SELF-DESTRUCTION THROUGH GREED: “THE QUEEN OF SPADES” AND “ALI BABA AND FORTY THIEVES”

Abstract

Greed, a cardinal sin originating from early Christianity, is a notable recurring theme in literature and is universally prevalent throughout civilizations, literary works, and theological systems. It is widely held that people who exhibit greed defy God's command and face punishment, but those who sincerely abide by His commands receive blessings. The works The Queen of Spades by Alexandr Pushkin and The Tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves in The Thousand and One Nights, belong to separate literary traditions. However, both stories depict antagonistic individuals who ultimately meet their own end as a result of their greedy behaviour. In these literary works, there are two different sets of characters, the rewarded and the punished. Within these literary pieces, the initial set of characters experiences significant consequences for their actions, whilst the subsequent group is duly compensated. These works demonstrate that specific topics surpass the limitations of time and culture, regardless of the differences between the eras and communities in which they originated. Accordingly, this study aims to reveal how greed turns into a way of self-destruction in these two works, which belong to completely different periods and geographies, through textual analysis.