The Bet SummaryHow It All Goes Down Fifteen years ago, a banker threw a shindig in which he bet a younglawyer two million rubles that the lawyer couldn't stay in solitary confinement for five years. The lawyer raised the stakes to fifteen years, and holed up in a guesthouse on the banker's estate. He's had no contact with any humans during this time, but has been able to read all the books he could want. The lawyer's reading has ranged from novels to philosophy and languages to religious texts to a confusing mishmash. What can we say? The dude has had some time on his hands. Now, the fifteen years is almost up and the banker is worried that if he has to pay the two million large, he'll be bankrupt. Solution? He opts to ice the lawyer. So he sneaks up on the lawyer, who's fast asleep. Just as he is about to kill the dude, the banker finds a note that explains that through his reading the lawyer has come to totally reject the material world. It turns out he's planning on throwing the bet on purpose by leaving five hours early. The banker kisses the lawyer's head, cries, and leaves. The next day, the guards report that the lawyer bailed early. The banker takes the letter and puts it into his safe The Bet Summary A rich banker is remembering a party he hosted fifteen years ago where a debate broke out about whether capital punishment or life imprisonment is the more moral punishment. The banker argued that life in prison is just a very slow death, so it would be better to get the death penalty and get it over with. A young lawyer argued the opposite—that any life is better than death, even if it means rotting in prison for decades. Uh oh. It's a stalemate. So the two made a bet—if the lawyer can stand to be in voluntary solitary confinement for fifteen years, the banker will pay him two million smackers. Now that's a lot of dough. The banker set him up in a guesthouse—the lawyer could get food, books, music, whatever he wanted except human communication of any sort. At first, the lawyer seemed depressed, but soon began studying vigorously, because you know, no Netflix in 19th-century Russia. First, he tackles languages and a bunch of things written in them. Then, the Bible. Then, a crazy mix of science, literature, and other seemingly random things. Soon, the fifteen years is almost up, because there's no better way to pass the time than reading a bunch of obscure books, right, PhDs? he sees that there is a note on the desk. the banker sneaks into the guesthouse. and just as the banker is about to finish him off. The banker kisses the lawyer's head and leaves. done all of that. Do you think the lawyer actually understands the books he's reading? Is it possible to fully get what someone else is describing if you don't have any life experience to connect it to? In the last two years thelawyer reads a little bit of everything. Why is this? Is he double-checking that his religious conclusions are correct? Or is he just trying to get as much experience as possible? 2. the guesthouse guard reports that the lawyersneaked out five hours early. The next day. he won't be able to pay up the two million. What hangs in the balance of this weird transformation is whether the reader buys it—which means we've just met a modern-day ascetic—or doesn't—which means that solitary confinement has robbed this sad man of his humanity. he doesn't have to murder the guy. The Bet Theme of Wisdom and Knowledge The final twist in "The Bet" hinges on the idea that the lawyer took all the knowledge he could get from the many. In the present. It's up to you. His conclusion? The material world is stupid and worthless because we're all bound to croak in the end anyways. He promises to leave the cell five hours early to forfeit any claim to the coin. The guards aren't there so he has no trouble slipping in. In other words. By which we mean the lawyer rejects the money altogether. Phew. he claims that the second-hand info he gets from reading is pretty much the same thing as lived experience. He also relies on this version of experience to decide that… experience kind of sucks. He's lost his banking fortune. The lawyer is sleeping. many books he read in the prison. The only thing to do? Kill the lawyer before the fifteen years ends. so he's been there. the banker realizes that if the lawyer wins. The note says that the lawyer has spent his fifteen years experiencing all that life has to offer through books. and if he has to shell out. On the last night of the prison term. Questions About Wisdom and Knowledge 1. The banker takes the note forfeiting the money and locks it in a safe. The only way anyone knows anything about what the lawyer is going through is by trying to interpret his movements through the little prison cell window. and turned it into wisdom. he'll be totally bankrupt forever. he puts his money where his mouth is. But he's not done. Shmoopers. How much can we trust these . To prove how much he rejects it. the lawyer is deprived of one of the standard markers of being human—being part of a community of other humans. Although physically comfortable. . Consciousness. The story ends up showing that the quest for knowledge has a damaging effect on living life. and Existence 1. owing to strange events of some sorts. The mad scramble for random books in the last years of his confinement shows that the lawyer is trying to find a way to hang on to some part of the material world before totally giving himself over to his newfound belief system. The Bet Theme of Life. or play the devil’s advocate.17). to be killed all at once by the executioner or to slowly rot away in jail? Do different answers to this question say something about the personality or character of the person answering? 3. and that the world cannot be understood by someone not actually living in it. When he forfeits victory in the bet for a life of spirituality or perhaps even suicide. But isn't it totally legit to find a sudden random change like that fascinating? What does the lawyer mean? Chew on This Try on an opinion or two. The main point of the story is that knowledge cannot be separated from experience. As time goes by. Consciousness. One of the lawyer's arguments for how other people have lost sight of what's important is to say that they "would marvel if. the lawyer is slowly driven to reject the rest of his human existence as well. or play the devil’s advocate. trapped in a house with nothing but books for company. start a debate. start a debate. Questions About Life. and Existence "The Bet" tests the convictions of a lawyer who claims that any kind of life is better than no life at all by subjecting him to fifteen years of subhuman existence. or just go all Boo Radley on us? How do you know? 2. our humanity cannot survive. frogs and lizards suddenly grew on apple and orange trees instead of fruit" (2. Does the experiment of the bet prove anything about the death penalty vs. What's going to happen to the lawyer after the story ends? Is he going to kill himself.interpretations? Do we know anything about the lawyer's mindset before reading his letter? Why does the story make him such a mystery? 3. the story seems to point to the idea that without interaction with others. What do you think about the banker's question—which is better. life imprisonment argument from the party? Why or why not? Chew on This Try on an opinion or two. The only person who is truly facing a great sacrifice in the story is the banker. The lawyer claims to reject the world and everything it has to offer. But in order for it to be a sacrifice. Sure. most prisoners are fairly deprived. for whom the two million large has come to mean the difference between being successful and being a complete failure. to sacrifice his connection to the rest of humanity in order to find some other level of existence. Why do you think the lawyer takes the bet? What do you think this says about this life? Why does he raise the term from five years to fifteen without asking for more money from the banker? 2."Sacrifice turns out to be the most plausible way for the banker to view the actions of the lawyer—and for the lawyer himself to describe his own reaction to his voluntary imprisonment. He agrees to throw a part of his life away. and both sacrifices mark him as a new kind of spiritual hermit The Bet Theme of Isolation "The Bet" might not actually have anything to say about the death penalty. Does it make sense that the government should only be able to take away what it can give back? Would this apply to putting people in prison—after all. the government wouldn't be able to give someone that lost time back (as those who are exonerated after wrongful convictions know all too well)? 3.The story ends up showing that the only way to get to the true essence of life is to toss out every other aspect of existence. but it can certainly be read as an experiment in solitary confinement. Why does the banker feel contempt for himself after reading the letter? Is he moved by the idea of a big sacrifice or just relieved that thesacrifice won't have to be his? Chew on This Try on an opinion or two. doesn't he have to have those things first before giving them up? Is he really giving anything up? Or has he just gotten so used to his imprisonment that he wants to hang on to what he knows? 4. start a debate. The tragedy is that this is obviously a totally unworkable route for most. But the story refuses to answer the obvious question—does he succeed? Questions About Sacrifice 1. or play the devil’s advocate. The lawyer's final rejection of the world is totally of a piece with his adding an extra ten years to his sentence. we know that the theme of sacrifice is going to be important in "The Bet. well. but how can . The Bet Theme of Sacrifice As soon as one of the party people argues that a government that can'trestore human life shouldn't have the right to take it away. In the end. and maybe even the reason for the lawyer's final twist of an escape. What does the lawyer mean when he says "desires are the worst foes of the prisoner" (1. the reason for the raised confinement length ante. Is it because of loneliness? Chew on This Try on an opinion or two. The lawyer asks for the guns to be fired if his multilingual note is correct. and whether the competition between the banker and the lawyer was the strongest motivator for the actions of each. Does anyone win this bet? Does anyone lose? What would a win constitute? Is there a difference between winning the money and winning the bet? . or do the books seem to give him some sort of companionship? Whom is he arguing with when he is seen to be arguing with himself in his little room? 4. "The Bet" refuses to in any way rule on the wager at its center. Do either of these things break the rules of the isolation bet? Why or why not? 3.15)? What's wrong with having desires.you figure out the effects of total isolation. True isolation—no books—would have actually been better for the lawyer in the long run. Yikes. hopes. He would have missed and sought out human companionship instead of just rejecting the world outright. a prisoner has all the physical and intellectual comforts that he could want. the reason for the banker almost committing murder. leaving the reader to decide whether anyone won or lost. The one-upmanship is the reason for the bet. the lawyer to rejecting the world). rather than plain old confinement? Here. Questions About Isolation 1. See? Books are bad news. this story necessarily ends up being a contest between the two men involved. The story shows that isolation is the one surefire way to get someone to shed most of their humanity. Why does the banker fear being pitied by the lawyer? Do the bankerand the lawyer respect each other? How do you know? 2. and dreams in confinement? 2. What follows is the psychological transformation of an already slightly unbalanced man into a being that loses all touch with his own humanity. Does the lawyer feel like he is isolated. though. or play the devil’s advocate. Questions About Competition 1. start a debate. What effect does the isolation have on the lawyer? On the banker? Each man is driven to extremes (the banker to murder. The banker spies on the prisoner through the little window. but he's cut off from any and all human contact. The Bet Theme of Competition By setting the action up as a bet. what can we make of what the banker represents? That Guy First. So if the whole thing is a power struggle between the two of them. Hey. the banker bets the lawyer two million dollars to stay in solitary confinement for fifteen years. but there are a few pretty giant honking clues that he's not the nicest guy in town. start a debate. And it's probably also spite that makes the banker not just get "delighted" at the "senseless bet" but also "make fun of the young man" as the party goes on (1.3. Haven't we all seen She's All That? How else could you get a nice bit of dramatic action going if not for some competition. it's all about a moral debate. life imprisonment debate happens. or play the devil’s advocate. The story's ending is an elegant solution in which both men emerge from the bet victorious. right? Only in this case. no less). close enough. We don't have a ton of insight into it. Doesn't it kind of make you wonder why on earth the banker would have invited someone over that he hates so much? It might well be spite that makes the lawyer up the bet to fifteen years (against himself. he didn't know the banker wanted to kill him. especially those who happen to disagree with him. Wouldn't it have been better for the lawyer to stick around and take the money? After all. let's take a look at his personality. Sure enough. The entire competitive aspect of the story is purely in the banker's mind—the lawyer couldn't care less about the banker and has no interest in any of the jockeying for position that the banker seems to be obsessed with The Banker Character Analysis The host of the party where the death penalty vs. Basically. No. he likes to be in a position of authority and likes to wield power over others. but it seems pretty clear that any story about two people making some kind of complicated and crazy bet would be at least somewhat about a power struggle between them. even if he doesn't want to keep it himself? Chew on This Try on an opinion or two. as soon as the banker and the lawyer are introduced they seem ready to claw each other's faces off. for example. rather than Rachael Leigh Cook.11). he's the kind of guy who would let the person he is betting against raise his own stakes (from five years to fifteen years) without anteing up any extra dough. Why not take it and give it to charity. He is also the kind of guy who would mock someone that he plans on locking up just to prove a point—and the kind of guy who would take a hypothetical argument and immediately turn it into a demand for physical proof. . Maybe it's just us. We'll shift from thinking about the banker as a person. the lawyer bets that he can spend fifteen years in voluntary solitary confinement to prove that any kind of life is better than death. the bankeris also on the side of pleasure. for one thing.The Man Second. in the teeny tiny world of the story. almost as if he just feels like he has the authority to do that kind of thing. we get the sense that the banker is basically The Man. and he clearly has some kind of super fancy estate with a guesthouse he can use as a prison for fifteen years. we have virtually zero access to the lawyer's thoughts. not only does he constantly keep tabs on everything the lawyer is doing by watching him Big Brother-style (not the TV show. Not only is he the lawyer's jailer. and instead try to see him as a category. and generally has The Man-like characteristics. After all. but the book—check outOrwell's 1984 to learn about the original Big Brother)—but also he is the only one shown arguing against the one random guest who says that "the State is not God" and shouldn't have the right to execute people (1. so much money that to him "two millions are a trifle" (2. so everything we can figure out about him has to come from just imposing our own interpretations on his somewhat mysterious and confusing actions. let's check out his more symbolic appearance in the story. For another. Why. or ideas. He doesn't feel any moral qualms about it. you ask? Well. he's the one giving the party. maybe we do play shrinks on YouTube. Even though Chekhov doesn't give us too many clues (hey. After all. Also. He's a walking. but how you feel about the lawyer probably says more about you than about him. he stands for money—he's described as having "millions beyond his reckoning".3). and material goods. short story). Ah. feelings. Don't forget that when we get to the part where the banker—ahem—decides to execute the lawyer. . talking representation of the idea that humans can impose rules and power on other humans. surveillance. Okay. he is the agent of governmental or authoritarian control. and we don't even play one on YouTube. it's a short. then what do we make of the lawyer? There's basically two ways to go with this one." The Lawyer Character Analysis A young guest at the party. If the banker is on the side of government.11-12). the good life. it's actually intentionally woven into the story itself. if we try to just pick out what we can from the sparse description. And honestly? Shmoop's not a psychologist. not only does he hire a guard to keep watch outside the guest house prison. Which brings us back to the idea that the banker functions like "the State. hedonism. Why do we say that? Well. " (2. But the kicker for this second theory is the lawyer's assertion that by reading a lot of books he's experienced everything that a man ever could: "For fifteen years I have been intently studying earthly life. the lawyer jumps on that thing like it's the last rowboat off the Titanic: "'If you mean that in earnest. have loved women. I have sung songs. Dude's got people problems… Option #2: He's Gone 'Round the Bend … Which takes us straight into interpretation number two—dude's straight up crazy. get this man to a doctor. to which he says.8). After all. illusory. you tell me? That's what we're talking about here—a guy who voluntarily takes himself out of the world to really get some time to think about things. And of course. I have hunted stags and wild boars in the forests. . burned towns. dude. You have—maybe—gotten a vicarious glimpse of what those things might be like. What? Who in a million years would take that bet? And who on earth would take it and then increase the difficulty for himself? Only someone who already has monastic or ascetic tendencies.14) We hate to break to you. What kind of person would sign up for a fifteen-year term of total isolation? Maybe not the most mentally balanced kind. a crazed. and deceptive. It is all worthless. fleeting. . like a mirage. Beauties as ethereal as clouds. he is basically a modern-day Biblical cave hermit.Option #1: Wise Guy Hermit Interpretation number one takes this mystery and confusion and runs with it. . created by the magic of your poets and geniuses. but you have done no such thing. 'I'll take the bet. […] I marvel at you who exchange heaven for earth. […] In your books I have flung myself into the bottomless pit. deeply spiritual hermit is exactly what the lawyer turns into. . and have whispered in my ears wonderful tales that have set my brain in a whirl." (2. You know that generic cartoon wise old man that sits up on a secluded mountain and you have to climb and climb and climb to ask him some deep question. In this version of what's up with the lawyer. but in your books I have drunk fragrant wine. I don't want to understand you. . Check out his conclusions about life at the end of his letter to the banker: "I despise wisdom and the blessings of this world. performed miracles. If we examine the evidence again. when the banker proposes his crazy bet. . But this conviction that reading about something equals living it? Yeah. we get a totally different sense of what the lawyer's driving motivation might actually be. slain. but I would stay not five but fifteen years'" (1. It is true I have not seen the earth nor men. we say. stat. conquered whole kingdoms.' said the young man. preached new religions.16-17) He doesn't just reject the money—he rejects all of human life. have visited me at night. . The Bet Tone Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. his expectations. Not only that. (1. Why so dry? Because it's not the feelings that matter here. except just to note it as a plot point—check out how the description just skips from year two to year five without so much as a blink." You don't get much more matter-of-fact than that. His feelings. It's the ideas that are front and center. and the prisoner asked for wine. The sounds of the piano could be heard continually day and night from his lodge. even when it does want to register some level of emotions.For example. […] In the second year the piano was silent in the lodge. What's the first thing you imagine you'll need to do? If you're like Shmoop. Objective. What’s Up With the Ending? Even back in his own time everyone pretty much agreed that Chekhov was a super awesome writer. which is something that pretty much every other writer was doing at the time. flat out rejected the idea thatan author has to put some kind of judgment into his work. frequently yawning and angrily talking to himself. as far as one could judge from his brief notes. he is "heard crying" and "angrily talking to himself. Those who watched him through the window said that all that year he spent doing nothing but eating and drinking and lying on his bed. Dry.15-16) The stuff of feelings is all there—the guy "suffers from loneliness and depression". or to teach the reader how to act or how not to act. But you know what a lot of his critics got on his case about? The fact that he refused to spell out some kind of moral lessons in his stories. But Chekhov just one hundred percent. That's three years alone in a room that we just gloss over with a "eh." But the calm tone just sucks all the adrenaline and excitement from what could be a very moving bit of narrative. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful? Matter of Fact. but we are clearly expected not to care about this one way or another. Unemotional Say you're writing a piece of fiction in which a guy decides to seal himself up in solitary confinement for fifteen years. check out how the prisoner's life is described: For the first year of his confinement. In the fifth year music was audible again. the general stuff of human life. and the prisoner asked only for the classics. the prisoner suffered severely from loneliness and depression. whatever. his thoughts. what this decision will mean for his family—you know. But this story skips all of that in favor of a just-the-facts-ma'am approach. or to point fingers at . […] More than once he could be heard crying. crazy man must be going through. you immediately start wracking your brains to try to figure out how on earth you'll be able to describe what this sad. There he was all set to kill the guy. and a high and mighty feeling for the reader—in Chekhov's stories. And since that's the traditional function of the ending—lollipops for the good. Meanwhile. So the reason he feels bad and cries is that he suddenly sees that he's been way too obsessed with money. Great writers sometimes shake up the recipe and add some spice. Yay. climax. Moved by the lawyer's letter.his characters and identify the good guys and the bad guys. This version fits with that last detail about the letter and the safe… … But what about the part where the banker feels so terrible about himself? Why would that be? The "Hey. Over Here!" Ending Maybe the banker isn't really who we should be thinking about anyway. his two million rubles)? The Evil-Will-Always-Triumph-Over-Good Ending Possibility number two is that the banker cries from plain old relief. In the case of this story. the banker kisses the prisoner and leaves to go home. the lawyer sneaks out of the room early. . for example. and conclusion. conflict. complication. Finally. the bankertakes the letter that rejects that money and hides it away in his safe as evidence. dunce caps for the bad. How come we don't find out exactly what is going to happen to the lawyer? Does he leave the room and go to a life of asceticism in some monastery somewhere? Or is he going to kill himself as quickly as possible? The whole I-reject-the-world business certainly could go either way. except for this tiny catch: has he really changed all that much if he still wants to protect the letter (and with it. it's hard to know how to react to what happens in the last few paragraphs. denouement. The action itself is perfectly clear. feel bad about himself. Which is fine. what do you think—which is the most plausible explanation of the ending? Why? The Bet Plot Analysis Most good stories start with a fundamental list of ingredients: the initial situation. Possibility three involves the other guy. and have a good cry. when all along the lawyer had no interest in his money at all. the ending often has an uncomfortable feeling to it. no? So. He's just so psyched he doesn't have to kill anyone and still gets to keep his money and everything is hunky-dory again. suspense. So what's it all mean? Here are some possibilities: The After School Special Ending The first possibility is that the banker has learned a valuable lesson about not being a huge jerk. the more it looks like he'll be the winner. It's not like he's ever gonnarun out of books. which proves that he rejected the money. anyone? Climax (Crisis. The prison warden later reports that the lawyer sneaked out of the guest house five hours before the fifteen years was up to forfeit the money. what would a person be more apt to tolerate? Or. Soon enough he decides to murder the lawyer (hello. of course. which brings us to… Rising Action (Conflict. But just as he is about to do it. bad idea). Turning Point) At the Finish Line The longer the lawyer stays. looks like it'll be the banker since the lawyer is all miserable in his little guest house. For example. The banker is relieved not to have to kill anyone. which gears us up for the quiet finale. you see. In case anyone comes asking questions later. and the guests offer up some the possible questions. Falling Action Phew. which is less painful? But instead of going with any of these. religion. No Murder Necessary. Now that's a twist. Complication) I See Your Five And Raise You Fifteen The lawyer agrees to be locked up for fifteen years (even though the banker's initial ante was only five years). the banker loses his fortune and starts to freak out about coughing up the two million. and stashes it away in his safe. He turns to really serious study —languages. . which one's more moral for a government to do? Or. asking for happy books and playing sad music to himself. Resolution (Denouement) The Moral? Always Get It In Writing The banker takes the lawyer's letter. the banker host and the lawyer guest really get personal. Who will win the bet? For a while. He's really not a material girl. Meanwhile. and the banker puts up two million rubles. the death penalty or life imprisonment? There are many ways to think about this. he finds a letter in which the lawyer says that he rejects the money—along with the rest of the material world.Exposition (Initial Situation) Death or Isolation? The setup is pretty much just the argument at the party—what's better. science—and seems pretty okay in his makeshift prison. say. Ace of Base.