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Addiction in Walter Trevis' 'The Queen's Gambit'

Addiction in Walter Trevis' The Queen's Gambit

- Prerna Rohra

The Queen’s Gambit tells the story of orphaned Beth Harmon who becomes a master at chess in her 20s in 1960s America. The story shows us her journey to winning the world championship against the Russian champion Vasily Borgov. She meets many people in her life like Benny Watts and her adoptive mother who help her achieve her goal. 

In the 1960s, tranquillisers were given to children in orphanages to calm them. This also happened to Beth but she becomes addicted to the tranquilisers as they ease her anxiety. Beth’s adoptive mother Mrs. Wheatley also suffers from addiction and alcoholism that lead to her untimely death. In the book, first it is shown that Beth often imagines her games, playing chess with herself with a board on the ceiling after taking the pills. They help her calm her nerves and help her sleep peacefully before matches. Over time, this addiction puts her chess career at stake and she also loses her friends in the course of her addiction. 

From the earlier chapters it’s been made clear that Beth’s addiction is not at fault but rather the orphanage, Mrs. Wheatley or even her genetics are to be blamed. Beth initially gets in touch with the tranquilisers because her school distributes them, but then she becomes addicted. When the school stops giving the pills, she experiences withdrawal symptoms and that leads her to steal the pills. She tells the school that they shouldn’t have given them the pills the first time itself and her reaction to the pills as a child could not be her fault.

 

Beth doesn’t drink until she’s 16 and swallows her first beer within seconds. Mrs. Wheatley is seen hesitant but quickly let’s it slide and am even asks her for one for herself. This shows that Mrs. Wheatley engenders Beth’s drinking from a young age and also encourages it. The book also suggests that her addiction could come from her genetics. The book displays that Beth’s addiction slowly takes control of her life. At first it is at the orphanage, as the pills help her lose her stomach and then later, she uses them before big games to calm her anxiety. She becomes so reliant with them that it is impossible to sleep without taking the tranquillisers. 


In addition, the book portrays addiction as a terrible and difficult condition that nearly kills Beth and destroys her job, rather than a wilful choice Beth makes carelessly. Beth comes to Kentucky after a tragic defeat in Paris to Vasily Borgov and drinks for weeks on end, almost becoming so frail that she can't sit up in bed due to her inebriation and lack of food. Despite this, she gulps down a glass when she finally manages to sit up. This irrational behaviour illustrates Beth's lack of control—and it's an illness she can't control that's killing her. 


The theme of addiction and alcoholism in a young adult novel like The Queen’s Gambit helps young readers to understand and know the ins and outs of addiction.

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