Aleksandr Pushkin’s “The Queen of Spades”

In Aleksandr Pushkin’s “The Queen of Spades” there were many different themes being used. Out of the various topics, one made a reoccurring appearance throughout the novel; obsession. The theme of obsession played a very essential part in “The Queen of Spades”, and on especially the books lead character. In Pushkin’s “The Queen of Spades”, Hermann’s obsession with the playing cards and winning a great deal of money; affect his character so much heavily that it eventually leads to his demise.
In the beginning of the novel Hermann was described as a very content person and satisfied with his current position in life. He is financially stable; not too rich or poor, and had no real ambitions. This is confirmed when Hermann states "Play interests me very much, but I am not in the position to sacrifice the necessary in the hope of winning the superfluous.” when asked why he didn’t play cards. It wasn’t until Tomsky told him of the card secret of the Countess Anna Fedotovna, when this content behavior of Hermann’s changed. When hearing the story of the Countess, Hermann’s at ease mentality changed into one of an incredibly go-getting behavior. The driving force for the character change was because of his new obsession of wanting to know the card secret. "A tale!" Hermann says in the beginning after hearing the story from Tomsky, this is another example that the card secret gains the attention of Hermann because before then he was to himself and this was the first sign show by him that he had interest.
Hermann loses all concern and devotes himself to extorting the secret from the Countess. In the beginning of the novel Hermann is perceived as a very cautious person in his everyday life. Even when his fellow officers play cards, he comes but never participates; saying he always comes to watch but never plays. As stated by Hermann, “I am not in the position to sacrifice the necessary in the hope of winning the superfluous.” Hermann’s comment and behavior depicts that