Portrayal of Gambling in The Gambler

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course Code and Name
Date
The Gambler
Gambling is a popular and controversial activity that has been debated and scrutinized throughout history. Some people consider it a harmless form of entertainment that can make them rich. Others consider it an addictive activity that can negatively affect individuals and society. Gambling is one of the addictive activities that human beings enter into. The addiction might take a long period to kick in, but once it starts, it becomes challenging for an individual to quit. In Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Gambler, the main character, Alexei Ivanovich, is ideal for depicting the concert of gambling. The character becomes obsessed with gambling and spends most of his time and money pursuing winning. The Gambler offers a complex and nuanced portrayal of gambling, highlighting its potential positive and negative aspects. The novel depicts gambling as a thrilling and exciting activity that can provide an escape from the mundane realities of everyday life and a form of social interaction and cultural expression. However, it also shows how gambling can cause addiction, social isolation, and financial ruin. Therefore, this essay will examine the portrayal of gambling in The Gambler, focusing on the novel's depiction of its potential destructions, disqualifying it from being a species-being for humans.
Alexei Ivanovich's gambling behavior has an extremely negative influence on his life, making gambling not a species-being for humans. The concept of species-being comes from the writings of Karl Marx, who argued that humans have a fundamental need to express themselves through creative and productive activity. Species-being is the idea that humans can fulfill their potential and achieve a sense of purpose and fulfillment through their work and other productive activities. In The Gambler, Alexei Ivanovich's obsession with gambling could be seen as a form of species-being, as it provides him with a sense of purpose and fulfillment. However, this interpretation ignores the negative consequences of gambling on Alexei's life. He becomes addicted to gambling and loses control of his finances, relationships, and mental health (Dostoevsky). He becomes consumed by his desire to win and loses sight of the important things in his life, including his job and his love interest, Polina. This undermines the idea that gambling could be a form of species-being, as it leads to self-destruction and alienation from society. Regardless of how much an individual struggle to overcome the temptation of gambling, quitting is a habit that is not easy. Although an individual might win good money sometimes, the overall negative impact disqualifies it from being a good act. This is well illustrated in the novel because it shows how Alexei isolated himself from important things in life to focus on gambling.
Furthermore, the novel portrays gambling as a destructive and addictive activity that can bring out the worst in people. The other characters in the novel, such as the General and Mr. Astley, also become obsessed with gambling and experience similar negative consequences. The novel portrays gambling as a dangerous and unpredictable activity that can have severe consequences for indiv...