The Bet Anton Chekhov Analysis

Improved Essays
People often make bad decisions that makes them regret afterwards. For example,
People gamble and lose all of their money, make bets on things that they are not a hundred percent sure of. We can see such examples from people’s life experience and from many movies and various literatures. In the short story “The Bet”, Anton Chekhov wrote about two gentleman who make bet on whether life imprisonment or execution is more moral than the other. The lawyer, who went to prison tried to prove that going to prison is better than execution, later regrets making the bet. At the same time the banker who bet the lawyer would not stay in prison for fifteen years later regrets making that bet because the lawyer was so close to winning his prize. The author
…show more content…
Lawyer can be seen as depressed, desperate and angry all the time during his time in prison. “Those who watched him through the window said that all that year he spent doing nothing but eating and drinking and lying on his bed, frequently yawning and angrily talking to himself. He did not read books. Sometimes at night he would sit down to write he would spend hours writing, and in the morning tear up all that he had written. More than once he could be heard crying” (Chekhov 3). This illustration gives us an example of how self pride can lead to irrational decision which is a reason of unpleasant consequences such as freedom loss, isolation from the people and the society, and it can make happy, confident young man turn into mournful, angry and miserable person. The young man looked emotionally unstable because he has no one to share his feelings and he would do random thing at random times because he does not know what to do to spend his time. What results person being isolated? Usually wrong self pride that leads to irrational thinking which is base almost most grief or regret we …show more content…
He expresses nervousness and fear as if lawyers will come out of prison take all his money from him. "’Cursed bet!" muttered the old man, clutching his head in despair ‘Why didn 't the man die? He is only forty now. He will take my last penny from me, he will marry, will enjoy life, will gamble on the Exchange while I shall look at him with envy like a beggar, and hear from him every day the same sentence’ ‘I am indebted to you for the happiness of my life, let me help you! ' ‘No, it is too much! The one means of being saved from bankruptcy and disgrace is the death of that man!’" (Chekhov 4) He is extremely regretful of his bet because of the fact that he under estimated the lawyer’s tolerance, he tried to prove him wrong in front of other people which he thought may make him look strong man. Despite the evidence that fifteen year of solitary life is hard for any man does never guarantee that man can’t stay because there has to be certain level of study on any type of competition, like we make bet on horse racing, before we make a bet we normally tend to study the physical condition and family history of horse we are going to bet on because that gives us at least a shallow idea of how that horse might perform. He feels bad because did not have second thoughts about his decision he made in the story. Sudden enthusiastic move may bring us unpleasant result that we always want to avoid

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Themes In Brave New World

    • 1144 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Not only this, but Brave New World is more relevant to the modern world as it encapsulates the gathered feeling of apathy and aversion of feelings among the people in the real world, as apposed to 1984 which slightly refers to this attitude. The people in Brave New World live in a world free of negative emotions due to the elimination of families, religion, and books. Back in the Condition Center the Director explains the burden such institutions brought upon the people of the past, reasoning, “What with mothers and lovers, what with prohibitions they were not conditioned to obey,what with the temptations and lonely remorses.. they were forced feel strongly. And feeling strongly (and strongly, what was more, in solitude, in hopeless individual…

    • 1144 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He makes his own decision without knowing if it is truly the right thing, and this isolates him. He witnesses other people’s actions and their purpose for doing them, but because he has always relied on his parents on how to act, his decision is dubious to him on whether or not it is just. Although to some extent, despite this feeling of loneliness, he feels content with his decision because it is his…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1. Explain the reasons that human decisions can be flawed and biased, thus leading to unsatisfactory outcomes. Psychologists have discovered many aspects of human decision making that lead to unsatisfactory outcomes. First, humans feel worse about negative things than they feel good about positive things of the same amount, most of the time. This is known as loss aversion.…

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    In many respects, men are privileged. In fact, in many cultures a man’s attributes, accomplishments, rights, and opinions are valued, and placed above his female counterpart. It is believed that men live a better life because of these privileges. In Spanish and Latin cultures, men are expected to exhibit a machismo attitude. They are expected to be hyper masculine, sexually promiscuous, and dominant in all social aspects.…

    • 1986 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The Bet, How does money influence power? While reading this story a banker and a young man had a dispute over the death sentence or life in prison. Then a bet was made. The banker had bet two million dollars that the young man could not star in prison for 15 years.…

    • 181 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Once Smerdyakov murders Fyodor due to Ivan’s theory that God, therefore, good nor evil exist, Ivan is burdened by the struggle to reconcile his influence, therefore, the guilt of the murder. The reality of disturbance in Ivan’s inert moral being seems impossible for an often intellectually cold individual. While much of Ivan’s ideology and practice derive from his education, therefore environmental influence rather than natural character, however, one’s natural inclination for education and intellectualism could result in an in-depth and extensive education, for which similar opportunity was provided to Alyosha. Ivan’s thoughtfulness also contrasts with Fyodor’s impulsive nature and he also doesn’t seem to have a parental figure. In a way,…

    • 1348 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To live life to the fullest means to work, be joyful,to grow, to have power by means of standing one’s grounds, and to stay true to one’s self through all the hardships one encounters. By maintaining all these factors one can assure themselves a fulfilled life according to their standards and motivation in activities that symbolize who they are. However when one’s passions and state of mind begin to suffer by the hand of another, their mental state of mind begins to crumble, and in certain situations, crumbles hard and fast, leaving behind an almost irredeemable normalcy that once was. In ¨The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Stetson, a woman is not only belittled and ignored by her own husband, suffers from what she believes is mild…

    • 1508 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Stock Market Junkies: Addiction, “Casino Culture”, and the Dangers of Wall Street Who knows why people do it? Is it the allure of the suit and tie culture of the business world? Do they make gambling look fanciful or sexy? These questions provide important questions on why people tend to give their money to stockbrokers in the hope that they will win the lottery on Wall Street. In American society, the tendency to seek a “pot of gold” at the end of every rainbow is an important way to understand the addict and the gambling way of life.…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Heroes, throughout time, intrinsically portray noble stalwarts that selflessly defend commoners from imminent danger by operating with abounding strength and bravery. A steadfast moral compass, that also inherently abides within them, leads heroes to ethical and upright decisions. Conversely, a protagonist who lacks the qualities of a hero is referred to as an antihero; he or she serves as an example of how one should not live. Leo Tolstoy contributes to the hero versus antihero archetype with Ivan Ilych, who, when faced with his own mortality, commits to an internal battle between right and wrong. In The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy, the protagonist Ivan Ilych overcomes his self-centeredness and cowardice to achieve the status of a hero by bravely confronting the realities of his life.…

    • 745 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Danny M. Ms. Speight English Honors 2nd period 9/25/17 The Interesting bet "The death penalty is more moral and more humane than imprisonment for life. Capital punishment kills a man at once, but lifelong imprisonment kills him slowly. Which executioner is the more humane, he who kills you in a few minutes or he who drags the life out of you in the course of many years?"…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Not being open to everyone, can lead one to be alone in the world. Anton Chekhov exemplifies many nineteenth century cultural aspects through his short stories including "The Huntsman" and "The Bishop". "The Huntsman" is a story centered on a class and gender division between a man, Yegor, and his estranged wife, Pelegea. Yegor believes that he is better off alone doing what he love, hunting, than being tied down to a wife he married only when under the influence of alcohol. Pelegea expresses her love for him but he is not willing to come back to her because of her social class.…

    • 1264 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    An individual who chooses to isolate themselves often cannot get the help they want. Many, often think for themselves. If one feels happy of where they are now their emotion wouldn’t change even if it is a poor decision for their own well-being. It is a person’s choice whether they would like to pursue their personal well-being or not. Mama, in the story of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape by Lasse Hallström displays an example of pursuing her own well-being.…

    • 1083 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Leaving a person with depression in a lonely house, with very few people is deleterious for the person. Depression can cause a person to breakdown to a point where the individual starts doubting about her health and her thoughts as well as the other people’s thoughts. To prevent a breakdown from occurring, people around them need to be very cautious and give the affected one freedom. This caution is not taken within the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper”. As a consequence the affected character, the narrator, has a mental breakdown.…

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Through gambling on horse races, Paul is able to resolve his family’s financial conflict. Paul uses positive thinking and focuses on a way to help his family through a rough time. Paul willed this wealth into his life. “The Rocking horse winner” is a metaphor that teaches us, the readers, how to resolve conflicts in our…

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Life Of A Gambler Essay

    • 1038 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The life of a gambler within the popular media depicted as a life full of excitement, risk, and tragedy. The economic contributions of a gambler primarily remain within the realms of a casino. The thirst for instantaneous satisfaction is an important driver for the gambler, for they will attain that sensation regardless of the consequences associated with their actions, and inevitably they will foreclose their grasp on reality and its worth. They are also associated with the darker parts of society such as gang violence, loan sharks, and a life on the run. If the gambler becomes to invested within their lifestyle they will be trapped with the consequences they have made which follows them wherever they go.…

    • 1038 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays