Russian literature has always been focused on describing people’s deep feelings and emotions linked to particular events. Trying to make readers understand all peculiarities and nuances, the authors described the smallest details of the setting and motifs influencing the main characters. At the same time, much attention was given to heroes’ mentalities and culture, as issues differentiating them from others and impacting their thoughts and feelings. For this reason, the various authors compared Russians with Europeans and other nationalities to emphasize the difference and convey the main message. For instance, the novel “The Gambler” by Dostoevsky is one of the works including a depiction of Europe and Russia. Resting on his own experience, the author uses the plot to show the difference and attract attention to it.
The story revolves around a young man, Alexei Ivanovich, who falls in love and views gambling as a way to become rich and marry a woman he loves. Alexei lives in a gambling spa in Roulettenberg and works as a tutor for Russian General, who has a stepdaughter Polina Alexandrovna. The main character loves her and wants to help his beloved one to pay off her father’s debts. There are also several foreign characters, Monsieur le Comte, Mlle Blanche, and Mr. Astley, who also help to understand the setting better. The idea to get money from the wealthy Granny fails, and Alexei tries to win money through gambling but fails to save his love. As a result, Alexei wings a big sum and offers it to Polina, but a proud girl refuses and leaves.
In such a way, gambling becomes the central theme of the novel. It influences all events and main characters’ motifs as they play, hoping to win money. However, it is only the first and the most visible layer of the story, while Dostoyevsky adds some additional and more meaningful messages and ideas. The main events occur in Europe and involve Russian people, meaning that the choice of the background helps to reveal their nature and attain a better understanding. The author achieves the goal by depicting Europe and Europeans and comparing them to Russian people. This contrast promotes an enhanced vision of the novel and its analysis.
Dostoevsky pays much attention to depicting Europeans in the story. For instance, Alexei Ivanovich, as the main character, often cogitates about foreign people surrounding him. Speaking about De Grieux, Alexei says that he “was like all Frenchmen; that is, gay and polite when necessary and profitable to be so, and insufferably tedious when the necessity to be gay and polite was over” (Dostoyevsky “The Gambler and Other Stories” 78). It is one of the important characteristics helping to understand the author’s attitude to Europe. These words show that Dostoevsky viewed Europe as welcoming at sweet at first glance as it was needed to attract people, but this impression was decisive. Pragmaticism and lack of spirituality were the major characteristics of these areas, as per the author. This idea is supported by the following lines, “The natural Frenchman is composed of the most plebeian, petty, ordinary practical sense–in fact, he is one of the most wearisome creatures in the world” (Dostoyevsky “The Gambler and Other Stories” 87) This idea introduced by the author proves his real attitude to Europe and Europeans who lacked their unique character and nature.
In contrast, Dostoyevsky adds another description of Russians, which also helps to understand his attitudes better. The following lines are vital to support this idea “all Russians are like that; and do you know why? Because Russians are too richly endowed and many-sided to be able readily to evolve a code of manners (Dostoyevsky “The Gambler and Other Stories” 89). Introducing this idea, the author creates the opposition between Europe and Russia, as these regions are radically different. The dominance of pragmatism and false politeness is compared to the deep nature and complex characters. Dostoyevsky shows that Russians are not perfect and has numerous problems and drawbacks; however, it also helps to realize the gap between two countries and people who come from them. Using the main characters and their judgments, Dostoyevsky depicts two different worlds and opposes them.
The attitude to gambling is another potent tool helping to convey the main message. Dostoevsky adds the following lines “Roulette is simply made for Russians.” (Dostoyevsky “The Gambler and Other Stories” 43). At the same time, all Russians are bad at gambling, which explains their failures and inability to win. It explains the peculiarities of their nature and character, as they are too passionate and open to become successful in gambling. At the same time, the main characters owe money to Europeans, which strengthens the opposition between pragmatism and feelings (Dostoyevsky “The Gambler and Other Stories” 37). The General, as all Russians, cannot win a fortune, which can be viewed as a symbol representing the destiny of all Russian people in Europe. They are outsiders who can interact with people living there but cannot be happy because of the radical differences in mentalities.
The idea of Europe as the place where all hopes of Russian people die can also be found in Dostoyevsky’s novel The Brothers Karamazov. One of the main characters says he wants to go to Europe, although “yet I know that I am only going to a graveyard, but it’s a most precious graveyard, that’s what it is!” (Dostoyevsky, “The Brothers Karamazov” 288). The given lines show that Dostoyevsky’s views on Russia and the Western world introduced in “The Gambler” are not accidental. The author correctly realizes the critical differences between these two worlds and is sure that Russian people cannot be happy there. For this reason, the opposition is radical, and the clash of cultures is observed.
Finally, discussing the novel, it is vital to mention that Dostoevsky wrote it based on his own experience. The author traveled to Europe and lost a fortune playing games and roulette. As a result, the idea of a story appeared. It means that the description of Europeans in the novel comes from the author’s subjective vision and his attitudes formed during his trip. It impacted the main characters’ words and ideas outlined by them. Using his own impressions, Dostoevsky created the two images of different words with various features and mentalities.
Altogether, the novel by Dostoevsky is one of the classical works of Russian literature. It offers an in-depth description of people’s inner worlds and motifs for their actions. However, it also helps to understand how the author viewed Europe and opposed it to Russia. The main characters’ lines and their actions describe the European and Russian realities and help to understand the major difference. In such a way, the novel “The Gambler” by Dostoevsky helps to understand his vision of these two worlds and understand how various characters are viewed through these lenses.
Works Cited
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. The Brothers Karamazov. The Lowell Press, 2009.
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. The Gambler and Other Stories. W. Heinemann, 1914.