The banker notes that the lawyer is so emaciated by the end of his sentence that he is hard to look at, prematurely aged, and appears ill. This outward appearance contrasts with the lawyer’s own belief that he has bettered himself.
In the tenth year, the lawyer reads only the New Testament. In the next two years, he reads haphazardly and randomly,... (full context) It is fifteen years later and the eve of the lawyer ’s release. The banker is distraught because he cannot afford to pay the two million rubles.... (full context)
Capital punishment kills a man at once, but lifelong imprisonment kills him slowly." The lawyer, on the hand, feels that both are immoral forms of punishment, but he does feel that life in prison is the better of the two choices. He feels this way because he feels that any life is better than no life at all.
Fifteen years previously, the lawyer is put under strict observation in a garden wing of the banker’s house. He is... (full context) At first, the lawyer struggles to adjust to the loneliness and boredom of his captivity. He plays piano all... (full context) In the second year, the lawyer stops playing piano and starts reading classic books.
The lawyer wants to prove that life imprisonment is more human than the death penalty and collect $2,000,000. What is the lawyer's motivation for accepting the bet? The lawyer decides not to take the money. During his confinement, he learns that money and possessions aren't the most important things in life.
Anton Chekhov's “The Bet” sets up a seemingly simple bet about the nature and value of life. The banker, who believes that the death penalty is more humane and moral than life imprisonment, argues that experiences, pleasures, and relationships are what make life worth living.
The lawyer believes that any life is better than none, and that life cannot be taken away by the government, since life cannot be given back if the government realizes that it made a mistake.
Show activity on this post. In The Bet by Anton Chekhov, the lawyer voluntarily accepts to stay in prison for 15 years, instead of the original agreed upon 5 years.
Overall, one of the main purposes of the story was to show that Anton Chekhov's opinion, “the death penalty is more humane than imprisonment for life”, and he did this by using these ideas throughout the story.
The main moral of the "The Bet" concerns the shallowness of material wealth, as one who is internally rich is not wishing for anything. A secondary theme is about the death penalty. Life imprisonment is portrayed as the better option to death, as the person has the time to develop character.
In Anton Chekhov's "The Bet," the banker contends that capital punishment is more humane than life imprisonment. But, most of the guests at his party disagree. Among the banker's guests are journalists and intellectuals; they disapprove of the death penalty, finding it immoral and against Christian purposes.
In conclusion, “The Bet” by Anton Chekhov shows us that nobody wins when excessively stubborn people cross paths. First, situational irony is used to make both of the main characters look foolish. Second, the conflict and resolution to the story make it seem like making the bet was a bad idea.
What is the outcome/result of "the bet"? the lawyer states that despises mankind and everything about the material world and mankind. He leaves right before his time is up and does not win the $2 million.
The banker wins the bet. The attorney escapes the night before he is to win the bet. He writes a letter to the banker in which he explains his...
The Bet is an 1889 short story by Anton Chekhov about a banker and a young man who make a bet with each other based on capital punishment and whether the death penalty is better or worse than life in prison. An ironic twist responds to this exploration of the value of a human life with an unexpected result.
In Chekhov's "The Bet," the banker and the lawyer both learn the futility of their wager, as they have found that life and its conditions differ greatly from their more youthful perceptions. The lawyer learns that his sweeping statement that life on any terms is better than death is not true.
The banker notes that the lawyer is so emaciated by the end of his sentence that he is hard to look at, prematurely aged, and appears ill. This outward appearance contrasts with the lawyer’s own belief that he has bettered himself.
(full context) In the tenth year, the lawyer reads only the New Testament. In the next two years, he reads haphazardly and randomly,... (full context)
All the wisdom from the books, writes the lawyer, is condensed into a little lump in his skull. He has become cleverer than almost... (full context) The lawyer has come to hold people who appreciate earthly things in contempt, and as such he... (full context) The banker has begun to cry.
The Lawyer Character Analysis. The Lawyer. Just 25 years old when he attends the banker’s party at the beginning of the story, the lawyer initially asserts that life-imprisonment is far preferable to capital punishment.
Part 2. It is fifteen years later and the eve of the lawyer ’s release. The banker is distraught because he cannot afford to pay the two million rubles. ... (full context) The old banker fears that the lawyer will, having won the bet, become wealthy, marry, and enjoy life the same way he... (full context)