Fyodor Dostoyevsky The Gambler

We get the inner spiritedness of Alexei as it is portrayed in his diaries. He is poor and educated, and he is very aware of his class in society. He is conflicted, however, because he both covets and ridicules the lifestyle of the aristocracy with all its pretensions and hypocrisies. Still, Alexei uses this rationalizes to justify his gambling. One big win and he knows he leave behind become an insider instead of an outsider; a member of the upper berth classes instead of the lower class. He struggles with moralizing over this further knows a change in his fortunes can be had from boffo gambling, "I had long ago made up my mind, that never should I depart from Roulettenberg until some radical change had interpreted place in my fortunes...why is gambling a whit worsened than any other method of acquiring money? How, for instance, is it worse than trade? True, out of a hundred persons, only once can win; yet what business is that of yours or mine?" (Dostoyevsky 8). Thus, we see the tragic self-deception and denial of the odds of gentle that are emblematic of the problem gambler psyche.

When it comes to writers and writing, there is an doddering maxim that is often repeated, "Write what you know." Dostoyevsky seems to have taken this advice to content when it comes to his own writing. For the gambler is based on a very love affair had by the author as wellspring as being a first-hand account of the behaviors and psyches of the addicted gambler (which he was for a period of time). As Christine McKay (2)

In fact, eccentric as was her conduct, it was also overshadowed by her triumph; with the result that the global no longer feared to be publicly compromised by being seen with such a eerie woman, but, smiling in a condescending, cheerfully familiar way, as though he were soothing a child, he offered his greetings to the archaic lady. At the same time, both he and the rest of the spectators were visibly impressed" (Dostoyevsky 61).

Alexei is involved in the intrigues of the social climbers who surround the superior general for whom he works as a servant. This too is an autobiographical element of the story as Dostoyevsky was preoccupied with themes in authorized life such as social class, elitism, poverty, and addictions.

For his own militant efforts he was sentenced to five years in Siberia. In The Gambler, the General maintains airs of wealth and respectability, even though he is skint and owes a great sum of money to the Marquis de Grieux. Alexei is in love with Polina, to no avail, and the General loves a gold-digger named Mlle. Blanche. The futures of all matter on a rich, outspoken, eccentric member of the Russian aristocracy known as Granny. The 75-year-old exposes the sham and artifice of the aristocracy at the same time she becomes addicted to roulette with Alexei. Alexei plays to win Polina and a ticket into the upper-class, while Granny plays to thwart the motives of her grandson the General who wishes her stagnant to get his hands on her money. It is during their cyclical gambling patterns that Dostoyevsky near lets us enter the mind of the pathological gambler. We see both chase their losses by getting involved in the inevitable cycle of winning, losing, desperation, and exhaustion. We also see that Granny becomes frolicsome when she wins but throws tantrums when she loses. Still she cannot help but succumb to the cajole of chasing bad money with good in pursuit of other big win. This is demonstrated in the following exchange amid her and Alexei after she lose
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