A Psychologial Analysis of the Main Character in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s the Gambler

Abstract

The novel “The Gambler” tells about a young teacher named Alexei Ivanovich who works for a Russian general who was once a wealthy man. This novel is an image of the writer's addiction to roulette gambling. Dostoevsky finished the writing of this novel in a very short time in order to settle his gambling debts. The analysis shows that the main character can be said as a pathological gambler. This is because there are at least five of 10 characteristics of a pathological gambler in his character. They are preoccupation, tolerance, escape, chasing (always trying to win back what is lost), loss of self-control, and bailout (relying on money from others).