in the short story the bet the lawyer wanted money but what did the banker want

by Prof. Bud Medhurst 8 min read

With this scenario as the end, it comes to notice that both the characters had an interchange in personality, the banker now was in desire of money while the lawyer didn’t care about the money. The baker realises that the bet actually proved no point, it didn’t prove whether capital punishment is better or worst.

Full Answer

Why does the banker want to kill the lawyer?

The banker is repulsed by his own earlier motives to murder the lawyer in order to save himself from financial ruin. Now, he feels "a great contempt for himself" for what the lawyer has endured and for his own overriding avarice. During his 15 year confinement the lawyer learns that money, material possessions have no long term value.

How do the banker and the lawyer learn from their wager?

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...

What has the banker come to appreciate about his life?

He has come to appreciate the real valuable aspects of life. In escaping his confinement, he actually saves his life, since the banker has planned to kill him so as not to pay the money he can no longer afford. The banker having gone into debt over the years seems to have become a slave to money.

What did the banker lose when he made his bet?

His bet has been that of a proud, naive young man, but now he knows the purpose for the company of others. The banker has lost much of his arrogance because his financial state finds his pride greatly diminished from that of fifteen years ago when he made the bet.

Why does the banker want out of the bet?

The banker wants to prove his point that the death penalty is more humane than life imprisonment. What is the banker's motivation for suggesting the bet? The lawyer wants to prove that life imprisonment is more human than the death penalty and collect $2,000,000.

What does the lawyer want in the bet?

A young guest at the party, the lawyer bets that he can spend fifteen years in voluntary solitary confinement to prove that any kind of life is better than death.

What was the bet between the lawyer and the banker?

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.

What does the banker do in the bet?

The Banker: The banker is a greedy businessman who uses his power and wealth to manipulate others. Initially, he freely risks two million rubles in the bet with the lawyer. However, as the story progresses, the banker falls into destitution and considers murdering the lawyer so as not to pay him back.

How was the banker 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.

Why did the lawyer agree to the bet?

1 Expert Answer The lawyer states that the life sentence would be preferable, but the banker calls his bluff, saying that he couldn't stand five years in prison. The decision by the lawyer to raise the stakes is meant to prove his point that a life sentence would be preferable to a death sentence.

What does the banker intend to do to the lawyer?

The banker decides to end the BR by killing the lawyer. As he goes to see the lawyer he finds and reads a letter written by him. The banker doesn't kill the lawyer because the lawyer leaves early and ends the bet. Summarize the story in 5 sentences.

What is the bet between the lawyer and the banker Quizizz?

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.

What is the bet between the lawyer and the banker Commonlit answers?

The lawyer suggests that the banker doesn't have the courage to place such a risky bet against him. The lawyer offers to give the banker two million if he cannot stay in solitary confinement for the agreed upon years. The lawyer proposes that he will remain in solitary confinement even longer than the banker suggests.

Why did the lawyer give up the money he had won?

Answer: The lawyer renounced the two million because in prison, he read a lot and reading of philosophical and religious books gave him wisdom. He realised the futility of money.

What happened to the banker at the end of the bet?

Moved by the lawyer's letter, the banker kisses the prisoner and leaves to go home, feel bad about himself, and have a good cry. Meanwhile, the lawyer sneaks out of the room early. Finally, the banker takes the letter that rejects that money and hides it away in his safe as evidence.

How does the banker end?

The building is a success, and impressed, Patrick asks Bernard to go into business with him. They'll split the profits fifty-fifty, but because of the racism of the time, Patrick will do the signing because people will sell to him. The business is highly successful, and Bernard and Eunice move into a great house.

What does the lawyer say in the letter in which he forfeits his bet?

Later in the letter in which he forfeits his bet, the lawyer declares that everything is empty and illusory. Without explicitly stating it, the lawyer understands that little has meaning unless it is shared with others. His bet has been that of a proud, naive young man, but now he knows the purpose for the company of others.

Why did the banker lose his arrogance?

The banker has lost much of his arrogance because his financial state finds his pride greatly diminished from that of fifteen years ago when he made the bet. Now, having secretly read the lawyer's letter, he realizes the arrogance of his wager as well as the selfish cruelty of his plan to murder the lawyer in order to save himself ...

What did Chekhov learn from the Bet?

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.

What does the banker note about the lawyer?

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.

How old is the lawyer in The Banker's Party?

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.

Why is the banker distraught in Part 2?

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)

What does a lawyer read in the sixth year?

(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)

What is the lump in the lawyer's skull?

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.

Why does the banker think the lawyer is dreaming of millions?

Toward the end of the story, the banker projects his own feelings onto the lawyer when he imagines that the lawyer is “dreaming of those millions” because he believes that the lawyer’s ultimate goal is the money that even he visualizes in his dreams.

What does the banker's comment on the night of the party reveal about his personality?

The banker’s comments and actions on the night of the party reveals about his personality that he is very short- tempered as he banged his fist on the table once the lawyer said he agreed upon the assumption of “it’s better to live somehow than not to live at all. ” Also, he can be considered as very responsive because once the lawyer said that, he immediately made the bet, claiming that the lawyer wouldn’t last for five years. However, he later realizes that this bet would not contribute anything or convince people that capital punishment is worse or better than imprisonment for life. So, the banker has an extremely capricious personality as well as easily agitated.