The Gambler — 7 karakter
Alexei Ivanovich
A young Russian intellectual working as a tutor for children in the General's house. He is extremely intelligent and observant, yet a lack-of-will character who succumbs to his internal impulses. His sick, slave-like loyalty to Polina Aleksandrovna drives him to accept any humiliation. The roulette game he starts at Polina's request eventually awakens the limitless Russian fatalism and passion within him. Throughout the novel, he transitions from an observer and puppet to a wealthy man who wins hundreds of thousands of florins by a twist of fate, and finally to a gambler who spends everything playing roulette, experiencing moral decay. His life and potential wither away under the hypnotic lure of the roulette table.
Mr. Astley
A kind-hearted and honorable English industrialist who quietly wanders through hotels in Homburg, Roulettenbourg, and Europe. Although he is bound to Polina Aleksandrovna with sincere love, he knows of her wounded pride and keeps an eye on her from afar. Despite clearly seeing Aleksey İvanoviç’s shortcomings, he is the only person who watches his potential and passion with respect. At the climax of the novel, when Polina is in a moment of crisis, he takes her under his protection. At the very end of the novel, he finds Aleksey—who has turned into a carefree drifter—and tells him the truths, but he extends a helping hand even though he knows Aleksey is beyond saving.
Grandmother (Antonida Vasilyevna Tarasicheva / La Baboulinka)
A seventy-five-year-old, very wealthy, cantankerous, but vibrant landowner, and the aunt of the thirty-five-year-old general from Moscow society. She becomes enraged upon realizing her relatives are waiting for her death and inheritance via telegrams, and in an unexpected turn, she arrives in the spa city. No sooner has she arrived than she becomes obsessed with roulette; playing by her own rules, she initially wins large sums only to lose hundreds of thousands of rubles of her inheritance. She sees the expectations and deceptions of those around her clearly, teaching them the greatest lesson of their lives.
General (Zagoryanski)
A retired colonel who calls himself 'General' with bravado; he is a man with a weak character, superficial, and entirely obsessed with money. He has exhausted his entire fortune and is indebted to Des Grieux up to his neck. His only hope is that his wealthy aunt in Moscow (the Grandmother) will die and leave him her inheritance. With this hope of inheritance, he has convinced an opportunist woman like Mademoiselle Blanche to marry him. When the Grandmother suddenly arrives at the spa and loses her entire fortune at the gambling table, the General literally loses his mind, becomes disgraced, and finally dies alone in Paris after suffering a crisis.
Marquis Des Grieux
He is an astute and hypocritical French marquis who holds the family's debts. He feigns fake friendship and salvation for the General—who is in a difficult position with his family and business—but is actually the only one who has tightened the noose around the family's neck. Although he once had a secret and passionate relationship with Polina, money is his true love. When the Grandmother's inheritance disappears, he casts off all his politeness and feigned friendship; as if nothing happened, he abandons Polina with an emotionless farewell letter and returns to Paris.
Mademoiselle Blanche (Blanche de Cominges)
An opportunistic 'adventuress' of lower-class origins who poses as a well-known French aristocrat of immense wealth. Accompanied by her fake companion who plays the role of her mother, she lures wealthy noblemen into her trap. She agrees to marry the General thinking he will inherit a large fortune, but her real intention is to lead him into debt and live in luxury with his money. When she sees that hundreds of thousands of francs have been lost, she immediately abandons the General, latches onto Aleksey who had luckily won two hundred thousand francs, and uses the money to secure a prominent place for herself in Parisian society. After squandering his money, she calls the General back—simply for his title (as the General's wife)—and marries him.
Polina Aleksandrovna
She is the General's stepdaughter. A proud, intelligent, complex young woman struggling with internal pain. She is trapped by her family's debts and her feelings for Des Grieux. After seeing the true (opportunistic) face of Des Grieux, her hatred, combined with the family's bankruptcy, makes her ruthless, vindictive, and temperamental. She is aware of Aleksey Ivanovich's obsessive love for her and does not hesitate to use him cruelly or play cat-and-mouse with him. Yet, she cares for Aleksey's soul. In the novel's most crucial moment, she shows she will not sell her pride by throwing the 50,000 francs Aleksey won solely to save her honor back in his face, and seeks refuge with Mr. Astley.