in “the bet,” what motivates the lawyer to take the bet?

by Torey Boehm 8 min read

The young lawyer argues with the banker that life imprisonment is a better option than capital punishment, since any life is better than none at all. This is what motivates him to take the banker's bet. The story invites us to consider whether the lawyer is right when he claims that any life is better than none at all.

The lawyer, on the other hand, is motivated by his belief, which he expresses eloquently the night of the bet and by the dream of winning a fortune. The lawyer may have rationalized it as two million (valued back then even more than it is today) that he could earn in fifteen years without working.

Full Answer

What motivates the young lawyer to take the banker's bet?

Apr 04, 2016 · In “The Bet,” what motivates the lawyer to take the bet? his internal conflict between duty and self-loathing. greed and the need to prove the banker wrong. an overwhelming desire for revenge. a desire to join the banker in business. Asked by User #407710 6 years ago 4/4/2016 10:46 AM. Last updated by jill d #170087 6 years ago 4/4/2016 10 ...

What does the lawyer get for winning the bet?

The young lawyer argues with the banker that life imprisonment is a better option than capital punishment, since any life is better than none at all. This is what motivates him to take the banker's bet. The story invites us to consider whether the lawyer is right when he claims that any life is better than none at all.

What is the bet summary and analysis of the bet?

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. He proves as reckless as the banker in agreeing to the bet and foolish in lengthening his sentence for the sake of some misplaced pride.

Why does the lawyer think any life is better than none?

what motivates the lawyer to participate in the bet? Use be text to describe why Atticus and Jem's interactions when Atticus realizes the children are in danger. To Kill A Mockingbird Chapter 15. Could someone help??


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Why did the lawyer take the bet?

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.

What does the lawyer want in the bet?

In contrast to the banker, the lawyer is an intelligent young man whose tenacity drives him to pursue the bet. At the start of the story, the lawyer is 25 years old. He is heedless and impatient and wants to prove to the banker that living under any circumstance is better than dying.

How does the lawyer provoke the banker's decision to place the bet?

How does the lawyer provoke the banker's decision to place the bet? The lawyer questions whether or not the banker has the money to make a worthwhile bet with him. The lawyer suggests that the banker doesn't have the courage to place such a risky bet against him.

What does the lawyer agree to wager in the bet?

They agreed to a bet: if the lawyer could spend fifteen years in total isolation, the banker would pay him two million rubles. The lawyer would have no direct contact with any other person, but could write notes to communicate with the outside world and receive whatever comforts he desired.

How does the lawyer decide to conclude the bet and why?

How does the lawyer decide to conclude the bet, and why? At the end of the fifteen years, five hours before he would have gotten the 2 million rubles, the lawyer chooses to run away and revoke his right to the money, leaving a letter explaining himself. He has come to hate people and rejects the money on principle.Dec 16, 2021

Why does the lawyer despise the money?

It's because he has realised that money or any such material possession is just an illusion and transitory in nature in respect to the larger order of things. So, the money won't make him happy either. Again, when we look at the banker, he has lost his money in gambling and is now almost a loser.

Was the lawyer greedy in the bet?

Anton Chekhov's The Bet The banker was a static character; he was greedy from start to finish. The lawyer was a dynamic character and he saw the wrong in his ways and changed them in the end. The author portrayed the banker as a foolish and greedy man, and since Chekhov characterized him as static, he never changed.

How did the banker feel about the bet when he talks to the lawyer at first?

The banker considers the prison more humane. The party takes place at dawn. The banker say the millions of rubles are trifle. The banker feels happy about the bet when he talks to the lawyer at first.

Why did the banker keep the lawyer in confinement?

Ans. The lawyer was confined for long period of fifteen years. The bankers was very rich but his economic condition had become weak by the fourteenth-fifteenth year of lawyers confinement. So, he was being afraid of honouring the bet.

What was the conflict between the banker and the lawyer?

What was the bet between the lawyer and banker? The lawyer bet that he could stay in solitary confinement for 15 years if the banker paid him 2 million dollars. The lawyer bet that he could stay in solitary confinement for 5 years if the banker paid him 2 million dollars.

How does the bet reflect realism?

Throughout “The Bet,” Chekhov employs a variety of literary devices to create a sense of realism. He uses a concise two-part story structure, ample metaphors and similes, and frequent foreshadowing to delineate between the two main characters and drive the plot forward.

What is the moral of the story the bet?

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.Feb 1, 2021

What was the debate about in the story the bet?

The bet stemmed from a discussion of capital punishment, or punishment by death. The banker argued that death was a better alternative to life spent behind bars. The attorney took the opposite side, that life in prison would be better than a death sentence. The debate raged on, and from it, a wager was born.

The Lawyer Quotes in The Bet

The The Bet quotes below are all either spoken by The Lawyer or refer to The Lawyer. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one: ).

The Lawyer Character Timeline in The Bet

The timeline below shows where the character The Lawyer appears in The Bet. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

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