The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Gambler is a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky about a young tutor in the employment of a formerly wealthy Russian General. The novella reflects Dostoevsky's own addiction to roulette, which was in more ways than one the inspiration for the book: Dostoevsky completed the novella under a strict deadline so he could pay off gambling debts.

The book was the basis of an opera by Sergei Prokofiev, also called The Gambler, as well as Hungarian director Károly Makk's film The Gambler (1997), which is about Dostoevsky writing the novella.... read more on Wikipedia

One of Dostoevsky's telling attributes is his ability to let the reader conclude what happens by way of open interpretation. Nothing can be more synonymous with this idea than the last idea in this short novel, "Tomorrow! Tomorrow! It will all be over!"

For Alexei, this could mean a handful of things...

Alexei, the narrator, relates the narration of his two-folded passions: Paulina and gambling. While he seems to be smart enough to interpret all along he has a deep obsession with both, he seemingly lacks the sheer willpower to avoid either one. There is a longing to go back to either obsession, even if there is a long period of absence. With Paulina, he desperately wants to show her that he is worthy enough for love, and he does so at the most unusual price--he is willing to make a spectacle of himself and carries on to the reader about his jealousy of others who are involved with her, namely Des Grieux and Mr. Astley. Gambling has a power that comes and goes like a whirlwind, and Alexei cannot control the urge to "put everything on the table" when that urge hits him.

The issue of gambling has other connotations in the book as well. Not only is there the physical game of gambling, but many instances in which characters gamble on others for help, support or a physical or psychological need. There is the compulsiveness with which the relatives of Grandma watch over her, waiting for her to die to be able to obtain her will and inheritance, much akin to the greedy gambler who lays all the money on the roulette table. Later in the novel, Alexei himself, after a wild night of gambling and a fight with the delirious Paulina, decides haphazardly to go and live with the miserly and greedy Lady Blanche, who drains him of not only money, but self-respect. Alexei wavers back and forth with the issue of gambling, and money, and has to come to a conclusion of what it means in the larger scheme of life, and how it affects such values as pride, hope and memories.

Perhaps this work doesn't obtain the depth of other Dostoevsky works--it is a relatively easy and quick read in comparison to such novels as Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov. However, the eccentric characters and moral issues, such as the importance of moral transformation of individuals, make for an interesting tale. There are dark moments, such as Alexei's realization that he has lost control of all power, and seemingly comical and bizarre moments, such as Grandma's trip to the roulette table, when she becomes overwhelmed with the idea of the roulette table and risks.