why did the lawyer and the banker make a bet

by Adelle Conn 6 min read

The banker and lawyer make the bet for the same reason that most people make a bet. They each believe that their opinion is right and best, and they are willing to risk something to prove it. The story starts with the narrator telling the reader that the banker had a friendly little social gathering.

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.

Full Answer

Why do bankers and lawyers make the same bet?

The banker and lawyer make the bet for the same reason that most people make a bet. They each believe that their opinion is right and best, and they are willing to risk something to prove it.

Why does the banker decide to kill the lawyer?

Like the everyday people that the lawyer grows to despise, the banker is ruled by his need to maintain his wealth no matter the cost. He decides to kill the lawyer the night before the bet is completed because he fears that the lawyer will become rich and successful with his money while he himself becomes a beggar.

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.

What does the lawyer say about his bet in the letter?

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.

image

What bet did the banker and the lawyer have in the bet?

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.

Why is the banker so desperate to win the bet?

The banker was worried at the beginning of the bet that he would lose the bet. The banker was a desperate man when he planned to kill the lawyer. The lawyer won the bet. There are things in life that are more meaningful than money.

How does the lawyer provoke the banker's decision to place the bet?

The correct answer is option D. 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.

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

In Chekhov's short story "The Bet," the terms of the bet are that the lawyer will stay in prison for fifteen years and the banker will "wager two million" (92). While the lawyer is in prison, he can have no human contact, but he can have "anything necessary--books, music, wine--" and anything else he requests (92).

What was the bet in the story the bet?

This short story portrays a situation in which the banker and lawyer wages a bet based on the idea of the death penalty and life imprisonment. The banker puts on the line two million dollars compared to the lawyer's life worth of fifteen years.

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

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

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 inner motives had prompted the lawyer and the banker agree to the bet fifteen years ago?

The banker felt that death penalty was better than life imprisonment. However, the lawyer said that if he had to choose, he would choose life imprisonment as he felt that it is better to live anyhow than to not live at all. This led to an argument, which transformed into a bet.

Which punishment does the lawyer say he would choose the bet?

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 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.

What is the main conflict in the bet?

One of the conflicts is the bet that the lawyer and the banker made to prove that imprisonment for life is a better punishment than death. This conflict is external conflict, man versus man. The other conflict in this story is the conflict inside the lawyer when he is in jail for fifteen years.

Who wins the bet in 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 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.

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.

Why does the banker decide to kill the lawyer the night before the bet is completed?

He decides to kill the lawyer the night before the bet is completed because he fears that the lawyer will become rich and successful with his money while he himself becomes a beggar.

Why does the banker decide to kill the lawyer?

Like the everyday people that the lawyer grows to despise, the banker is ruled by his need to maintain his wealth no matter the cost. He decides to kill the lawyer the night before the bet is completed because he fears that the lawyer will become rich and successful with his money while he himself becomes a beggar. Upon finding the lawyer’s note and discovering what he has been through physically and psychologically, however, the banker is racked with guilt and self-hatred for making the bet in the first place. Nevertheless, he ultimately decides to protect himself from possible retribution on the part of the lawyer by hiding the letter in his safe. A complex character, the banker reveals both undesirable truths and redeemable realities of the human condition.

Why is the banker distraught?

The banker is distraught because he cannot afford to pay the two million rubles. At the time... (full context) The old banker fears that the lawyer will, having won the bet, become wealthy, marry, and enjoy life... (full context) ...the morning and everyone is asleep. The wind howls and it is pouring rain.

image