Shorty Stories
Sarah Greene
Professor Evans
English 1010
30 November 2012
“The Bet” Analysis
Authors hook their audiences’ attention by titling their works with a phrase that is catchy and clever. Well planned and carefully titled beginnings can impact a reader by capturing their attention and making them want to read the story, and titles can also give the story an overall meaning. Author Anton Chekov titled his short story “The Bet”. Chekov describes what the significance of his story is through the title and relates the title to the theme of his story, which is greed, and a bet always involves greed. Authors often relate and symbolize titles to hint what the story is about and to give away an important aspect of the story. The overall meaning of this story is not to be greedy because greed is overcoming America no matter how much some people have it never makes them happy, and they always want more.
The dictionary defines a “bet” as “a pledge of a forfeit risked on some uncertain outcome” (Dictionary). In Chekov’s short story “The Bet” A few men were talking about capital punishment arguing about which punishment was more humane the death penalty or life imprisonment. He introduces the main characters the banker and the lawyer. The lawyer was asked his opinion of the topic, and he responded “The death sentence and the life sentence are equally immoral, but if I had to choose between the death penalty and imprisonment for life, I would choose the second. To live anyhow is better than not at all” (1). The banker replied, “It’s not true! I’ll bet you two million you wouldn’t stay in solitary confinement for five years (1).” The banker said “I would stay not five but fifteen years” (1). The banker kept questioning what the object of this bet was. The banker was throwing away two million dollars and the lawyer was losing fifteen years of his life. The banker stated “It was all nonsensical and meaningless. On my part it was the caprice of a pampered man, and on his part
Professor Evans
English 1010
30 November 2012
“The Bet” Analysis
Authors hook their audiences’ attention by titling their works with a phrase that is catchy and clever. Well planned and carefully titled beginnings can impact a reader by capturing their attention and making them want to read the story, and titles can also give the story an overall meaning. Author Anton Chekov titled his short story “The Bet”. Chekov describes what the significance of his story is through the title and relates the title to the theme of his story, which is greed, and a bet always involves greed. Authors often relate and symbolize titles to hint what the story is about and to give away an important aspect of the story. The overall meaning of this story is not to be greedy because greed is overcoming America no matter how much some people have it never makes them happy, and they always want more.
The dictionary defines a “bet” as “a pledge of a forfeit risked on some uncertain outcome” (Dictionary). In Chekov’s short story “The Bet” A few men were talking about capital punishment arguing about which punishment was more humane the death penalty or life imprisonment. He introduces the main characters the banker and the lawyer. The lawyer was asked his opinion of the topic, and he responded “The death sentence and the life sentence are equally immoral, but if I had to choose between the death penalty and imprisonment for life, I would choose the second. To live anyhow is better than not at all” (1). The banker replied, “It’s not true! I’ll bet you two million you wouldn’t stay in solitary confinement for five years (1).” The banker said “I would stay not five but fifteen years” (1). The banker kept questioning what the object of this bet was. The banker was throwing away two million dollars and the lawyer was losing fifteen years of his life. The banker stated “It was all nonsensical and meaningless. On my part it was the caprice of a pampered man, and on his part
Cited: Chekov, Anton. “The Bet.” D2L. East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. “bet.” Dictionary. Dictionary, 2012. Web. 2 December 2012. “greed.” Dictionary. Dictionary, 2012. Web. 2 December 2012.