The Psychology of The Gambler Essay - 2127 Words

The Psychology of The Gambler In Fyodor Dostoyevskys The Gambler, we are presented with a novel whose protagonist is what we would call today a problem gambler. The gambling mania of the storys hero, Alexei Ivanovitch, is a mirror of Dostoyevskys own gambling compulsion. The heroine, Polina Alexandrovna, represents a woman Dostoyevsky had as a real lover. Polina is the stepdaughter of the General, who Alexei works for as a servant. The General shows paranoia over gambling from the outset of the story. He censures Alexei with respect to his care of the children, I suppose you would like to take them to the Casino to play roulette? Well, excuse my speaking so plainly, but I know how addicted you are to gambling. Though I†¦show more content†¦He struggles with moralizing over this but knows a change in his fortunes can be had from successful gambling, I had long ago made up my mind, that never should I depart from Roulettenberg until some radical change had taken place in my fortunes...why is gamblin g a whit worse 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). When it comes to writers and writing, there is an old maxim that is often repeated, Write what you know. Dostoyevsky seems to have taken this advice to heart when it comes to his own writing. For the gambler is based on a real love affair had by the author as well 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) points out, The Gambler is based on Dostoyevskys love affair with Apollinaria Suslova as well as his frequent casino visits to play roulette, which he began playing in 1863, at a time when he was extremely poor. He experienced first-hand the excesses of gambling so aptly described in The Gambler. Alexei is involved in the intrigues of the social climbers who surround the General for whom he works as a servant. This too is an autobiographical element of theShow MoreRelatedGambling Surrounding The Asian And American Asian Communities1586 Words   |  7 Pagesfollow-up poll was distributed, 21% of the respondents openly considered themselves pathological gamblers, and 16% more labeled themselves as problem gamblers. (Asian-Nation) These rates are ridiculously higher than the rate we find throughout our entire nation. Current data suggests that only 1.6% of Americans can be classified as pathological gamblers, and about 3% are considered problem gamblers. 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