The Bet
by: Anton Chekhov
Interpretive Questions: Answer all questions in complete sentences, using quotes as support.
1.) At the end of the story, why does the banker lock the lawyer’s letter up in the fireproof safe?
- The banker locked up the lawyer’s letter up in the fireproof safe because he did not want to arouse suspicion of what the lawyer had said, so he wanted to hideaway the evidence from everyone else, but kept it as a reference so he could read the wise things the banker has said, “To avoid arousing unnecessary talk, he took from the table the writing in which the millions were renounced, and when he got home locked it up in the fireproof safe.” (p.116)
2.) According to the story, is the banker correct in thinking that the bet “was all nonsensical and meaningless”? (p. 109)
- The banker is correct in thing that the bet was meaningless because the bet was centered around trying to prove something trifle, which was if being executed slowly in imprisonment or swiftly was more harsh, and whether the lawyer could handle the imprisonment. One could have lost 15 years of his life, while the other could have lost 2 million dollars, to just prove something small, therefore meaning that the bet was meaningless in retrospect, “What is the good of that man’s losing fifteen years of his life and my throwing away two million?” (p. 109)
3.) Why does the banker think that “the one means of being saved from bankruptcy and disgrace is the death of that man [the lawyer]!”? (p. 112)
- The reason the banker thinks that to be saved from the bankruptcy and disgrace of losing, the lawyer has to die is because of the bet. The lawyer was very close to winning the bet and winning the 2 million dollars from the banker, that the only way the banker could save himself from the disgrace and bankruptcy is if the lawyer lost, which was by death, since the lawyer was clearly going to win at the end, “He will take my last penny from me, he will marry, will enjoy life, will gamble on the exchange while I shall look at him with envy like a beggar.” (p. 112)
4.) After reading the letter, why does the banker kiss the lawyer on the head and go “out of the lodge, weeping”? (p. 115)
- The banker kisses the lawyer on the head and leaves the lodge, weeping, because the banker read the letter from the lawyer that the lawyer wishes to lose the bet and escape because he does not desire money, as it is “illusory.” The banker was so happy and relieved that he kissed him on the head and left the lodge crying tears of joy, happy he didn’t have to kill the man, “To deprive myself of the right to the money I shall go out from here give hours before the time fixed, and so break the compact….” (p. 115)
5.) After leaving the sleeping lawyer, why does the banker feel “so great a contempt for himself”? (p. 115)
- The banker feels great contempt for himself after leaving the sleeping lawyer because he was saved from bankruptcy and the disgrace from losing the bet, and he didn’t had to follow the plan of killing the lawyer to win the bet, so he was contempt, “And I have only to take this half-dead man, throw him on the bed, stifle him a little with the pillow, and the most conscientious expert would find no sign of a violent death.” (p. 114)
6.) Why does the lawyer say in his letter, “I despise all that you live by”? (p. 115)
- The reason the lawyer says that in his letter is because, according to the lawyer, he realizes through the wisdom he has gained through the books he has read that the blessings of the world are “worthless,” and “illusory,” and that the banker prefers to follow those earthly blessings rather than heaven, “so I marvel at you who exchange heaven for earth,” (p. 115) which the lawyer hates and despises.
7.) Why does the lawyer, during his four-year period of learning different languages, write, “Oh, if you only knew what unearthly happiness my soul feels now from being able to understand them!”? (p.111)
- The lawyer says that during his four-year period of learning different languages because the lawyer read what the “geniuses of all ages and of all lands,” has said, which makes him happy because he is able to understand the geniuses in history that speak different languages, and grow wiser from them, “The geniuses of all ages and of all lands speak different languages, but the same flame burns in them all. Oh, if you only knew what unearthly happiness my soul feels now from being able to understand them!” (p. 111)
8.) Why does the lawyer say, “Your books have given me wisdom” and then say, “I despise your books, I despise wisdom”? (p. 115)
- The lawyer says that the books gave him wisdom, but later says that he despises those books and wisdom because after reading those books that gave him wisdom, the lawyer comes to a realization that the earthly blessings, like the books and the wisdom, are “all worthless, fleeting, illusory, and deceptive, like a mirage.” (p. 115)
9.) How is renouncing the two million proof that the lawyer despises all that the banker lives by?
- Renouncing the two million proves that the lawyer despises all that the banker lives by because at the beginning, the lawyer believed that the two million was paradise because it was a lot of money that he could live life using as much money as he wanted, “To prove to you in action how I despise all that you live by, I renounce the two million of which I once dreamed as of paradise and that now I despise.” (p. 115)
10.) Why does the lawyer put in all fifteen years before renouncing the bet?
- I believe that the reason the lawyer puts in all fifteen years before renouncing the bet is because so he could still prove that what he initially thought at the beginning that a slow death by confinement is better, was better, while also being able to prove that he despises all that the banker lives by when he renounced the two million dollars when the lawyer was close to winning the bet, “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 certainly choose the second. To live anyhow is better than not at all.” (p. 108)
Vocabulary in Context:
1.) Frivolous (p. 108)
Quote: "The banker, spoiled and frivolous, with millions beyond his reckoning, was delighted at the bet."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): not having a serious purpose or value
Synonym: lighthearted, pointless, trivial
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): It was frivolous to accuse him of stealing your shoe.
2.) Compulsory (p. 109)
Quote: "Don't forget either, you unhappy man, that voluntary confinement is a great deal harder to beat than compulsory."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): required by a law or rule
Synonym: obligatory
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): Those actions now require compulsory community service.
3.) Indiscriminately (p. 111)
Quote: "In the last two years of his confinement the prisoner read an immense quantity of books quite indiscriminately."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): affecting people or harming people carelessly or without thought
Synonym: chaotic, unplanned
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): The drunk man indiscriminately swung at anyone that came too close.
4.) Emaciated (p. 113)
Quote: "His hair was already streaked with silver, and seeing his emaciated, aged-looking face, no one would have believed that he was only forty."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): to be thing or weak due to lack of food or because of illness
Synonym: weak, fragile, gaunt
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): The wolf was so emaciated, it could barely stand by itself.
5.) Illusory (p. 115)
Quote: "And I despise your books, I despise wisdom and the blessings of this world. It is all worthless, fleeting, illusory, and deceptive, like a mirage."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): not real
Synonym: delusion, imaginary
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): Hiding under a blanket to protect yourself from monsters is illusory.
6.) Posterity (p. 115)
Quote: “You may be proud, wise, and fine, but death will wipe you off the face of the earth as though you were no more than mice burrowing under the floor, and your posterity, your history, your immortal geniuses will burn or freeze together with the earthly globe.”
Definition (based on context/in your own words): future generations of a person/people
Synonym: descendants
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): The names of those who passed away in the disaster were recorded for posterity.
Thinking Map:
Use textual evidence to show examples of when a character shows weakness or a character shows strength. Include 5 examples and support with page numbers and opinion for each column.
1.) At the end of the story, why does the banker lock the lawyer’s letter up in the fireproof safe?
- The banker locked up the lawyer’s letter up in the fireproof safe because he did not want to arouse suspicion of what the lawyer had said, so he wanted to hideaway the evidence from everyone else, but kept it as a reference so he could read the wise things the banker has said, “To avoid arousing unnecessary talk, he took from the table the writing in which the millions were renounced, and when he got home locked it up in the fireproof safe.” (p.116)
2.) According to the story, is the banker correct in thinking that the bet “was all nonsensical and meaningless”? (p. 109)
- The banker is correct in thing that the bet was meaningless because the bet was centered around trying to prove something trifle, which was if being executed slowly in imprisonment or swiftly was more harsh, and whether the lawyer could handle the imprisonment. One could have lost 15 years of his life, while the other could have lost 2 million dollars, to just prove something small, therefore meaning that the bet was meaningless in retrospect, “What is the good of that man’s losing fifteen years of his life and my throwing away two million?” (p. 109)
3.) Why does the banker think that “the one means of being saved from bankruptcy and disgrace is the death of that man [the lawyer]!”? (p. 112)
- The reason the banker thinks that to be saved from the bankruptcy and disgrace of losing, the lawyer has to die is because of the bet. The lawyer was very close to winning the bet and winning the 2 million dollars from the banker, that the only way the banker could save himself from the disgrace and bankruptcy is if the lawyer lost, which was by death, since the lawyer was clearly going to win at the end, “He will take my last penny from me, he will marry, will enjoy life, will gamble on the exchange while I shall look at him with envy like a beggar.” (p. 112)
4.) After reading the letter, why does the banker kiss the lawyer on the head and go “out of the lodge, weeping”? (p. 115)
- The banker kisses the lawyer on the head and leaves the lodge, weeping, because the banker read the letter from the lawyer that the lawyer wishes to lose the bet and escape because he does not desire money, as it is “illusory.” The banker was so happy and relieved that he kissed him on the head and left the lodge crying tears of joy, happy he didn’t have to kill the man, “To deprive myself of the right to the money I shall go out from here give hours before the time fixed, and so break the compact….” (p. 115)
5.) After leaving the sleeping lawyer, why does the banker feel “so great a contempt for himself”? (p. 115)
- The banker feels great contempt for himself after leaving the sleeping lawyer because he was saved from bankruptcy and the disgrace from losing the bet, and he didn’t had to follow the plan of killing the lawyer to win the bet, so he was contempt, “And I have only to take this half-dead man, throw him on the bed, stifle him a little with the pillow, and the most conscientious expert would find no sign of a violent death.” (p. 114)
6.) Why does the lawyer say in his letter, “I despise all that you live by”? (p. 115)
- The reason the lawyer says that in his letter is because, according to the lawyer, he realizes through the wisdom he has gained through the books he has read that the blessings of the world are “worthless,” and “illusory,” and that the banker prefers to follow those earthly blessings rather than heaven, “so I marvel at you who exchange heaven for earth,” (p. 115) which the lawyer hates and despises.
7.) Why does the lawyer, during his four-year period of learning different languages, write, “Oh, if you only knew what unearthly happiness my soul feels now from being able to understand them!”? (p.111)
- The lawyer says that during his four-year period of learning different languages because the lawyer read what the “geniuses of all ages and of all lands,” has said, which makes him happy because he is able to understand the geniuses in history that speak different languages, and grow wiser from them, “The geniuses of all ages and of all lands speak different languages, but the same flame burns in them all. Oh, if you only knew what unearthly happiness my soul feels now from being able to understand them!” (p. 111)
8.) Why does the lawyer say, “Your books have given me wisdom” and then say, “I despise your books, I despise wisdom”? (p. 115)
- The lawyer says that the books gave him wisdom, but later says that he despises those books and wisdom because after reading those books that gave him wisdom, the lawyer comes to a realization that the earthly blessings, like the books and the wisdom, are “all worthless, fleeting, illusory, and deceptive, like a mirage.” (p. 115)
9.) How is renouncing the two million proof that the lawyer despises all that the banker lives by?
- Renouncing the two million proves that the lawyer despises all that the banker lives by because at the beginning, the lawyer believed that the two million was paradise because it was a lot of money that he could live life using as much money as he wanted, “To prove to you in action how I despise all that you live by, I renounce the two million of which I once dreamed as of paradise and that now I despise.” (p. 115)
10.) Why does the lawyer put in all fifteen years before renouncing the bet?
- I believe that the reason the lawyer puts in all fifteen years before renouncing the bet is because so he could still prove that what he initially thought at the beginning that a slow death by confinement is better, was better, while also being able to prove that he despises all that the banker lives by when he renounced the two million dollars when the lawyer was close to winning the bet, “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 certainly choose the second. To live anyhow is better than not at all.” (p. 108)
Vocabulary in Context:
1.) Frivolous (p. 108)
Quote: "The banker, spoiled and frivolous, with millions beyond his reckoning, was delighted at the bet."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): not having a serious purpose or value
Synonym: lighthearted, pointless, trivial
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): It was frivolous to accuse him of stealing your shoe.
2.) Compulsory (p. 109)
Quote: "Don't forget either, you unhappy man, that voluntary confinement is a great deal harder to beat than compulsory."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): required by a law or rule
Synonym: obligatory
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): Those actions now require compulsory community service.
3.) Indiscriminately (p. 111)
Quote: "In the last two years of his confinement the prisoner read an immense quantity of books quite indiscriminately."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): affecting people or harming people carelessly or without thought
Synonym: chaotic, unplanned
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): The drunk man indiscriminately swung at anyone that came too close.
4.) Emaciated (p. 113)
Quote: "His hair was already streaked with silver, and seeing his emaciated, aged-looking face, no one would have believed that he was only forty."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): to be thing or weak due to lack of food or because of illness
Synonym: weak, fragile, gaunt
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): The wolf was so emaciated, it could barely stand by itself.
5.) Illusory (p. 115)
Quote: "And I despise your books, I despise wisdom and the blessings of this world. It is all worthless, fleeting, illusory, and deceptive, like a mirage."
Definition (based on context/in your own words): not real
Synonym: delusion, imaginary
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): Hiding under a blanket to protect yourself from monsters is illusory.
6.) Posterity (p. 115)
Quote: “You may be proud, wise, and fine, but death will wipe you off the face of the earth as though you were no more than mice burrowing under the floor, and your posterity, your history, your immortal geniuses will burn or freeze together with the earthly globe.”
Definition (based on context/in your own words): future generations of a person/people
Synonym: descendants
Sentence (underline the vocabulary word): The names of those who passed away in the disaster were recorded for posterity.
Thinking Map:
Use textual evidence to show examples of when a character shows weakness or a character shows strength. Include 5 examples and support with page numbers and opinion for each column.
Strength
- Lawyer doesn’t drink wine at the first year because it excites the desires (p. 110) - Lawyer doesn’t do tobacco because it spoils the air in the room (p. 110) - Lawyer plays piano to keep up his energy and happiness in first year (p. 110) - Lawyer dives into eagerly studying so much, like languages, philosophy, and history (p. 110) - Lawyer renounces the two million and breaks the bet (p. 115) |
Weakness
- Banker begins to think that the bet was meaningless and nonsensical and doubts himself (p.109) - Lawyer asks for wine in the fifth year of imprisonment (p. 110) - Lawyer frequently yawns, and angrily talks to himself in his fifth year of confinement (p. 110) - Banker thinks that when the lawyer wins the bet, he will be ruined in debt and begins to worry (p. 111) - Lawyer would spend hours writing, tear it up in the morning, and can be heard crying more than once in his fifth year of confinement (p. 110) |