Queen Of Spades

At the forefront is the secret of the three cards, coveted by Germann and originally told to the countess by the mysterious Count Saint-Germain to help her win enough money to pay off a heavy gambling debt. Although the old lady never passed on her secret to her sons, she did appear to help the young Chaplitsky. Germann becomes so fascinated by the tale of the three cards that he comes to disregard his three trusty cards (thrift, moderation and hard work), giving way to his strong passions and ardent imagination. He pretends to court Lizaveta in order to gain access to the countess’s house to acquire her secret. He is even prepared to become the old lady’s lover so as to become rich. However, his plans misfire with the death of the countess. Candidates should point out that without this supernatural phenomenon, there would be no story, for the plot revolves round Germann’s attempts to acquire the secret and make use of it. When Germann finds himself for the second time in front of the countess’s house, we read that it was as if some supernatural force had drawn him there. At the countess’s funeral Germann believes the corpse gives him a mocking look and winks at him. That night he wakes to a strange woman in white, apparently the countess, who tells him the secret of the cards. The three, seven and ace will win if played in succession, provided he does not stake more than one card in twenty-four hours and never plays again. The countess forgives him her death provided he marries Lizaveta. All goes to plan on the first and second nights at Chekalinsky’s. However, at the third game, what Germann took for an ace turns into the queen of spades who seems to wink at him mockingly. Germann’s loss leads directly to his madness. Some candidates might argue that the supernatural in fact plays little role in the events of the story, since “РÑ"Ð oÐ *Ð oÐ »Ð Ñ*сь” and “РÑ--Ð Ñ*Ð Ñ"Ð oÐ *Ð oÐ »Ð Ñ*СЃСЊ Ð µÐ јСÑ"” are important indicators from the narrator that we are to be aware that Germann’s perspective of events might differ from objective reality. Before the funeral we learn he is superstitious and we are told he drank a lot before the night when the dead countess “appeared” to him with details of her secret. However, the convincing narratorial voice and the fact that supernatural events appear to be taking place in a recognisable realistic setting, peopled by characters with whom we can sympathise to various degrees, leads us to believe in the possibility of what we are reading. In the second part of the question, candidates can give an opinion as to whether the supernatural forces are the main focus of interest for the reader. The best answers will discuss the text’s other foci of interest and come to a conclusion as whether