# Grandmother — The Gambler character guide

> Grandmother in The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Grandmamma, the Grandmother, Antonida Vassilievna

**First appearance:** 0009-x

## Snapshot

A rich, imperious old aunt arrives at the spa unannounced, and her whim to see the roulette tables throws the whole household into quiet panic.

## Who they are

Antonida Vassilievna is the family's wealthy matriarch, wheeled into the resort expecting to be obeyed and entertained, with Polina and Mlle. Blanche flanking her chair and the General trailing nervously behind. Her fortune is the axis everyone else orbits, yet she treats her money as a right to be capricious rather than a lever to be managed, brushing off rest and propriety alike. The moment she insists on visiting the Casino, the careful schemes built around her inheritance begin to wobble, and the reader senses that this old woman will not be steered.

## Relationships

### [Alexei Ivanovitch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/characters/alexei_ivanovitch)

_family_

Grandmother is the General's wealthy aunt, and Alexei interacts with her as a familiar dependent, though she treats him with a mix of condescension and amusement.

### [The General](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/characters/the_general)

_family_

Grandmother is the General's wealthy aunt, and she wields her fortune to control and humiliate him, reveling in his desperation.

### [Polina Alexandrovna](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/characters/polina_alexandrovna)

_family_

Grandmother is Polina's step-grandmother, and their interactions are cold and transactional, with Grandmother dismissing Polina's needs.

### [Mr. Astley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/characters/mr_astley)

_social_

Grandmother treats Mr. Astley with polite curiosity, seeing him as an eccentric but harmless foreigner.

### [Alexei Ivanovitch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/characters/alexei_ivanovitch)

_family_

Grandmother is the General's wealthy aunt, and Alexei interacts with her as a familiar dependent, though she treats him with a mix of condescension and amusement.

### [The General](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/characters/the_general)

_family_

Grandmother is the General's wealthy aunt, and she wields her fortune to control and humiliate him, reveling in his desperation.

### [Alexei Ivanovitch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/characters/alexei_ivanovitch)

_family_

Grandmother is the General's wealthy aunt, and Alexei interacts with her as a familiar dependent, though she treats him with a mix of condescension and amusement.

### [The General](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/characters/the_general)

_family_

Grandmother is the General's wealthy aunt, and she wields her fortune to control and humiliate him, reveling in his desperation.

### [Mr. Astley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/characters/mr_astley)

_social_

Grandmother treats Mr. Astley with polite curiosity, seeing him as an eccentric but harmless foreigner.

### [Mr. Astley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/characters/mr_astley)

_social_

Grandmother treats Mr. Astley with polite curiosity, seeing him as an eccentric but harmless foreigner.

### [Polina Alexandrovna](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/characters/polina_alexandrovna)

_family_

Grandmother is Polina's step-grandmother, and their interactions are cold and transactional, with Grandmother dismissing Polina's needs.

### [Polina Alexandrovna](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/characters/polina_alexandrovna)

_family_

Grandmother is Polina's step-grandmother, and their interactions are cold and transactional, with Grandmother dismissing Polina's needs.

## In the story

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/chapters/viii)

Makes a sudden and dramatic arrival at the hotel, calling out to Alexei, which interrupts his conversation with Mr. Astley.

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/chapters/ix)

Arrives unexpectedly at the hotel, carried in an armchair, and immediately dominates the scene with her imperious manner.

### [The Grandmother Visits the Casino](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/chapters/x)

Enters the roulette salon with great curiosity, learns the game from Alexei, and becomes fixated on betting zero, winning a significant sum.

### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/chapters/xi)

Defiant and merry after her winnings; insists on returning to the casino despite warnings.

### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/chapters/xii)

Impatient and irritable after gambling losses; confronts the General and Polina about the General's marriage plans; offers Polina shelter in Moscow; continues gambling despite advice.

### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/chapters/xiii)

Departs by train after signing a document; later loses all her money at the casino, totaling ninety thousand roubles.

### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/chapters/xiv)

Referenced as having recently sat at a table; not present in this chapter.

### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/chapters/xv)

Mentioned as the General's mother who arrived from Russia to forbid his marriage and squandered her money at roulette.

### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/chapters/endnotes)

Referenced in the first endnote as 'Dear little Grandmother.'

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/characters/grandmother
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gambler_se/characters