why do the lawyer and the banker make a 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.

Full Answer

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.

How does the banker feel about the lawyer’s appearance?

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 do you need to know about the banker?

Everything you need for every book you read. 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.

How old was the lawyer at the Banker’s party?

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. He proves as reckless as the banker in agreeing to the bet and foolish in lengthening his sentence for the sake of some misplaced pride.

What bet does the banker make with the lawyer?

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.

What will happen to the banker of 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 does the lawyer take 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.

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 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 happens with the banker in the bet?

The Banker: The banker is a greedy businessman who uses his power and wealth to manipulate others. Initially, he freely risks two million rubles in the bet with the lawyer. However, as the story progresses, the banker falls into destitution and considers murdering the lawyer so as not to pay him back.

What is the meaning of the bet by Anton Chekhov?

The Meaning of Life Anton Chekhov's “The Bet” sets up a seemingly simple bet about the nature and value of life. The banker, who believes that the death penalty is more humane and moral than life imprisonment, argues that experiences, pleasures, and relationships are what make life worth living.

What is the outcome of the bet?

What is the outcome/result of "the bet"? the lawyer states that despises mankind and everything about the material world and mankind. He leaves right before his time is up and does not win the $2 million.

How was the banker greedy in the bet?

Anton Chekhov's 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 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.

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.