a possible pathology behind his discomfiture. Hermann, the anti-hero of Pushkin’s The Queen of Spades, suffers from an unspecified romantic impotence or frustration, which he tries to deflect into an obsession with cards, but which ultimately drives him
Lady Seymour and Isabel’s relationship is assembled on both of them being there for each other. An example of loyalty in their friendship is when Isabel saves Lady Seymour from dying when her house is on fire. She awakes realizing the mansion is up in flames. Isabel pulls Lady Seymour along with her, risking her own life, “I dropped the boxes and doll, draped her arm around me, and half fell down the rest of the stairs. Once on the ground floor, she tried to walk, but one of her legs was failing her. I opened the front door and dragged the two of us out to the street.” (193). Isabel takes two relics, that are important to Lady Seymour with her. She takes a painting of a yellow-haired man, Lady Seymour’s husband, and some coins. This is loyal because Isabel could have easily let Lady Seymour die while she decamped the fire. Instead, she drags weak Lady Seymour out of the fire. Isabel holds the valuables because she knows they are important to Lady Seymour and does not want to let her down. To compensate for what Isabel did for her, Lady Seymour gives Isabel money to escape with Curzon. “‘I’ll put the money back,’ I said. ‘Forgive me.’ She shook her head from side to side, her mouth movi...
The question to then ask here, is whether this trait of gambling was just a simple hobby that meant nothing about themselves, or that it did infact represent a deeper understanding of who they were. Beginning with the idea of independence, Breen explains that the people within society sought no form of constraint by a higher political leader, but at times worked together to make sure their colony was stable Moreover, by understanding their preferences, it is safe to say that they w...
“After the game was finished, Mr. Oakhurst drew the youthful speculator behind the door and thus addressed him: “Tommy, you’re a good little man, but you can’t gamble worth a cent. Don’t try it over again.” He then handed him his money back, pushed him gently from the room,” (Harte, 3) He listened to others if he wanted to, but when it went against his own judgment, he decided not to. The Innocent wanted to search for his fortune, and “There was a remembrance of this in his boyish and enthusiastic greeting of Mr. Oakhurst. He had started, he said, to go to Poker Flat to seek his fortune.” (Harte, 3) Piney was his fortune. By seeking, he meant running away with her so they could be together. He did not go on his own. “Alone?” No, not exactly alone; in fact (a giggle), he had run away with Piney Woods.” (Harte, 3) He and Piney had eloped and gone to Poker Flat to be
As the reader examines "Prophyria's Lover" by Robert Browning, one recognizes the complete effort of the speaker to disguise his feelings toward the murder of his wife. The speaker goes through different thoughts in relation to the life he has with his wife. Many thoughts include the positive and negative parts about her and their relationship. Throughout the monologue, the speaker tells the readers of his struggles of coming to the conclusion of murdering his wife and the reasons to do so. In “Prophyria’s Lover”, the speaker is faced with many types of insanity before, during, and after the murder of his wife, Prophyria because of the love he has for her.
Another aspects of the story is that once Edna’s awakening begins to take place, she is on a roller coaster of emotions, from the manic exuberance of listening to music and the sounds of the water, her connection to robert--it’s as though all her senses are opened up. Between times, however, she is really depressed, as though all the color that Chopin imparts so beautifully in the descriptions of the other scenes, has become dull and uninteresting. Then, she is flung into an emotional upheaval when she reads Robert’s letter to Mlle Reisz, as the latter plays Wagner. Clearly, these kinds of emotions cannot be borne by a woman whose cultural structure does not admit the building of her own that it might sustain the weight and number. She is overwhelmed. She must escape, and she does, for her situation now is powerfully reminiscent of the “joy that kills” in “Hour.”
Many stories talk about relationships, especially the ones between man and woman as couple. In some of them, generally the most popular ones, these relationships are presented in a rosy, sentimental and cliché way. In others, they are presented using a much deeper, realistic and complicated tone; much more of how they are in real life. But not matter in what style the author presents its work, the base of every love story is the role each member of that relationship assumes in it. A role, that sometimes, internal forces will determinate them, such as: ideas, beliefs, interests, etc. or in order cases external, such as society. In the story “The Storm” by American writer Kate Chopin and the play A Doll’s house by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen I am going to examine those roles, giving a special focus to the woman´s, because in both works, it is non-traditional, different and somewhat shocking, besides having a feminist point of view.
One example of gender criticism Chopin accounts in her writing is the love between the women in the novel which has been suppressed throughout history as “lesbian” encounters in order to uphold male power and privilege (LeBlanc 2). Edna’ friendships with Mademoiselle Reisz and Adele Ratignolle both act as different buffers into Edna’s sexual and personal “awakening.” Edna’s a...
Chopin’s use of symbolism throughout the text establishes a method of conveying the opposition of structural gender roles in Victorian society to readers in a magnificent way.
Kate Chopin is very well known for her extremely unique writing. Not only are her works striking of feminism, but the way she approached topics were not easily tolerated at that time especially for her gender. Many of her stories tie into marriage and the unhappiness that it brings. In Desiree’s Baby Chopin says, “And the very spirit of Satan seemed suddenly to take hold of him…” Comparing the woman’s husband to that of Satan shows the intensity of disgust between the two in the relationship. Strong statements such as these are often seen in “The Storm” and “The Story of an Hour.” In Chopin’s life she was married, and her stories lead me to believe that she viewed her marriage as a trap and suffered from lack of privacy and control. Despite how provoking Chopin’s works were she was long ignored by readers and critics until her stories hit the surface in the 1960’s and became more popular. The women in her stories are constantly seeking freedom, lust, and attention.
Liesel’s beauty is expressed through her vulnerability and courage in her life. Throughout her life, she loses a majority of the people she loves at a young age, she is cursed with nightmares that leave her “swimming in her bed, screaming, and drowning” in the late hours of the night (Zusak 36). Her courage is seen in her willingness to endure life throughout tragedies and in her bold act of reading to her neighbors to comfort them during a time of crisis. Liesel’s loyalty and love for her friends and family are an act of true beauty that causes readers to love her. Liesel’s ugliness is found in the stealing of books from Frau Hermann and her temper that caused her to “come close” to killing Ludwig Schmeikl (Zusak 79). Rosa Hubermann’s ugliness is far more apparent than Liesel’s, Rosa’s use of vulgarity and “ability to aggravate anyone she ever met,” are just a few examples (Zusak 35). Rosa’s beauty is portrayed in her willingness to risk everything to foster a Jew, in her long nights sitting “with her husband’s accordion tied to her chest” in hopes for him to come home, and in her efforts to feed and protect those she loved (Zusak 429). Hans kindness, patience, and love toward Liesel are his acts of beauty. The ugliness within Hans are seen through his impulsiveness and inability to think through his actions, such as feeding the Jew bread, making promises he cannot keep, and by putting
Her family life is depicted with contradictions of order and chaos, love and animosity, conventionality and avant-garde. Although the underlying story of her father’s dark secret was troubling, it lends itself to a better understanding of the family dynamics and what was normal for her family. The author doesn’t seem to suggest that her father’s behavior was acceptable or even tolerable. However, the ending of this excerpt leaves the reader with an undeniable sense that the author felt a connection to her father even if it wasn’t one that was desirable. This is best understood with her reaction to his suicide when she states, “But his absence resonated retroactively, echoing back through all the time I knew him. Maybe it was the converse of the way amputees feel pain in a missing limb.” (pg. 399)
In her story, Desiree’s Baby, Kate Chopin underlined the contrast between lust and love, exploring the problem of a man’s pride that exceeded the love he has for his wife. Armand, the main character of the story, is a slave owner who lived in Louisiana during the era of slavery. He married an adopted young woman, Desiree, and together they have a son who eventually became an obstacle in the way of his father’s happiness, thus removing out the true character of Armand. Desiree’s Baby, by Kate Chopin is a love story, love that ultimately proved to be a superficial love, a story that shed light on the ugly relationships between people. “Lust is temporary, romance can be nice,
To start off, this short story is packed with an abundance of symbolism that further highlights the emotions that Mrs. Mallard was feeling after hearing the devastating news of her husband’s death. Although she is instantly overcome with grief upon hearing the news, there were ‘’patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds…” (Chopin 476). These patches of blue sky represent the plethora of opportunities that await Mrs. Mallard now that she has been given a fresh start, with total and unrestricted freedom. Shortly after, Louise begins to comprehend how her husband’s death has in turn completely changed her life for the better. In addition, Mrs. Mallard’s heart troubles also bear a symbolic significance. Her physical heart complications symbolize her discontent with her lack of freedom in her life and marriage. In contrast, when Mrs. Mallard initially realizes the liberty and independence that she now possesses, “her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood w...
Through the use of a concise plot, symbolism, descriptive setting, point of view, and dramatic irony, readers are left with a strong feeling of empathy for the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard. Through each paragraph of the story, readers continue to feel empathetic for the woman who grieves the loss of her husband, gains a new feeling of freedom outside of the restrictions of marriage, then loses that freedom when she discovers that her husband is not dead, all within an hour’s time. While women’s independence and freedom within marriage could still be a topic reflected in today’s literature, it would be a much different story than that of Chopin’s time. At the time this story was written, women were expected to do whatever it took to please and cater to their husbands. This story seems to draw from the changes of that time as women were beginning to gain more independence in their lives as in the suffrage movement, marriage, and employment outside the home. Much has changed in women’s rights since the end of the nineteenth century, which is a result of the work of women like Kate
Throughout The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton uses many themes and motifs; gambling being a dominant one. Lily Bart is constantly testing her luck with her need to feel as if she has the upper hand in many situations. Lily always seems to throw out winning cards because she thinks that a better hand will come to her in the next round. Many readers might think that Lily is merely a careless, self-centered, and money-hungry tease. She very well may be all of those things; however, I believe it is all due to her addiction to gambling. Gambling gives Lily the rush that she craves in her boring upper class life, which has taught her to be cool, calm, and collected—the perfect poker face to disguise her addiction. Lily Bart’s incessant addiction to gambling with money, men and her own life, in due course leads to her demise.