Deepdive: Alma Wheatley, 'The Queen's Gambit'.

 

Every story brings along with it, a moral and a corollary. When the thirsty crow looks for stones to put inside the large pot with a small amount of water, it was able to satisfy its thirst. The moral of the story is that it used its intellect, and the corollary is that it was desperate. Similarly, behind great things and behind every pursuit lies desperation.

 

In ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ streaming on ‘Netflix’, Beth was desperate to be a chess champion, to be the best at what she knew best. Her circumstances were lesser than modest and her ambitions were bigger than skyscrapers. When she finds herself inside the Wheatley family, she finds herself alongside another desperate soul: Alma Wheatley. While Beth was desperate for greatness, Alma was desperate for Allston’s approval.

 

Alma Wheatley was the Beth that remained hidden in self-doubt, alcohol and utter lack of faith in herself. In a way, she mirrored herself in Beth. As the storyline progresses, we see that Alma takes up the task of being a mother, but ends up being Beth’s agent and treats Beth like an independent adult. The book ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ written by Walter Tevis as well as the series do not portray Beth’s feelings towards Alma patently, but rather limn how she is appalled initially at Alma’s alcoholism, her lack of interest in anything Beth wanted to do, be it buying the chess set at Ben Snyder’s or actually being an involved parent and taking an interest in what Beth wanted to do Beth’s gradual understanding of Alma’s life and her own traumas and finally to respecting her and depending on her.

 

While Beth Harmon would not have any passion had it been for the janitor, Mr. William Shaibel, she would not have had an identity had it been for Alma Wheatley. While she was the peace loving agent/mother who dumbed herself down, she was also deeply self-aware of her merits and her limitations, but chose to sabotage herself because of the belief that she did not deserve happiness. Her whole life was a tragedy and Beth was her ray of her hope. It may seem that Alma was primarily interested in money which is why she took her to all the tournaments and even had the nerve to ask her for an agent’s commission, she was also very observant and aware of Beth’s manner of play, her moves and lastly, how to comfort Beth and get her ready for the important matches.

 

Alma’s character may arouse feelings of disgust, surprise and pity in the viewer all at the same time. All she wanted was a house with a husband who lived in it with her and genuinely cared about her, who was as invested in the relationship as she was and finally have a child of her own. Allston was far from a decent husband; rather he was an absentee husband who abandoned his wife and daughter (he became Beth’s father the moment he signed the adoption papers) and left for Denver. Beth and Alma were two lonely souls bound by a mutual feeling of despair and loneliness.

 

‘The Queen’s Gambit’ is not just Beth’s journey. It is Alma’s journey with her and the mammoth part the latter played in the former’s identity building and greatness. Alma may not have set a benchmark as a mother, but was the best agent anyone could ask for. The best part was she knew when to be a mother and when to be an agent. Beth’s talent was best managed by Alma and needless to say that the latter’s death created a chasm in the former’s life. The great and lonely Beth became lonelier.

 

Alma Wheatley did not possess abilities that would label her as gifted, but she knew a good bargain when she saw one and that was one of her strengths. When intelligent people are busy surprising everyone with their intellect, it is the ordinary people who keep things ready and in order so that the intelligent people can keep being intelligent. She made money in what she was good at, and was even a peace-loving non-interfering woman who was finally able to live a life she was proud of.

 

Alma also instills courage in the audience and makes room for caution. She started over with Beth and took a second chance at life, whereas her alcoholism, her desire to achieve greatness in playing the pianoforte and not doing anything about it by living vicariously through Beth instead along with her lack of self-confidence serve as big red flags. Like every human being, Alma had her own pitfalls and her self-awareness and lack of confidence sadly spelt her doom. She taught the audience what to do, and most importantly, what not to do.

 

Like Alma and in some ways unlike Alma let us hope that we find ways to start over and abstain from things that would ruin us.

 

THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO MY LATE UNCLE, MR. MUKUND LAXMAN VAIDYA. YOU ARE LOVED, APPRECIATED, CARED FOR AND DEEPLY MISSED.

NOTHING CAN MAKE UP FOR YOUR ABSENCE. YOUR BLESSINGS AND SUPPORT MEAN THE WORLD TO US. MAY YOU FIND PEACE WHEREVER YOU ARE. WE WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU.

 

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Author: Ms. Radhika Sunil Vaidya. 

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