Preview

the bet

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
280 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
the bet
"The Bet" is an 1889 short story by Anton Chekhov about a banker and a young lawyer who make a bet with each other about whether the death penalty is better or worse than life in prison. The story has a twist ending.

As the story opens, the banker is recalling the occasion of the bet fifteen years before. Guests at a party that he was hosting that day fell into a discussion of capital punishment; the banker argued that capital punishment is more humane than life imprisonment, while the young lawyer disagreed, insisting that he would choose life in prison rather than death. They agree to a bet of two million rubles that the lawyer cannot spend fifteen years in solitary confinement. The bet was on, and the lawyer cast himself into isolation for fifteen years.

The man spends his time in confinement reading books, writing, playing piano, studying, drinking wine, and educating himself. In the meantime, the banker's fortune declines and he realizes that if he loses, paying off the bet will leave him bankrupt. The day before the fifteen-year period concludes, the banker resolves to kill the lawyer so as to not owe him the money. However, the banker finds a note written by the lawyer. The note declares that in his time in confinement he has learned to despise material goods for the fleeting things they are and realizes that knowledge is more powerful than money because it is something that cannot be taken away from him. Therefore, to demonstrate his contempt, he intends to leave confinement five minutes prior to when the bet would be up, thus losing the bet and unwittingly saving his own
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Placing a $2 Bet Poetry Analysis
    • 1087 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Placing a $2 Bet Poetry Analysis

    “Placing a $2 Bet for a Man Who Will Never Go to the Horse Races Any More” by Diane Wakoski is an expression of animosity she feels toward her father after meeting him for the first time in 14 years. It is an exploration of her philosophy of life and how her unhappy childhood has impacted her. Wakoski writes about her painful relationship with her father and explores the distant and miniscule relationship between father and daughter. “Placing a $2 Bet” is a poem of Wakoski’s philosophy towards life and the men, specifically her father, who inhabit it.…

    • 1087 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Comparison of "The Rocking Horse Winner" and "The Lottery"
    • 778 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Comparison of "The Rocking Horse Winner" and "The Lottery"

    “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence is an unpredictable, fairytale-like short story about a mother of three who constantly worries about her financial problems. She has a son who is fervent about figuring out a solution to her predicament. This story also has an abrupt ending that gives off strong emotion. Another short story, called “The Lottery”, has the same spectacle of ending the story with suspense. Written by Shirley Jackson, this story begins with a sunny day in a village, but miserably ends with the stoning of one of the villagers. “The Rocking-Horse Winner” and “The Lottery” are two sensational stories that have tragic ironies; however, they differ in tone and style.…

    • 778 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Narrative of Fredrick Douglass Reading Log
    • 2228 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Narrative of Fredrick Douglass Reading Log

    | His first escape attempt fails because he has to give all of his money he earns that he tries to put away for himself to his master.…

    • 2228 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Consequences Of Chosin Reservoir In The Korean War
    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Consequences Of Chosin Reservoir In The Korean War

    So through the stopry he grows more and more dangerous. But he made the decision to kill the old man. “ ‘I loved the old man’ ” The text said, “ ‘He had never wronged me. He had never given me invest.”…

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Racial Awareness In Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man
    • 2168 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Racial Awareness In Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man

    Then he begins to recollect and tell his story, starting with the first speech he ever gave to a large audience. Before he gets the chance to speak he is told he must take part in a battle royale in which he and many other black men are blindfolded an tossed into a ring then told to fight brutally. Once the battle ends they are then forced to cross an electric rug to pick up the money that was promised to them, he is then allowed to give his speech with a mouth full of blood and body sore with bruises.…

    • 2168 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Pit and the Pendulum
    • 1057 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Pit and the Pendulum

    As the man tries to free himself, he must rely on his sometimes maddened mind (Burduck). His story uses symbolism involving religion, such as, the hand of General Lasalle reaching down to save the man represents the hand of god saving a soul. As he would be trying to think of something his mind would go blank and he couldn’t think. Eventually, he has to use his intelligence which overcomes his persecutors and he achieves his goal, freedom. This story shows us that mankind can achieve their goal through his intelligence, and succeed despite overwhelming odds. This story was a tug of war between the mental…

    • 1057 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Lottery By Shirley Jackson Rhetorical Analysis
    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Lottery By Shirley Jackson Rhetorical Analysis

    Have you ever heard of execution as a prize? In a fictional village from “the Lottery”, Tessie Hutcherson was stoned to death by family and friends when she wins a tradition lottery. Shirley Jackson, the author of “the Lottery” progresses through the story while throwing in subtle hints, acknowledging the change in Tessie, and the attitude of the villages. Shirley Jackson, the author of “the Lottery’ sets an eerie tone as she manipulates the reader using foreshadowing strategies and leads them to the story’s unexpected outcome.…

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Theme Of Irony In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Lottery
    • 864 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Theme Of Irony In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Lottery

    “The Lottery” paints a bleak picture of a town blindly following a tradition of ritual murder. Over time, details and paraphernalia of the original lottery were either lost or abandoned, but the town continued to hold to the yearly ritual of stoning an innocent person. It is unclear why the lottery was instituted, but it is clear that many fear giving it up. “Nothing but trouble in that” (Jackson), was Old Man Warner’s response to the idea. In the end, an innocent woman is stoned to death howling, “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right” (Jackson).…

    • 864 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Pascal Wager's Argument
    • 395 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Pascal Wager's Argument

    The existence of God has always been a commonly asked question in the world today. Since there is no scientifically proven answer, arguments have been accumulated over time. One being the Pascal Wager’s argument. This theory states that either God exists or God does not exist, you can either wager for God or wager against God. This belief advocates the belief in God rather than providing evidence. Does Pascal's Wager commit the fallacy of appealing to consequences?…

    • 395 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Why Is The Lottery Wrong
    • 95 Words
    • 1 Page

    Why Is The Lottery Wrong

    In “The Lottery”, a short story by Shirley Jackson, the story exposes the cruelty of humans nature; thus, the injustice of society . In the short story, it says “‘It isn't fair, it isn't right,’ Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her.” This shows that they knew that it was wrong, yet they did it anyway. The lottery ritual was very ancient in their village, so they did not want to change. Their complacency during the stoning of their friend reveals the darkness in the village; nevertheless, the darkness in human society.…

    • 95 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Echoes 11 Short Stories
    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Echoes 11 Short Stories

    Over a short period of time, we have accumulated a lot of information regarding short stories as a result from reading. They all had many significant themes and a variety of symbolic meanings. The majority commonly share many aspects however certain stories are completely unrelated. “The Lottery Ticket” by Anton Chekhov and “Rich for One Day” by Suzanne Jacob share the most similarities. Their similarity is evident between the setting, characters and the plot.…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Compare & Contrast Fiction Essay
    • 781 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Compare & Contrast Fiction Essay

    Gambling, whether for life or money, is risky and success is not guaranteed, even if you ‘win’. Two different tales both involving risk. In “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by DH Lawrence a little boy named Paul is a very interesting, unique character. He is a passionate, exuberant little boy. Along with Bassett, the family gardener and his uncle Oscar, Paul gambles at the horse races. He is trying to make money for his family who is very poor. Paul has a way with ‘knowing’ which horse will win; he rides his childhood rocking-horse and while riding he gets a feeling about a certain horse and that horse is the one he gambles on. Paul doesn’t always get an answer but when he does, it is always right on. While in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the main character we focus on is Tessie, while she, like Paul, is gambling, she isn’t gambling by choice and definitely not for profit. Along with the rest of the village she lives in, Tessie is gambling for her life. Tessie is excited about the lottery each year, every year but this one, when her family is drawn, she protests that the lottery is unfair. She then proceeds to reluctantly draw a slip of paper and of…

    • 781 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Invisible Man Essay
    • 1223 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Invisible Man Essay

    Throughout the novel, the narrator is continuously reminded of the black stereotype thrust upon him. The coin bank serves as a realization of the image many white men still hold regarding African Americans in the 1920’s. The Invisible Man, otherwise known as the narrator, awakens to find a coin bank in a guest room of the home owned by the only woman whom he trusts, Mary. “Then near the door I saw something which I had never seen before: the cast-iron figure of a very black, red-lipped and wide-mouthed Negro, whose white eyes stared up at me from the floor, his face an enormous grin, his single large black hand held palm up before his chest. It was a bank, a piece of early Americana, the kind of bank which, if a coin is placed in the hand and a lever pressed upon the back, will raise its arm and flip the coin into the grinning mouth.” (Ellison 319). The coin bank embodies the idea of the well-behaved slave, who fawns over white men for trivial rewards such as petty change. The narrator smashes the coin bank due to a sharp hatred for the stereotype that his brethren, and himself, are subjected to. However, he also resents the black men whom embody this stereotype, and make breaking out of it difficult…

    • 1223 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The End Of The Lottery By Shirley Jackson
    • 573 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The End Of The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    Shirley Jackson, in her storyThe Lottery, introduces the reader in the atmosphere of a small village, where people would gather together on a sunny day at the end of June to participate in a Lottery. Nobody can ever imagine that a lottery can end up with a crime. The author describes the village as a place where “the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green” (111). That was a perfect place for a reunion, where people from community T were eager to participate again this year at the lottery. What draws the reader's attention is the fact that although people knew what would be the end of the lottery, that actually nobody will win cash as normal, but one of the community members will be stoned, yet they were looking forward…

    • 573 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Dystopia
    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Dystopia

    In the short story “They Lottery” the author makes a society where the town people are willing to kill each other in order to preserve a their idea of balance and success. The town in "The Lottery,” have employed what they sees as the fairest way to continue this ancient tradition. “The Lottery” is a story of misguidance and ultimate horror. The way the plot is structured takes the audience from one extreme (a very sunny, happy day) to another (a ghastly murder).…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics