A summary of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s "The Gambler" Automatic translate

This book is a frank confession of a man obsessed with a destructive passion. It was written in 1866 under extremely dramatic circumstances. The author dictated the text to stenographer Anna Snitkina, his future wife, in just twenty-six days. The tight deadline was dictated by an onerous contract with the publisher. The writer himself suffered from a severe gambling addiction. The protagonist’s experiences are conveyed with frightening authenticity.

The novel has been adapted for screen and stage numerous times. Sergei Prokofiev created an opera of the same name based on it. Among the well-known film adaptations, the 1972 Soviet film directed by Alexei Batalov stands out. Filmmakers from around the world have made the film.

Return to Roulettenburg

A young teacher, Alexei Ivanovich, returns from a stay in the German resort town of Roulettenburg. He serves in the retinue of a retired Russian general. The family is staying at the finest hotel. The general is burdened with heavy debts. His estate is mortgaged to a shrewd Frenchman, the Marquis des Grieux.

The general is passionately in love with a young woman, Mademoiselle Blanche. This striking woman travels with a woman she calls her mother. The entire community is in tense anticipation. News is expected from Moscow of the death of the general’s wealthy aunt. Everyone calls this woman "Granny." A huge inheritance will save the situation. The general plans to pay off des Grieux and marry Blanche.

Alexei Ivanovich is hopelessly in love with the general’s stepdaughter, Polina Alexandrovna. She treats him with open contempt, using him as a submissive slave to carry out various tasks. Polina is cold and secretive. Yet, a strange, deeply painful relationship persists between them.

On a walk, Polina tells her teacher she’s desperate for money. She asks him to play roulette for her. Alexey goes to the casino with great disgust. He bets the gold coins she gave him. He manages to win one hundred and sixty friedrichs d’or. He gives the winnings to Polina, declaring his refusal to gamble for others in the future.

Scandal on the boulevard

Mr. Astley, a quiet, shy, and very wealthy Englishman, lives at the hotel. He, too, is secretly in love with Polina. The Englishman becomes an unwitting observer of the unfolding drama. Alexei Ivanovich senses in him an honest and decent man.

During one of their walks, Alexei confesses to Polina his fatal addiction. He declares his willingness to kill someone or throw himself off a cliff at her command. Polina decides to laugh at him. She points out the passing German aristocrats — Baron and Baroness Wurmerhelm. Polina orders the teacher to approach and speak to them insolently.

Alexei carries out the order. He approaches the Baroness, removes his hat, and loudly pronounces in French: "Madame, I’m honored to your esclave." The Baron is furious and complains to the General. Wanting to avoid a scandal in front of Mademoiselle Blanche, the General immediately dismisses Alexei Ivanovich.

The dismissed teacher begins to act independently. He threatens to challenge the baron to a duel. The general, horrified, asks des Grieux to settle the dispute. The Frenchman tries to dissuade Alexei. Soon, des Grieux hands him a note from Polina. The girl orders him to stop this absurd affair. Alexei immediately obeys. He realizes that Polina is strongly under the marquis’s influence.

Mr. Astley sheds light on the motives of the Frenchman and Blanche. The girl’s scandalous past comes to light. A couple of years ago, Baroness Wurmerhelm demanded Blanche be removed from the casino. She had gambled away her fortune and behaved inappropriately. Now, Blanche does everything she can to avoid the Baron’s attention. She dreams of becoming a general’s wife and hiding her past sins.

The Appearance of Granny

All the general’s hopes are dashed in an instant. Antonida Vasilyevna Tarasevicheva herself appears at the hotel’s door. The wealthy seventy-five-year-old landowner has arrived in person. She uses a wheelchair, but possesses colossal energy and a very commanding personality.

The old woman loudly declares her knowledge of the situation. She knows about the debts and the expectation of her death. She tells the general directly: "I won’t give you any money." Then the old woman demands to be taken to the casino. She can’t wait to watch the roulette wheel.

In the gambling hall, Antonida Vasilyevna displays a great passion. She begins betting large sums, choosing the "zero" space. The old woman ignores standard odds and probabilities. Despite Alexey Ivanovich’s entreaties, she stubbornly waits for a win. Surprisingly, the ball actually lands on "zero." The old woman wins the jackpot — she wins over twelve thousand florins. The woman triumphs, generously tipping the lackeys and handing out gold coins to passersby.

Fatal fall

The next day, the old woman goes to the casino again. Gambling fever takes hold of her completely. She begins losing rapidly. The stubborn woman refuses to listen to advice and wagers more money. Alexey refuses to accompany her. The old woman hires some dubious Polish men from among the casino regulars.

She loses all the money she earned the day before. Then she trades her securities and stocks. The downward spiral is unstoppable. In one day, Antonida Vasilyevna loses almost one hundred thousand rubles. Having lost a huge portion of her fortune, she plans to return to Moscow immediately. She is forced to borrow money for the journey from Mr. Astley.

Before leaving, the old woman invites Polina to come with her. Polina declines, citing the need to care for her younger children.

Triumph and despair

The grandmother’s departure changes the characters’ destinies. Des Grieux understands the general’s downfall. The Marquis leaves the hotel forever. He leaves a deeply insulting letter for Pauline. The Frenchman announces that he forgives the general fifty thousand francs of his debt and returns part of the mortgaged property. Blanche also turns away from the general. She orders him thrown out.

That evening, Polina comes to Alexei’s room. She shows him des Grieux’s letter. She is in a state of utter despair. She is agonizingly hurt by such humiliation. She wants to throw those fifty thousand francs in the Frenchman’s face. Alexei is delirious with joy. He asks Polina to wait and rushes off to the casino.

Alexey has only twenty friedrichs d’or left. He approaches the roulette table in a trance-like state. The teacher begins betting at random, without using mathematical strategies or calculating probabilities, and consistently wins. A crowd gathers in the room. The players are amazed by the young man’s courage. He takes large stacks of chips and moves from the roulette table to the card table for a game of trent-et-quarante. His miraculous streak of luck, a true winning streak, continues. In less than an hour, he wins an incredible sum — two hundred thousand francs.

Escape to Paris

Alexei returns to the room. He dumps mountains of gold and banknotes on the table. The gambler offers Polina fifty thousand francs. But Polina looks at him with hatred. She thinks Alexei resembles des Grieux.

The girl becomes violently hysterical. She alternately hugs Alexey and then roughly pushes him away. She spends the entire night delirious. In the morning, Polina takes a wad of money, throws it forcefully in Alexey’s face, and runs away.

Soon, Alexei receives unpleasant news from Mr. Astley. Polina is gravely ill. She has found refuge with an Englishman. Astley advises the teacher to leave for Paris. At that moment, Mademoiselle Blanche learns of Alexei’s colossal win. Her attitude instantly changes. Blanche invites him to come with her to France. She promises to show the young man real Parisian life. Alexei agrees.

In Paris, Blanche takes all two hundred thousand francs from him. With this money, she furnishes a luxurious apartment and buys an expensive carriage. Alexei lives in a state of complete indifference. He drinks champagne every day and visits entertainment venues. Blanche treats him condescendingly, constantly calling him "her teacher."

Soon, the long-lost general arrives in Paris. Blanche welcomes him joyfully. She learns of her grandmother’s grave illness. Counting on a quick inheritance, Blanche marries the general. By this time, Alexei’s money is completely exhausted.

Trapped in the Roulette

A year and eight months pass. Alexey Ivanovich is living in Homburg, Germany. He has completely become a slave to the roulette wheel. His life consists of short ups and long downs. One day, he ends up in debtor’s prison. An unknown man bailed him out. After that, Alexey worked for five months as a simple lackey. Having saved up some money, he went to the casino again and won.

The meaning of his existence has narrowed to the spinning wheel and the falling ball. He constantly watches the game. Even in his dreams, he sees the stakes and the glittering gold coins.

One day, he meets Mr. Astley in the park. The Englishman tells him about the fate of people he knows. His grandmother died, leaving Polina and her children a sizable fortune. The general died of a stroke in Paris. Blanche took all his property.

Astley reports news about Polina. She’s in Switzerland. Polina still loves Alexey. The Englishman has come specifically on her behalf. He speaks harshly to Alexey. Astley calls him a lost man. Then he gives him ten gold coins. The Englishman is firmly convinced that Alexey will immediately gamble them away.

Left alone, Alexey dreams of tomorrow. He believes in the strength of his character. The gambler convinces himself that one lucky spin of the wheel will change his entire life. He hopes to be resurrected and prove his spiritual strength to Polina. The book ends with the hero’s desperate and insane belief in a quick win.