The Gambler · Chapter
IX explained
The Grandmother, Antonida Vassilievna, unexpectedly arrives at the hotel in Roulettenberg, causing shock and dismay among the General's party.
What happens
The Grandmother, Antonida Vassilievna, unexpectedly arrives at the hotel in Roulettenberg, causing shock and dismay among the General's party. She is carried in an armchair, imperious and lively, and immediately takes charge, dismissing the General's attempts at flattery and openly mocking De Griers and Mlle. Blanche. Her arrival upends the household's plans and expectations.
Themes in this chapter
Family, Inheritance, and Betrayal
The Grandmother's unexpected arrival upends the family's scheming over her inheritance, revealing their anxiety and self-interest.
Class and Snobbery
The Grandmother's blunt, imperious treatment of De Griers and Mlle. Blanche highlights class distinctions and her disdain for pretension.
Characters to notice
- Grandmother
Arrives unexpectedly at the hotel, carried in an armchair, and immediately dominates the scene with her imperious manner.
- Alexei Ivanovitch
First to spot the Grandmother on the verandah; he is astonished and later escorts her to the General's rooms.
- The General
Shocked and flustered by his mother's arrival; he tries to recover his composure and offer pleasantries but is repeatedly cut off.
- Polina Alexandrovna
Present during the Grandmother's arrival; she translates for Mr. Astley and exchanges a tense look with the Grandmother.
- De Griers
Whispers a dismissive remark about the Grandmother and attempts to charm her, but is openly insulted.
- Mlle. Blanche
Present in a riding-habit; the Grandmother rudely questions her character and marital status.
Key passages
“Yes, it was she—rich, and imposing, and seventy-five years of age—Antonida Vassilievna Tarassevitcha, landowner and grande dame of Moscow—the " La Baboulenka " who had caused so many telegrams to be sent off and received—who had been dying, yet not dying—who had, in her own person, descended upon us even as snow might fall from the clouds!”
The Grandmother, a wealthy and commanding seventy-five-year-old Moscow landowner, had been the subject of many telegrams about her supposed death, but now she arrived in person, as sudden and inevitable as snowfall.
Highlights the dramatic and ironic nature of her arrival, contradicting the family's expectations.
“Well, here I am—and instead of a telegram, too!”
I have come in person rather than sending another telegram.
The Grandmother's blunt statement underscores her defiance and the family's failed schemes.