Gambler

The Gambler novel can be considered part of Dostoevsky's autobiography of the gambler himself, as he identifies with the protagonist in a way that cannot be mere coincidence, and therefore we find the novel to be highly truthful and sensitive despite its small size compared to his other works. About The Gambler novel, translated by Dr. Sami Al-Droubi: Although Dostoevsky dictated the novel to a secretary and finished it in less than a month, it came alive and received an acceptance that surpassed most of what Dostoevsky had published before, especially since it contains something of what he experienced and tried himself. In this novel, we see the torn feelings of the hero, Alexei Ivanovich, who is captivated by two wild loves, the first his intense love for the harsh, eccentric Paulina, and the second the overwhelming passion for roulette. His love for Paulina is a mixture of desire to surrender and desire to escape; it is love and hatred together, so Alexei confesses to Paulina that he finds great pleasures in his slavery to her, telling her that humiliation and falling are a great joy, and the moment she accepts his love and reciprocates his feelings, he flees. As for the passion for gambling, Dostoevsky depicts it as a kind of fascination, magic, delirium, even a kind of challenge to fate. But the gambler hero, Dostoevsky, ends up considering that this wildness has corrupted his soul, and he ultimately abandons it. Quotes from The Gambler: The main point is the game itself, and I swear I am not after money despite my need for it. People are gathered in the gambling halls, crushing each other, how shameless they all are.