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

by Jaclyn Hessel Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago 4 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 is the book the bet by Anton Chekhov?

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 to the lawyer at the end of the bet?

Jan 15, 2021 · In Anton Chekhov's short story, "The Bet," a banker and a lawyer make a bet at a dinner party. The banker bets the lawyer that the lawyer will not last fifteen years in …

What happens at the end of the story the bet?

Sep 16, 2021 · ‘The Bet’ by Anton Chekhov begins at a party where the death penalty is being discussed. The party has been given by a rich banker with an excited temperament. At this party are many intellectuals, journalists, lawyers, and their like. Intellectual topics are being discussed and there is no sign of frivolity in the atmosphere.

What does the banker say about the lawyer at the end?

Jun 11, 2020 · 11 Jun 2020 Dermot Anton Chekhov Cite Post. In The Bet by Anton Chekhov we have the theme of morality, integrity, isolation, materialism, change and desperation. Taken from his Collected Short Stories collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unknown narrator and after reading the story the reader realises that Chekhov may be exploring 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. The young lawyer argues that life on any terms is better than death.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.

Did the lawyer escape in the bet?

Shocked and moved after reading the note, the banker kisses the lawyer on the head and returns to bed. When the banker wakes up later that morning, a watchman reports that the lawyer has climbed out the window and fled the property, forfeiting the bet.

Why does the lawyer renounce the bet?

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. It was as illusory and deceptive as mirage.Jun 7, 2021

Who wins the bet in the story the bet?

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...

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.

What 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.

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

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. The banker regrets placing the bet and thinks it was a stupid idea in the first place.

Was the lawyer greedy in 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.

What does the lawyer stake in the bet?

"Gentlemen, I stake two million!" "Agreed! You stake your millions and I stake my freedom!" said the young man.Jan 18, 2017

How does the lawyer spend his 15 years of imprisonment in the bet by Anton Checkhov?

After the tenth year, the lawyer abandons all reading, but the Gospels. Theology and philosophy are his next readings. In the last two years of his confinement, the lawyer reads indiscriminately, choosing Shakespeare, then a medical manual, then philosophy or theology.

What is the theme of the Bet by Anton Chekhov?

The Bet by Anton Chekhov. In The Bet by Anton Chekhov we have the theme of morality, integrity, isolation, materialism, change and desperation. Taken from his Collected Short Stories collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unknown narrator and after reading the story the reader realises that Chekhov may be exploring the theme ...

What happens to the young man in Chekhov?

He may or may not find happiness in life. He may even end up isolating himself completely from a society he considers to be corrupt. The young man’s future remains unwritten. Which may be the point that Chekhov is making.

Why does the young man forfeit his bet with the banker?

The young man forfeits his bet with the banker as his morals have changed from what they were fifteen years earlier. He no longer thinks of wine or women but is more knowledgeable about life and sees the pitfalls that come with his previous way of thinking.

Why is the banker a fragile wreck of a man?

Whereas the banker is a fragile wreck of a man because of his financial losses. The end of the story is interesting as the banker keeps the young man’s letter which may leave some readers to suspect that though the banker doesn’t want others to know about the letter. He still respects the young man.

What does the banker tell the lawyer over dinner?

The banker further goads the lawyer over dinner, telling him to back out before it is too late. He points out... (full context)

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.

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 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.

What happens to the lawyer in the second year?

In the second year, the lawyer stops playing piano and starts reading classic books. By the fifth year, he is playing... (full context)

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.

What did the prisoner read in the last two years?

Now he would apply himself to the natural sciences, then he would read Byron or Shakespeare … He read as though he were swimming in the sea among broken pieces of wreckage, and in his desire to save his life was eagerly grasping one piece after another.

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 ask for in the fifth year?

In the fifth year music was audible again, and the prisoner asked for wine. Those who watched him through the window said that all that year he spent doing nothing but eating and drinking and lying on his bed, frequently yawning and angrily talking to himself. He did not read books. Sometimes at night he would sit down to write; he would spend hours writing, and in the morning tear up all that he had written. More than once he could be heard crying.

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.

Who struck the table with his fist and shouted at the young man?

A lively discussion arose. The banker, who was younger and more nervous in those days, was suddenly carried away by excitement; he struck the table with his fist and shouted at the young man: