Fyodor Dostoyevski
The Gambler, which Dostoevsky wrote in 29 days inspired by his own gambling addiction, is a classic novel based on passion, money, and human psychology. Set in Roulettenburg, the story deals with the life of Alexei Ivanovich, squandered by his love for Polina and his destructive obsession with the roulette table, his cycle of debt, and the Russian-European conflict.
The internal battle between Alexei Ivanovich's masochistic and destructive love for Polina—who tramples on his honor—and his addiction to the roulette table, which suddenly offers him power, wealth, and a chance for revenge. Simultaneously, the external conflict is shaped by the General's family, driven by their desperate need for the inheritance they expect while fearing the loss of their fortune.
A fictional German spa and gambling town called Roulettenbourg. In the latter parts of the novel, Paris and partly Homburg and Baden.
Mid-19th century. (Supported by the use of telegrams, train travel, German-Prussian cultural references, and mentions of General Perovski's memoirs in the text).
Tense, feverish, melancholic, and chaotic. The stifling, hypnotic, and destructive atmosphere of luxury hotels and casino halls—where people succumb to their passions and greed for money—is reflected in every line of the novel.
First-person limited narrator (Alexei Ivanovich). The narration is highly subjective, passionate, feverish, at times on the verge of madness, and unreliable. It possesses a philosophical tone that both criticizes and indulges in its own weaknesses.
Social respectability, morality, and relationships are entirely shaped by money and material power. Appearing to have status ('comme il faut') is more important than actual morality. The casino is a merciless arena where all social classes are equalized, yet weaknesses are punished cruelly. Keeping secrets and debts hidden is of vital importance.
Set in a cosmopolitan European spa town, the foundation of the work is built upon cultural contrasts: the undisciplined, passionate, uncontrolled, and extravagant nature of the Russians; the formalist, arrogant, and calculating temperament of the French; the orderly and acquisitive ('vater') structure of the Germans; and the cold-blooded, honorable, and logical stance of the English.
Characters are arranged at equal intervals on a circle; you can read the relationship type and dynamics by clicking on the lines.
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Alexei is tied to Polina with an obsessive and slavish passion. Polina belittles his feelings, humiliates him, and uses him; yet deep down, she feels a complex mix of trust and hatred toward him. The power balance is in Polina's favor until it is suddenly broken and shattered when Alexei wins the jackpot.
Polina cruelly plays with Alexei's fate by telling him to jump at Schlangenberg; Alexei is shaken when she throws the hundred thousand florins in his face.
Astley is the opposite of Alexei; quiet, honorable, and balanced. Both are in love with Polina. As Astley watches Alexei's moral decline, he offers honest advice and respects him, but at the end of the novel, he passes a clear judgment on his hopeless situation.
When Astley finds Alexei in Homburg, he gives him money to save him, but tells him to his face that he is a man ruined by roulette and his Russian nature.
Alexei is disgusted by Des Grieux's superficial, calculating French politeness and his influence over Polina. Des Grieux, in turn, looks down on Alexei as an ordinary, insignificant tutor (outchitel), but begins to fear him when events spiral out of his control.
Alexei openly provokes Des Grieux at the dinner table by mocking the fake honor and attitudes of the French.
Both are passionate, stubborn, and have typical Russian temperaments. Grandmother initially takes Alexei under her command and uses him to place bets at the table. As Alexei watches her uncontrolled downfall, he is both horrified and derives a kind of dark pleasure from her rebellious attitude.
While Grandmother bets all her money on zero at the roulette table, Alexei cannot oppose her madness and is swept away by the flow of fate.
Polina had previously loved and surrendered herself to Des Grieux. Des Grieux manipulates her with the family's debts. When Grandmother's inheritance disappears, Des Grieux abandons Polina. The love Polina felt for him turns into deep hatred and disgust.
Polina shows Alexei the farewell letter written by Des Grieux, venting her anger and the humiliation she feels.
Astley is bound to Polina with great respect and a quiet love. In moments of crisis, when everyone else abandons her, Polina seeks refuge in Astley as her most reliable harbor. The power balance rests on the moral and physical protection provided by Astley.
After Aleksey's crisis and the General's collapse, Polina flees the hotel and takes refuge directly at Mr. Astley's hotel.
The General has become obsessed with the Grandmother's death and her inheritance. When the Grandmother suddenly appears, the General is seized by terror and paralysis. With every bit of gold the woman loses, the General's hopes and sanity are shattered.
When his hopes that the Grandmother would die in her study are dashed, the General sobs uncontrollably and crawls on the floor.
The General is hopelessly, blindly in love with Blanche, disregarding his own dignity. Blanche, however, is a pure opportunist; she keeps the General around as long as there is a prospect of inheritance, and casts him aside like a rag once that inheritance is lost.
Upon realizing that the Grandmother has lost everything, Blanche kicks the General out of her room; the General chases after her, allowing himself to be humiliated.
After Aleksey wins a large fortune, Blanche pursues him and takes him to Paris. Both are aware that this relationship is purely one of financial exploitation. Aleksey deliberately allows her to spend his money, mocking the absurdity and repulsiveness of the situation.
Blanche spends most of the two hundred thousand francs Aleksey won on her own luxuries, and tells him quite mockingly, but honestly, that he is a fool.
