what happens to the lawyer at the end of the bet by anton p chekhov

by Callie Turner 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. See full answer below.

Full Answer

What happens at the end of Chekhov’s lawyer?

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 to the lawyer at the end of the bet?

The lawyer runs off without his money, having decided that money is foolish and life is fleeting. He abandons this society because he no longer believes in …

What is the message of the bet by Anton Chekhov?

The terms of the bet are that the lawyer must live in isolation for fifteen years. At the end of that time, if he fulfills his bet of having no human contact for this period, the banker will pay him two million rubles. The bet arises out of an argument on which is …

What happens at the end of the story the bet?

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. He ultimately renounces the bet by escaping his cell just five hours before he would be awarded his winnings.

What happened 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 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 did the banker realize about the lawyer at the end of the story?

What did the banker realize about the lawyer at the end of the story? The banker was never lonely throughout his long prison sentence.

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.

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

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

Why does the lawyer surrender the 2 million dollars?

Because he had lost a lot of money in the past 15 years through gambling and the Stock Exchange, so giving the lawyer $2 million would ruin him. What kind of writing technique does Chekhov use at the ends of the story when the lawyer leaves the prison early?

What does the banker do with the written words the lawyer left behind?

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 were the activities of the lawyer during his imprisonment in the short story the bet by Anton Chekhov?

During this year, the lawyer mostly eats and drink and lies on his bed. But, at times he writes all night; afterwards, however, he tears up what he has written, crying. Then, in the sixth year, he begins to study languages, history, and philosophy.

How does the lawyer's 15 year imprisonment?

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.

Who won the bet in the end?

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

What thought bothers the banker 15 years after the bet is made?

Answer: The bet shouldn't have happened.May 11, 2020

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.

What is the Bet by Anton Chekhov?

Anton Chekhov was writing this short story for the magazine “Novoe Vremya”. Initially, it had been entitled “The Fairy Tale”, since a described situation was clearly fictional. Its characters and their actions had little in common with a real life.

What did Anton Chekhov try to do?

By writing this story, Anton Chekhov tried to make people think about the point of their life and the meaning of money. His story points a certain moral and therefore resembles Russian fairy tales. However later, the title “The Fairy Tale” was replaced by “The Bet”. The first edition of this satirical story had another ending.

Who wrote the book The Bet?

Yet, Leo Tolstoy gave a good review of “The Bet” by Anton Chekhov. He wrote, “… his story is full of life.”. The story also reveals Chekhov’s attitude towards death penalty as something utterly immoral. At the end of the 19 th century, there was a heated dispute on the abolition of capital punishment in Russia.

What does the lawyer believe?

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. The banker and the lawyer decide to enter into a bet, with the banker wagering that the lawyer could not withstand 5 years of imprisonment.

What happened 15 years ago?

Fifteen years ago, a party was thrown at a banker's home, where many intellectuals such a journalists and lawyers attended. During that party, the group in attendance had many lively discussions, ultimately turning to the topic of capital punishment.