The Passion

One of the most repeated lines in The Passion is, “You value what you risk.” Villanelle later claims that all humans gamble, whether they’re in a casino or not. Humans gamble their feelings and lives for a chance at what they want, to get a taste of what they are passionate about. Henri gambles his future to join Napoleon’s cause; Villanelle gambles her heart for the Queen of Spades’s affection. Both pay great prices for these risks. Henri loses pieces of his humanity to Napoleon’s war; Villanelle loses her heart to the Queen. Though she reclaims her heart, Villanelle admits she will likely gamble her heart again, hinting that there’s a measure of compulsion in taking such risks. In short, risk is inherent to life.

Henri struggles with his faith in God, which is regarded by his Catholic village to be the original passion. Christianity’s inability to satisfy his need for passion in faith leads him to worship Napoleon and all that he represents in its place. Napoleon becomes Henri’s new religion. Henri also details how this hero worship spreads throughout his village and later throughout France, pointing to the ways in which nationalism can take on a religious fervor.