The Bookworm Gambler’s Digest: The Gambler

The Gambler is the novel that you would expect from one of the most well-known Russian writers: it’s dark and so well-written, you won’t want to stop.

Dostoyevsky guides us into a world where there were no mobile betting sites or internet casinos. Gambling, however, did exist, especially in the household of a Russian family living in Germany. With a usual Dostoyevsky-an twist, the story becomes twofold. More specifically, the gambling has two sides: the actual, physical action and a more symbolic feature. Embark on this truly compelling journey where anything can and will happen, mostly because that’s just the way Dostoyevsky is.

• The family is broke
• Waiting for Grandmother to pass
• Gambling on inheritance

Let’s take a look at the main characters. There is Alexei Ivanovich, a tutor who helps the children of a formerly rich family. Members of this family include the father (the General) and his three children, Misha, Nadia and Polina (a step-daughter.) They are experiencing severe financial issues, but have nevertheless been living in a hotel which costs more than they can possibly afford. In hopes of gaining some money, they are rooting for Grandmother to pass away, because that would mean a nice amount in inheritance money for all of them. See? I told you it was a typical Dostoyevsky book. Nobody does morbid and depressed like the Russians.

A telegram every now and then…

To increase the direness of the situation, the family keeps sending telegrams back home to she if she died yet… what a charming bunch, huh. Whatever happens, you have the eerie feeling that everything is about gambling in this book. Everything is connected somehow. If we look at Alexei Ivanovich constantly gambling at the roulette table and Grandmother gambling when she comes to visit Germany, we can see one parallel with gambling. This is the side of gambling that is visible, like gambling in a US poker room.

There is, however, another approach to this whole topic. It is one that is invisible for the human eyes. We can only feel it lurking in the shadows. When Grandmother suddenly gets better and visits Germany, we all realize one thing: the whole family was gambling on Grandmother to die so they can inherit the money. Even the woman to whom The General is engaged to, Mademoiselle Blanche, is waiting for Grandmother to die, because that is the only way she would marry The General. If he is financially secure. What’s more, The General borrowed a big amount from Monsieur le Comte, so it is also in the Frenchman’s interest that Grandmother die as soon as possible. All of them are gambling on her to die.

Everyone becomes addicted to Roulette

German gambling laws should have really banned gambling for this lot; Alexei and Grandmother get totally hooked on playing roulette. At first, Alexei plays for his love, Polina, who is making him jump through hoops. Since gambling for women is not yet entirely accepted, he acts as a proxy. He constantly feels that if he could play alone, he would have a better chance at winning. Grandmother, who decided to visit her “wonderful” family, also approaches Alexei; she asks him to take her to the casino. She has quite a fortune to gamble away and she, too, gets addicted to the thrill of the game. Alexei is playing for her at first, but then he refuses because all the loss she’s had.

Grandmother, however, doesn’t care about Alexei, she quickly finds other gambling candidates who help her lose even more money. Eventually, she has to borrow money from an Englishman to be able to return to Russia. She dies soon after her return home. Alexei wins some money which he wants to give Polina, who doesn’t want anything to do with him anymore. Mademoiselle Blanche leaves The General and gets her hooks into Alexei and she manipulates him to spend all his money on her. It is all a big, dark, Russian lesson not to gamble away money that you do not have. Even though it is not an optimistic read, I recommend it to everyone; it is too astute to miss out.