In Anton Chekhov’s poignant short story, “The Bet,” two brash young men challenge each other to a monumental bet, where in one man wagers two million if the other man can remain in solitary confinement for 15 years. The man challenged to the bet, a young lawyer (“the Lawyer”), is to remain in the custody of a wealthy banker (“the Banker”), the man who wagered the money. The frivolous spending of the Banker displays his lack of appreciation for his wealth and the arrogance he has in making such a massive bet. As the story progresses, the Banker undergoes dramatic changes. At the start of the bet he is a prosperous aristocrat, but throughout the story he loses both his moral values and lavish wealth. His snide arrogance at the start of the story,
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He reads the Lawyer’s last note, which states that through his imprisonment he has gained knowledge and happiness after reading thousands of books and that his imprisonment was a blessing and not a curse. He deems himself a lucky man for being kept in prison. The letter goes on to explain in order to prove that he does not want nor need the money, the Lawyer will leave the room early, violate the bet, and therefore forfeit his money (Chekhov 3). Astonished, the Banker leaves the room weeping, realizing his pettiness because he would have murdered the man for money. Although the Banker does not have to pay the Lawyer his money, he lost something even greater from the Bet; his moral values and integrity. As he leaves the Lawyer’s chambers, “At no other time…had he felt so great a contempt for himself” (Chekhov 3). It is obvious the letter and the events of the bet had a profound impact on the Banker, and in the future he will be haunted by the crime he almost committed and the person whose life he almost took. Even though the bet was technically won by the Banker, the Lawyer proves his point that life in prison is better than no life at all. While in captivity, the Lawyer’s life was fulfilling and enriching, but if he was murdered right away, it would have been much less humane. Additionally, the Lawyer can go on with his life full of confidence and knowledge, whereas the Banker now lives as a poor, emotionally disturbed, decrepit, shell of a man, whose life is haunted by his past actions. It is apparent the bet will never be forgotten, as he keeps the Lawyer’s letter in a
He reads the Lawyer’s last note, which states that through his imprisonment he has gained knowledge and happiness after reading thousands of books and that his imprisonment was a blessing and not a curse. He deems himself a lucky man for being kept in prison. The letter goes on to explain in order to prove that he does not want nor need the money, the Lawyer will leave the room early, violate the bet, and therefore forfeit his money (Chekhov 3). Astonished, the Banker leaves the room weeping, realizing his pettiness because he would have murdered the man for money. Although the Banker does not have to pay the Lawyer his money, he lost something even greater from the Bet; his moral values and integrity. As he leaves the Lawyer’s chambers, “At no other time…had he felt so great a contempt for himself” (Chekhov 3). It is obvious the letter and the events of the bet had a profound impact on the Banker, and in the future he will be haunted by the crime he almost committed and the person whose life he almost took. Even though the bet was technically won by the Banker, the Lawyer proves his point that life in prison is better than no life at all. While in captivity, the Lawyer’s life was fulfilling and enriching, but if he was murdered right away, it would have been much less humane. Additionally, the Lawyer can go on with his life full of confidence and knowledge, whereas the Banker now lives as a poor, emotionally disturbed, decrepit, shell of a man, whose life is haunted by his past actions. It is apparent the bet will never be forgotten, as he keeps the Lawyer’s letter in a