The Gambler (Dostoevsky)/Chapter 15

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Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Gambler. Chapter 15

Polina’s rejection and the gambler’s flight to Paris

1866

Summary of a Chapter
from the Collection “The Gambler”

The original takes about 21 minutes to read

Microsummary

Polina rejected Alexei’s money and fled ill to Astley. Hurt but increasingly ruled by gambling, Alexei abandoned Roulettenberg for Paris with Blanche, expecting Blanche to squander his fortune.

Chapter Summary

Alexei returned to his room after winning one hundred thousand florins, roughly two hundred thousand francs. He spread the notes and gold across the table, counted them repeatedly, locked the door, and considered hiding the fortune in his trunk. His absorption in the money briefly made him forget that Polina was watching him.

When Alexei remembered her, he offered her twenty-five thousand florins so that she could repay De Griers and throw the money in his face. Polina laughed contemptuously and refused to accept money for nothing. Alexei insisted that he offered it as a friend and would willingly give her his life.

Polina answered that De Griers’s former beloved was not worth fifty thousand francs. She suddenly declared that she hated Alexei as much as she hated De Griers, then collapsed into hysterical sobbing. Believing that he meant to purchase her just as De Griers had, she accused him of placing a price on her.

Alexei knelt before Polina, kissed her hands and feet, and tried to comfort her. Her mood shifted rapidly between despair, tenderness, laughter, and suspicion. She embraced him, called him the man she trusted, repeatedly asked whether he would always love her, and recalled how he had obeyed her command to confront the Baron.

Polina spoke feverishly about Mr. Astley, saying that he might be waiting beneath the window. She imagined leaving with Alexei to overtake Grandmamma in Berlin, joked about Astley’s proposed North Pole expedition, and spoke confusedly about the General, Blanche, De Griers, and the Baron. She continued laughing and weeping while embracing Alexei.

At dawn, Polina awoke beside Alexei and stared at the money. She pushed him away, took air at the open window, and then angrily demanded the promised fifty thousand francs. After Alexei handed her the packet, she asked whether it was truly hers and hurled it into his face. The packet burst, scattering banknotes across the floor, and she fled.

Alexei attributed her behavior to illness, wounded pride, and her fear that he would abandon her as De Griers had. When he discovered that she had not returned to her room, hotel servants told him that she had gone through the rain to the Hôtel d’Angleterre. Meanwhile, gossip spread about her night with Alexei, his winnings, Grandmamma’s gambling losses, and the collapse of the General’s household.

At the Hôtel d’Angleterre, Astley confirmed that Polina was ill and staying in his rooms. He said she had originally intended to accompany him to a relative’s house but had gone to Alexei by mistake because of her condition. Astley had summoned a doctor, blamed Alexei for endangering her, and predicted that Alexei would soon take his fortune to Paris and lose it.

Returning to the hotel, Alexei accepted an invitation from Blanche. She proposed taking him to Paris, demanded fifty thousand francs, and promised a brief life of extravagant pleasure. She intended to abandon the General, who was out buying flowers for her, although she thought he might follow and remain useful if Astley paid his debts.

Alexei decided to leave immediately. Within fifteen minutes, he departed by train with Blanche and her mother. Though depressed by Polina’s rejection and aware that his life had changed, he embraced the gambler’s impulse to risk everything. He expected Blanche to spend his fortune and imagined returning to Roulettenberg within a month to confront Astley and gamble again.

Characters

Alexei Ivanovich — narrator, young Russian man and former tutor whose love for Polina competed with his growing addiction to gambling after he won a large fortune.

Polina Alexandrovna — young Russian woman connected to the General’s household, emotionally distressed and fiercely proud, who loved and distrusted Alexei while seeking refuge with Astley.

Mlle. Blanche de Cominges — attractive young French adventuress and the General’s intended bride, cheerful, calculating, and extravagant, who persuaded the newly wealthy Alexei to accompany her to Paris.

Mr. Astley — reserved English gentleman, Polina’s dependable friend and admirer, who sheltered her, summoned a doctor, and confronted Alexei with calm severity.

The General — middle-aged Russian widower, Polina’s financially ruined stepfather and Blanche’s infatuated suitor, whose household and marriage plans collapsed publicly.

Quotes

“Why, I *hate* you! Yes, yes, I *hate* you! I love you no more than I do De Griers.” ... “Buy me, would you, would you? Would you buy me for fifty thousand francs as De Griers did?”

“Had she not been ill, she would not have gone and spent the night with you.” ... “Yes, she ought. I have sent for one, and, if she dies, I shall hold you responsible.”

“My life had broken in two, and yesterday had infected me with a habit of staking my all upon a card. ... I felt that the scene was to be changed only *for a time*.”

This summary is based on the translation by C. J. Hogarth, first published in Poor Folk; The Gambler (London: J. M. Dent & Sons; New York: E. P. Dutton, 1915). Illustrations were created using AI.