Most of the guests rejected the death penalty and labelled it as an immoral sentence, which should be replaced by life imprisonment. The party was attended by many intellectuals and clever men who engaged in various interesting topics, including the capital punishment. The story begins with an old banker recalling a party he organised 15 years ago. The bet is an interesting short story that was written by Anton Chekhov in 1889. GradeSaver, 20 February 2017 Web.“Money is worthless but knowledge and science are priceless.” This is the message that Anton Chekhov, a Russian short stories writer, wanted to convey through his story “ The Bet”. (6) Next Section Glossary Previous Section The Bet Summary Buy Study Guide How To Cite in MLA Format Wojcik, Natalia. The other guests at the party are not named, nor do we know what their occupations are–except that some are journalists and intellectual men. He has become a bitter, skeletal man, looking much much older than his 40 years. Before, he is an idealistic young man, full of hopes and dreams at the tender age of 25.ĭuring his imprisonment he undergoes a massive transformation: he ultimately renounces his reward for winning the bet, satisfied instead with just proving his point. The lawyer voluntarily is imprisoned for 15 years by the banker in exchange for 2 million rubles.

He opposes the banker's arguments in a heated discussion about death penalty vs. The lawyer is initially presented as a young man who attended the banker's party fifteen years before the story is told. Thus the banker does not have to kill his prisoner. However, when he decides to carry out the deed, he finds a note where the prisoner renounces his reward. The amount he owes to the prisoner accounts for most of his assets, so in order to avoid ending up broke he contemplates killing the prisoner and pinning the murder on one of his servants.

Fifteen years ago, when he agreed to the bet, the banker was a rich men with millions to spare, but by the time the bet comes due, he has gambled away most of his fortune. The story discusses the change a man undergoes when exiled to solitary confinement.Ĭhekhov tells the story from the point of view of the banker, who is the one keeping the prisoner. The banker is one of the two characters in the story.

The bet by anton chekhov