The Bet Analysis: A Study of Human Nature and Its Darker Side
In "The Bet," Anton Chekov explores the theme of the value of human life, which is highlighted through the contrasting views of the banker and the lawyer. The story also delves into the corrupting influence of money and the moral decay that can result from a life of isolation. To discuss the themes and characters in The Bet, this analysis essay will examine the complex moral questions that Chekov raises and explore their relevance to contemporary society.
Anton Chekov conveys the banker’s feeling of anxiety in the opening paragraph while the author presents the issue upon the consent of capital punishment. The banker considers capital punishment as more humane compared to that of life-incarceration because he believes that execution kills instantly, whereas life-imprisonment will haunt one until their demise arrives. Therefore, the banker’s anxiety is clearly conveyed in the first paragraph as he is visualizing a controversial issue from the party he gave in autumn fifteen years ago.
I think Chekov chose to explain the origin of the bet in a form of a flashback rather than beginning from the night of the banker’s party because not only does it creates suspense, but also it informs the reader that the story is going back into the past. If the story was to start on the night of the banker’s party, the story would primarily lose suspense as well as a flourishing introduction to the rest of the story. His use of flashbacks make the story more suspenseful by essential background information to the reader and since the flashback is presented in the opening paragraph, the reader perceives that this will be an integral part of the story. Also, since the flashback involves conflict, the conflict between the moralities of capital punishment, this contributes to making the story more suspenseful.
During the first year of the lawyer’s life imprisonment, the lawyer encountered extreme solitude and mundaneness. Thus, during his first year, he began playing the piano and abstaining from tobacco and wine as the lawyer believes that desires were his opponents. Instead he chose to read. However, in the second year, the lawyer requested for classics, but music was heard again in the fifth year. He suffered terribly from solitude as he talks to himself and weeps. Moreover, in the second half of the sixth year, he ardently studied languages, philosophy and history. His request for gun firing was granted by the banker and he felt fulfilled as well as his arduous efforts being paid off. After the tenth year, he read the New Testament and also read books on chemistry, medicine, novels during his last two years of confinement. Thus, the reader can infer that the lawyer confronted the consequences of being confined in the very first year; however, as time progresses, the lawyer had more errands to do and this was how he got through these years.
As we know, during the first year, the lawyer suffered from extreme boredom. However, we know that as time progresses, the lawyer had his own tasks: playing the piano, reading books, and writing. The reader can clearly infer that the lawyer had to have something to do as he would be spending 15 years. So, it is unsurprising that the lawyer had several changes in his tasks. However, as his time to serve comes to an end, he realizes that he was very desperate to be freed, and the changes in his behavior has taught him to no longer agree that any sort of life is better than none at all.
After being imprisoned for fifteen years, the lawyer would no longer argue that “any sort of life is better than none at all” because it was clearly mentioned in his notes that he despise the blessings of the world because after all these years of confinement, he had not found his real freedom and that is why he mentioned that he will be coming out five minutes earlier of his room to violate the agreement. Also, looking from the imagery perspective, the lawyer was described as “emaciated” and “unlike an ordinary human being” to indicate that his mindset has completely altered due to his confinement as his thirst for freedom was not granted. Thus, it is evident that after all these years, the lawyer would no longer argue that “any sort of life is better than none at all. ”
Considering the banker’s assumption that the lawyer is “probably asleep dreaming of all those millions” the lawyer’s notes is not only surprising but also ironic because the banker thought that the lawyer decided to be imprisoned due to his avarice of gold. However, now that the banker has realized that the lawyer has changed and despised this “paradise”, it is ironic. In addition, it is evident that the lawyer no longer wants this money as it is mentioned that he will be violating the agreement in his notes.
Considering the description of the lawyer’s behavior during his imprisonment, the content of the note would indicate that he had been doing things to relieve his boredom and isolation. Playing the piano, reading books, and writing would be some things that he did to subside his solitude. Due to this, the lawyer no longer had greed for the two million dollars as he had mentioned in his notes because the experiences of isolation during those 15 years had caused the lawyer to despise those.
After reading the lawyer’s note, the banker kisses the lawyer’s head and leave “the lodge weeping” because he was extremely astonished upon the lawyer’s decision of not taking the two million dollars buy violating the agreement despite he went through 15 solid years of solitary confinement. The banker feels contempt for himself because he was planning to kill the lawyer at first so that he would no longer need to pay him his two million dollars; however, when he realized that the lawyer no longer wanted it, he felt contempt towards himself. Also, another reason might be that he felt that he was the culprit for the emaciated condition of the lawyer as he was the one who stated the bet. However, he wondered if this bet actually had any positive contributions and realized that it didn’t.
The theme, or main point, of this story is the nature of human opinion. Both men sacrificed something in order to prove what they believed was true. The lawyer believed that capital punishment was immoral, so he proved it by serving 15 years. The lawyer thought that any sort of life was better than death before his imprisonment but ended up despising it in the end. So, in the end, the theme of this story is how humans’ opinions are volatile. The lawyer first thought that he could cope with the confinement, but in reality, he ended up despising it. The theme is conveyed through the 15 years that the lawyer spent through solitary confinement because the banker essentially thought that the lawyer did this foolish action due to the greed of his prize. However, he realizes that he has been proven wrong when he realized that the lawyer actually detested the blessings of this world. Also, the theme of volatile opinion can be applied in the situation of the banker’s ironic reversal. He felt contempt to himself after he read the lawyer’s notes; however, he locked the paper in his safe as an act of insecurity.
If I had been one of the guests, I would have chosen the capital punishment side because personally, as a devout Buddhist, I believe that living with inner peace from meditation can provide you with all the necessities that one requires to live a meaningful life or at least a peaceful one despite being confined. It is true that execution instantly kills you, and that solitary confinement incessantly kills you; however, as you can request books, music, writing, and many more things, I believe that you can still live a meaningful life. Also, relating to the story, the banker presumes that the lawyer’s ultimate reason for confining himself is due to greed. It is undeniable that no matter how wealthy you are — if your mind and inner soul are not peaceful — you will end up despising the blessings of the world. Rather than being executed, I would stay imprisoned and try to live a meaningful life with the inner peace that I have attained within myself. This may sound bizarre to most people; however, I believe that with inner peace, you can live a meaningful life despite being confined.
