In 2014, American Hustle topped the box office charts and was critically acclaimed. The film praised the scammers and even depicted them as lighthearted, “comic figures” (Surowiecki). Americans condemn rapists and murderers, but idolize swindlers and often strive to get the most out of life with the least effort. People are constantly looking for shortcuts and quick fixes, making us bait for the disadvantages of our society. The premise of the film is the idea that people are always selfish and believe what they want to believe. This idea is certainly not new to literature and cinema. In Alexander Pushkin's Romantic-era science fiction novel, The Queen of Spades, "Everyone seeks what he can get" (Sarah Lawall 801) and many of the characters fall victim to scams. The Queen of Spades is all about high-stakes betting card games. The meaning of the games can be taken both literally and figuratively. “Card games have traditionally been seen as metaphors for life, where fate decides the outcome” (Pavliscak). The story focuses on Hermann, a Russian officer. A frugal and cautious man, Hermann spends his nights observing card games from afar rather than actually participating in them. He learns of an elderly countess who knows a series of cards played in sequence that always guarantee success. Hermann becomes obsessed with discovering the secret. He tries to seduce Elizaveta Ivanovna, the countess's poor employee, to reveal the mystery of the card. Hermann sneaks into the countess' house, under the pretense of meeting Elizaveta. He, however, enters the Countess' bedroom and scares her to death in an attempt to learn the secret of the card. Later, Hermann is haunted by the ghost of the Countess and... middle of paper... they want to believe it. Work cited "American Hustle". UWIRE text from December 27, 2013: 1. Academic OneFile. Network. May 4, 2014.Lawall, Sarah. "Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin." The Norton Anthology of Western Literature.Ed. Will be. Lawall. 8th ed. vol. 2. New York: Norton, 2006. 800-01. Print.Pavliscak, Pamela. "The Queen of Spades." Magill's Survey of World Literature, revised edition. (2009): 1. Literary Reference Center Plus. Network. April 28, 2014.Pushkin, Alexander Sergeyevich. The Queen of Spades. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature.Ed. Will be. Lawall. 8th ed. vol. 2. New York: Norton, 2006. 801-20. Print.Rinkus, Jerome J. "The Queen of Spades." Encyclopedia of Literary Characters, Third Revised Edition (1998): 1. Literary Reference Center Plus. Network. April 28, 2014. Surowiecki, James. “Make a fuss.” The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 2014. Web. April 23. 2014.