What is the Gambler?
The Gambler is one of Dostoevsky’s shorter novels about the nature of the Gambler and addiction. Here he discusses morality, psychology, and the struggle that one with an addiction may face.
How does it tie in with Dostoevsky’s life?
Dostoevsky was a gambler and hence bases this book on his own experience with gambling and addiction.
Why is it helpful?
This book is very helpful in understanding the ideas of Dostoevsky. By understanding the Gambler, we are able to gain insight into his own experiences with gambling and his own addictions.
This book also is a very good representation of the psychological insight and nuance of Dostoevsky. Here he makes a compelling case that most sin is not a result of ignorance, rather one knows that he sins yet still does it anyways.
The Gambler and Dostoevsky’s Opus:
The Gambler is one of the shorter works of Dostoevsky and covers many of the key themes which can be found in all of Dostoevsky’s larger novels. (themes of sin and recognition of sin is further developed in The Brothers.) As a result, this is a good place to get into Dostoevsky and really appreciate him for the genius that he is.
For a further discussion on the video, feel free to check out my video here, where I discuss this in more depth.
Apologetics for All 