The Gambler

Polina shows Alexey a letter to her from des Grieux. The letter explains that although des Grieux wanted to be with her, the loss of Grandmother’s inheritance means that he has lost all his money in loans to the general and, as his situation is “in disarray,” he must leave without proposing marriage. However, des Grieux says, he is returning a mortgage worth 50,000 francs to Polina. This is the money that should have been Polina’s dowry, but that the general had squandered. Polina reveals that although she had initially loved des Grieux and been his mistress, she now despises him, as it is clear that des Grieux was only going to marry her if it improved his financial situation. Further, the gift of 50,000 francs is, she believes, merely a way for des Grieux to absolve himself of any guilt over the situation. As such, feeling dishonored and as though des Grieux has reduced her worth to a monetary one, she wishes to throw the 50,000 francs in his face.

Meanwhile, Alexey believes that Polina loves him because she came to him with the note, rather than going to Astley. Alexey then forms the idea that he can save Polina’s honor by winning 50,000 francs at roulette for her to throw in the face of des Grieux. He can also become rich enough to marry her. As such, going to the roulette tables, Alexey bets all his money, 20 friedrichs d’or, on “passe” and wins. He then keeps winning until he has amassed first 6,000, then 30,000, florins in half an hour, the maximum any one table can be responsible for. Moving to other roulette tables, and staking huge amounts, Alexey wins 100,000 florins, or 200,000 francs, by the evening’s end, and he returns to his room to find Polina waiting for him.

Alexey offers Polina 50,000 francs so that she can “throw it in the face” (244) of des Grieux. However, Polina refuses Alexey’s money, saying that he is trying to buy her with it, just like des Grieux. Polina tells Alexey, “I don’t love you any more than I do des Grieux” (244). Just as quickly though, Polina declares that Alexey does love her, for, she says, he fought the baron for her, and she then kisses him passionately. She also makes strange allusions to Astley being under their window. After sleeping in Alexey’s room, Polina the next morning asks for the 50,000 francs from Alexey, which she then hurls in his face.

Polina leaves, and shortly after, Alexey goes to confront Astley after hearing that she had been seen running in the direction of his hotel. Astley tells Alexey that Polina had been ill and that this was why she made the “mistake” (249) of staying in Alexey’s room. However, Astley also tells Alexey that he is going to take Polina to stay with a relative of hers in England. As he is going home, after leaving Astley, Alexey is invited by Blanche’s mother to Blanche’s rooms. Having heard about his roulette winnings, she invites him to Paris with her. In exchange for him letting her spend his 200,000 francs, she will live with him there, and “show you stars in broad daylight” (251). Alexey agrees to go with her, and fifteen minutes later they head to Paris in Blanche’s carriage.

Alexey describes the three weeks he spent in Paris with Blanche, where he spent his entire fortune. He first gives 100,000 francs directly to Blanche, while the other 100,000 is spent by them both, under Blanche’s guidance, in Paris. For example, they host two lavish parties attended by fashionable merchants, journalists, and the nouveau riche, who laugh at Alexey. Alexey becomes “very sad and extremely bored” (255) with this lifestyle and spends most of his time getting drunk on champagne. Blanche had expected Alexey to be mean and grudging with his money, counting every penny, but when he is not, she interprets his indifference as aristocratic. For this reason, after initially despising him, she starts to love Alexey.

A week after they arrive in Paris, the general also comes to see Blanche. Blanche has the general follow her around everywhere on walks and to the theatre. Even though the general is in a state of “inner rapture” and has almost lost his mind, Blanche likes having him there for the status he confers on her due to his aristocratic title and bearing. Blanche marries the general once she hears that Grandmother is close to dying, and that she can thus marry into money as well as status, with the general living in her spare room afterward. She invites her true lover, Albert, to the wedding. Finally, Blanche leaves Alexey with 2,000 francs because she likes him, and Alexey departs from Paris for Homburg.

A year and eight months have passed since events in Paris, and Alexey looks back on the notes he made in that time, describing what happened and how he came to be “far worse off than a beggar” (263). Alexey was first sent to prison for an unpaid debt after returning to Roulettenburg from Homburg, but an unknown beneficiary bailed him out. Next, Alexey ended up working for a councilor, Hintze, as a secretary, then as a lackey for five months. From the 70 gulden he saved from that work, he then returned to playing roulette, first in Baden, initially winning 1,700 gulden before losing 1,500 florins.

Following that time, Alexey returned to Homburg, where he has been living as a gambler for a month. On a walk one day, Alexey sees Astley. Their conversation reveals that Alexey has become addicted to gambling, not doing or thinking about anything else. Alexey then asks about Polina. Astley reveals that she had been living in England and is now travelling with Astley’s married sister in Europe following her inheritance of 7,000 pounds when Grandmother died. Astley also discloses that Polina had loved Alexey and that he had specifically come to Homburg at Polina’s bidding to tell Alexey that. Astley then departs, and Alexey thinks that he might be able to quit gambling and head to Switzerland to find Polina. However, he remembers a time in Roulettenburg when he gambled his last gulden and won 170 back. This memory weakens his resolve to leave Homburg, leading Alexey to say that he will instead leave the following day, after more gambling.