what happens to the lawyer at the end of the story? in the bet poem

by Dr. Adolphus Jakubowski MD 3 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 happens to the lawyer at the end of the bet?

Aug 19, 2015 · Cite. 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 …

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.

Does the lawyer change in the short story 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 its …

What are the terms of the bet the lawyer made?

May 02, 2016 · In "The Bet," both the lawyer and the banker experience a realization at the end of the story. The lawyer realizes life is empty and meaningless because …

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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.

What happens at the end of the story the bet?

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

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.

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 did the lawyer learn at the end of 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.

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...

Why did the lawyer abandon the bet?

Consequently, the lawyer will leave five hours early because he does not want the money. He determines that he is now wiser than the banker. The lawyer will deprive himself of what he thought he once wanted more than anything in the world.

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

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'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.

How does the lawyer spend his fifteen years of imprisonment in the bet?

The lawyer told with the arrogance of youth that he can live for 15 years in solitary confinement. The lawyer was allowed to have anything in his confinement except The Human Companionship. He was given books and piano. He was allowed to write letters.Nov 23, 2018

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 about?

"The Bet" is such an interesting story that presents itself as being mostly about old vs. young and capital punishment vs. life imprisonment. The two main characters of the lawyer and the banker...

What do the banker and the lawyer learn from Chekhov's "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...

What happens in the time between when the wager is made and when it ends?

In the time between when the wager is made and when it ends, circumstances for the banker have turned for the worst. He has lost most of his fortune, and, as the deadline approaches, he realizes...

What is the purpose of Anton Chekhov's "The Bet"?

Anton Chekhov’s “The Bet” is an ironic story about a young man who, on a large bet with a wealthy banker, voluntarily submits to solitary confinement for fifteen years. The young man’s purpose is...

Did Chekhov justify the bet?

Chekhov had to justify the bet itself. It seems like an implausible bet that any man would undertake to spend fifteen years in solitary confinement. But Chekhov had the idea and he must have liked...

What was the lawyer's only activity after the first year of confinement?

Evidently the lawyer's only activities after the first year of confinement were reading and thinking. His reading during the first year suggests that he was only using books as a way of killing...

How long did a lawyer spend in solitary confinement?

The lawyer's change of character has to be the result of spending fifteen years in solitary confinement. In order to pass the time, and in order to keep from going "stir crazy," the lawyer has...

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.

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