The Bet By Anton Chekhov Analysis

“The Bet” is a short story written by Anton Chekhov in 1889. Anton Chekhov was a renowned playwright and short story novelist who rose to fame in the late nineteenth century. He was born on January 29, 1860 in Taganrog, Russian Empire. Chekhov’s father was a grocery store owner and his mother was a popular storyteller, perhaps creating an interest of storytelling to Chekhov at a very early age. “The Bet” is a very popular short story that holds a very important meaning to Chekhov. Anton Chekhov became very ill and tired of working in 1887. Looking to get away a little bit from his life, he took a trip to Ukraine. He saw the beauty of the nature, and in returning home, starting writing from a new viewpoint. In 1889, something happened that influenced Chekhov to write “The Bet.” Anton Chekhov’s brother, Nikolay, passed away with tuberculosis. Nikolay, before passing, struggled mightily with trying to find the purpose of life. Anton’s other brother, Mikhail, would analyze Anton’s depression with his brother’s passing and wrote about it. Anton’s brother, Mikhail, was very interested in the study of
One side of the story, a young lawyer, argues that the death penalty is more immoral than life in prison. He argues that someone can still enjoy life and find a purpose while being in prison; however, if someone was to receive the death penalty, the ability to find a purpose in life ceases in an instant. In conclusion of “The Bet,” the young lawyer ends up finding meaningful experiences while being in prison for fifteen years. Anton Chekhov does a brilliant job of proving that the young lawyer was correct in the beginning of the story. The death penalty is more immoral than life in prison, because while in prison, the experiences you go through can shape who you are as a person and lets someone develop into someone that they may not have had the chance to be