The Flowers of Evil (1866) by Charles Baudelaire and The Gambler (1867) by Fyodor Dostoevsky are two works of art literary works with common denominators: both deal with the themes of gambling, love, luck, moral degradation and profound poverty. Both books are seminal, produced during the era of Symbolism, the literary movement that swept Europe in the period 1860-1880. The main themes of symbolism surround darkness, decay; using images full of symbolic metaphor. Symbolists often looked at the ideal and clothed it in language that would require some interpretation and deciphering to understand. Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) was born from the Russian existentialist and symbolist movement. Although Russian Symbolism did not officially begin until 1895, Dostoevsky is considered the Russian father of Symbolism who preceded the movement through his writings. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In Baudelaire's "Little Old Women," he compares old gamblers to "vestals in love with the late Frascati." Frascati was the only gaming hall in Paris that allowed female players to play. This image of elderly women gambling away their money in an ecstasy of uncontrollable obsession evokes the scenes of the grandmother gambling away her riches at the casino in The Gambler. Alexei reports that “in the casino it seemed that the grandmother was expected” (Dostoevsky 2005). Taken by the passion of winning, the grandmother soon becomes a regular visitor to the casino. The one in Frascati was a popular and popular hall that attracted hundreds of gambling customers. The historic gaming hall of Frascati remained open until 1836 when the rental contract for the gaming houses expired and it was forced to close (Shelley). The main themes of Baudelaire's poem entitled "Gambling", are associated with decay, aging and death. In typical Symbolist style, Baudelaire describes the gaming room environment in detail, paying close attention to body parts and furniture. The female gamblers described in the poem are hopelessly addicted to gaming tables, where they waste their hard-earned money on bets. In “Gambling” Baudelaire mentions female gamblers “who come to waste their hard-earned misery.” The players belong to the poor classes and lose many bets; however they are inspired by the hope of improving their luck and winning more money. It's a never-ending vicious circle. They work for a few dollars and go back to the casinos to place bets, lose, work for more money and go back to the casinos. Dostoevsky describes poor gamblers as “the hungry and restless people who crowd around the gaming tables” (Dostoevsky 2005). Many of the casino's loyal customers are broke, broke, in debt and without hope. Later, having experienced the vicissitudes of gambling, Alexei, seized and desperate, confesses: “I am in a worse position than the meanest beggar. But what is a beggar? A fig to beg for! I ruined myself, that's all" (Dostoevsky 2005). Mismanagement of money, greed and recklessness lead to this crushing and unavoidable poverty. As soon as your luck changes and you win money, it is wasted on some frivolous attraction or goes to pay off debts. Alexei must depend on the people around him for escape from prison, food and shelter, while he sees himself trapped in the slavery of money and Polina. Baudelaire's poem, "Gambling", clearly outlines the prevailing environment in gambling houses. where the playersthey waste their money. It evokes the scene of "tenacious passion", of "funeral joy", of "envy" (Baudelaire 2006). These feelings are common in a gambling house where there is a passion for winning and a desire for self-aggrandizement. The (lucky) fate of other players in the running causes envy just as the speaker of the poem confesses to having feelings towards his contenders around the table. Baudelaire also characterizes and compares the passion of gambling to a “hellish fever” where the ultimate goal is death and destruction. This image also relates the passion of gambling to the heat of sexuality and the excitement of winning. At the casino, Alexei is controlled by his passionate need to win at roulette. He says that “he suddenly became obsessed with the desire to take risks” (Dostoevsky 2005). This fervent desire drives him to make many absurd deals and take wild bets at the casino. Around the table, Alessio observes the rich competitors, silently scrutinizing them and envying them. Even the grandmother "trembles with excitement" when she starts playing (Dostoevsky 2005). The rush to take risks and win floods her entire being and she soon becomes wild with anxiety about the games. In The Gambler, when Alexei is introduced to the gambling hall, he describes that “first, everything seemed so disgusting – so morally mean and disgusting” and then alludes to the “connected squalor” (Dostoevsky 2005). This environment of game is purposely dirty because it attracts a dirty crowd that is blind to the moral decay that surrounds it. The inherent disgusting nature of the casino poisons and drugs the clientele to the point that they keep coming back, unable to stop the habit , the casino is repellent and addictive at the same time. In Baudelaire's poem The Flowers of Evil, filth, squalor and moral decadence go hand in hand women play in a dusty gaming hall with “faded armchairs”, “dirty ceiling”, “gloomy vault” and “dead virtue” tell a story of aging, obsolescence, corruption and decay. The players are elderly women imminently approaching the death and, because of their vices, they hasten towards their own death. The gaming hall has fallen into an undesirable condition. The women's past occupation as prostitutes further taints their characters and clouds the general atmosphere so that it lacks the purity and cleanliness of its original state. The poem "I adore you" by Charles Baudelaire interconnects with the relationship between Alexei and Polina. The first person in the poem applies to Alexei while his reluctant lover, Polina, is at the center of his relentless pursuit and unrequited love. Polina's physical and emotional distance is palpable throughout the novel, The Gambler. She continually uses Alexei to achieve her own selfish ends and leaves him because she is in love with someone else. The speaker laments, “I love you all the more because you flee from me…and multiply the leagues that separate my arms from the infinite blue.” By the end of the novel, Polina moves to Switzerland in an attempt to escape Alexei's amorous advances. However, despite her repeated refusals and escapes, he continues to pursue her. The novel ends with Alessio busy at the gaming table trying to win money to follow her to Switzerland. To an irate Polina, even more annoyed by his eternal love, he states: “Am I afraid of a scandal or your anger? Why should I fear your anger? I love without hope and I know that from now on I will love you a thousand times more” (Dostoevsky 2005). This passage corresponds in feeling and action to Alexei's determination. He is never discouraged by his icy affronts or his livid fury. The implacablePolina's cruelty is there for everyone to see, even Alexei. Determined as stone, after Alexei declares his love for her, Polina snarls back: “Because I hate you! Yes, yes, I hate you!” (Dostoevsky 2005). Her hardened heart, impervious to the return of Alexei's love, demonstrates an inability to dismiss him with sympathy for his feelings. She continues to take his gambling winnings and then refuses to love him or even show him respect and gratitude. The more Polina persists in rejecting him, the more fervent Alexei's love burns towards her. He tells Polina that “you will end up making me love you, since you are what you are, I intend to always love you and never be unfaithful” (Dostoevsky 160). Fully knowing her cold contempt still forces Alexei to love Polina and be faithful to her forever. From all appearances, it seems that Alexei is even more enamored of Polina's cruelty. Chance and luck are key elements of gambling and are common factors in The Gambler and The Flowers of Evil. The characters' fortunes falter and prove their downfall or success. As mentioned above, Baudelaire's “Old Women” mentions the Parisian gambling hall of Frascati. A player testifies that in Frascati the player's only handicap is the law of chance. “Intuition led me to venerate the law of chance as the highest and most profound of laws, the law that arises from the foundations. An insignificant word can become a deadly bolt of lightning. A small sound could destroy the earth” (Brecht 1966). Roulette is the most popular casino game. Roulette, from French, means small wheel. In the game, you have to spin the reels until a ball lands on a number. This game comes from the Wheel of Fortune concept where in mythology it is believed that the gods determined fate by turning a wheel (the meaning of wheel of fortune). Chance and luck correspond to each other as the wheel of fortune meant either an improvement or worsening of one's fortunes (pun intended). When playing at the gaming table to cover Polina's urgent debts, Alexei wins many times and accumulates about two hundred thousand rubles. However, both he and his grandmother lost fortunes, betting large sums of money in a desperate attempt to recoup their losses. In the gambling house, one of the De Griers characters says “les chances peuvent tourner”. One last chance, and you will lose it all – surtout with your new one. C'?tait terrible” (Dostoevsky 2005). Translation: Your luck can change. But with a bad stroke of luck you can lose everything, especially in gambling. It's terrible. The characters play against a terrible enemy, destiny, and place it in the hands of chance. Roulette, one of the popular games in casinos, is based on chance. The intoxicating obsession to continue gambling plunges Alexei into more serious circumstances and heavier losses. He confesses while playing: “It seemed that madness had overtaken me and, taking my last two thousand forints, I bet them on 12 of the first numbers – completely by chance” (Dostoevsky 2005). Even in the game or rather in the bet of love, Alessio bets everything to be with Polina, making amorous advances towards her and courting her affections. However, he degrades to become a willing slave and, ultimately, a rejected lover; however, luck and love are inextricable themes as characters must risk something to pursue their heart's desire. Baudelaire's “The Venal Muse” also harmonizes thematically with Dostoevsky's The Gambler as poverty, greed, and deceit are omnipresent in both works. First of all, players are driven by need. Most players in Germany and France are poor people who crave to be rich and pretentious and rich, 1912.