"the bet" by anton p. chekhov what happens to the lawyer at the end of the story?

by Sally Ratke 10 min read

In the end of the story, " The Bet," the lawyer despairs of life, and he reneges on the wager with banker. In their bet about which is crueler, live-long imprisonment or capital punishment, the banker and the lawyer wager their futures. The young lawyer argues that life on any terms is better than death.

At the end of Anton Chekhov's "The Bet", the lawyer survives the 15 years in prison but refuses to take the money.

Full Answer

What happened in the book the bet by Anton Chekhov?

Aug 19, 2015 · In the end of the story, " The Bet ," the lawyer despairs of life, and he reneges on the wager with banker. In their bet about which is crueler, live-long imprisonment or capital punishment, the...

What happens at the end of the story the bet?

Jan 12, 2022 · 'The Bet' is a short story that was written by Anton Chekov about a bet made between two professionals and the consequences. Study the summary of this story including accounts of the bet itself,...

What happens to the lawyer at the end of the bet?

Nov 11, 2021 · In the end of the story, "The Bet," the lawyer despairs of life, and he reneges on the wager with banker. In their bet about which is crueler, ... Anton Chekhov's "The Bet" focuses on a conflict between a banker and a young lawyer who enter into a disagreement at a party hosted by the banker. While the banker believes that capital punishment is ...

What is the bet the lawyer and the banker make?

Anton Chekhov "The Bet" It was a dark autumn night. The old banker was walking up and down his study and remembering how, fifteen years before, he had given a party one autumn evening. There had been many clever men there, and there had been interesting conversations. Among other things they had talked of capital punishment. The

What happens to the lawyer at the end of the story?

In the end of the story, "The Bet," the lawyer despairs of life, and he reneges on the wager with banker. In their bet about which is crueler, live-long imprisonment or capital punishment, the banker and the lawyer wager their futures.Nov 22, 2018

How does the story The Bet end?

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.

What will happen to the banker if the lawyer wins The Bet?

If he pays the lawyer for winning the bet, he will be ruined. His only escape from his tragedy would be to kill the lawyer. When the banker opens the door into the cell, he discovers the lawyer now looking like a skeleton. He discovers a letter and reads it, but soon realizes the lawyer plans to lose.

What happened to the banker in The Bet?

Young, wealthy, and fairly reckless at the beginning of the story, the banker insists that death is preferable to life imprisonment and is the one who initially makes the titular bet with the lawyer. In his later years, his luck has faltered and his wealth dwindled, transforming him into a desperate man.

Why did the lawyer break the bet?

The banker, on the other hand, has misused his money; and now if he pays off the bet, the banker will lose everything. After much inner turmoil, the banker decides to kill the lawyer before the end of the bet to keep from having to pay the loan. He sneaks into the guest house.Sep 9, 2020

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

What did the banker decide to do with the lawyer at the end?

Succumbing to the power of greed, the banker resolves to kill the lawyer to avoid losing his fortune, but changes his mind after finding a letter written by the lawyer where he renounces “the stuff of the earth” and declares he will break the terms of the bet.

Who wins the bet in the story?

The banker wins the bet. The attorney escapes the night before he is to win the bet.

How did the lawyer change in the bet?

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.Jan 18, 2017

How does the lawyer's 15 year imprisonment affect the banker?

How does the lawyer's 15-year imprisonment affect the banker? The banker wishes that he had required the lawyer to stay imprisoned for longer. The banker comes to realize that he was wrong about his stance on life imprisonment. The banker mourns the life and experiences that he has deprived the lawyer of.

Why does the banker go to the lodge on the last night of the lawyer's imprisonment?

The banker went at once with the servants to the lodge and made sure of the flight of his prisoner. To avoid arousing unnecessary talk, he took from the table the writing in which the millions were renounced, and when he got home, locked it upon the fireproof safe. What happened in the morning?

How does the lawyer provoke the banker's decision?

The lawyer provoked the banker's decision to place the bet by proposing that he will remain in solitary confinement even longer than the banker suggests. The Banker places the bet on the confidence that capital punishment kills a person but lifetime imprisonment is worse than death.Sep 18, 2018

How many rubles does a lawyer get for being in captivity?

The banker tells the lawyer that if he can endure fifteen years of voluntary captivity, he will be rewarded with two million rubles. The lawyer agrees and is subjected to confinement in the banker's garden lodge.

What does the reader learn from the banker?

The reader learns all this from the banker as he remembers all of these details the day before he is set to reward the attorney with the two million rubles. The only problem is the banker is no longer a rich man , but very much in debt.

Is life in prison better than death?

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. In anger at being challenged, the banker waged a bet: two million rubles that the lawyer could not survive life behind bars. Believe it or not, the lawyer accepted the bet.

What did the banker suffer from in the first year of his imprisonment?

< 3 >. For the first year of his confinement, as far as one could judge from his brief notes, the prisoner suffered severely from loneliness and depression.

What did the prisoner read in the last two years of his confinement?

In the last two years of his confinement the prisoner read an immense quantity of books quite indiscriminately. At one time he was busy with the natural sciences, then he would ask for Byron or Shakespeare.

How long did the solitary confinement last?

The agreement provided for every detail and every trifle that would make his imprisonment strictly solitary, and bound the young man to stay there exactly fifteen years , beginning from twelve o'clock of November 14, 1870, and ending at twelve o'clock of November 14, 1885.

Where was the candle burning in the prisoner's room?

A candle was burning dimly in the prisoner's room. He was sitting at the table. Nothing could be seen but his back, the hair on his head, and his hands. Open books were lying on the table, on the two easy-chairs, and on the carpet near the table.

Is 2 million a trifle?

To me two million is a trifle, but you are losing three or four of the best years of your life. I say three or four, because you won't stay longer. Don't forget either, you unhappy man, that voluntary confinement is a great deal harder to bear than compulsory.