English Paper on The Bet

Philip Armand Gomez Gozali November 24, 2010

IB-B Mr. Nicolay

We can see from the very start of the story that “The Bet” was more than just a

gamble, done to show one’s supremacy over another in the understanding of life.

Rather, it was primarily about a clash of ideologies and beliefs, specifically regarding the

morality of capital punishment, or lack of thereof. It shows two contrasting ideas that aim

to attain one goal, how to justly punish the worst criminals of the society. On one side,

there is the banker, the protagonist of the story, who believes that execution is the best

way to treat these criminals. On the other, the lawyer, who wholeheartedly believed that

lifelong imprisonment is the answer, not killing, because “it’s better to live somehow than

not to live at all” (P 5). Here, a conflict of ideas surfaces, which leads to the eventual bet

that would eventually prove who, in the end, had the right stand through the lenses of

the author.

It is in the characterization of the characters, however, particularly on the lawyer,

that I feel would best show how the situation at that time truly was like, which still leaves

a faint trail still seen in the present. The lawyer was blatantly described as “a young man

of five-and-twenty”, and quite obviously, he was showed as one who acts before he

thinks, and shows arrogance as he “stay not 5 but 15 years.” (P8) Seemingly through an

unnecessary display of self-confidence, he bet an extra 10 years of his life to show the

strength of his belief, and his absolute confidence that imprisonment would always be a

better choice than death. It is showed, however, at the latter part of the story, how he
was characterized as a round character, as his belief wavered and collapsed after being

tested throughout the span of 15 years. A few hours before the 15-year span expired,

the lawyer walked out the prison, voluntarily.

There is one characteristic that stood out to me the most, among all, and this

would be perhaps the most discreet. This would be his sense of idealism. The aura of

arrogance when he staked an extra 10 years of his life can possibly be sourced to his

seemingly unwavering faith towards lifelong imprisonment as the best option. It could

also be said that perhaps he wanted to prove a point, not for himself for his life was not

the one in jeopardy, rather for those who would be subject to the punishment. He was

fighting for the benefits of others. This selflessness, this willingness to go through the

suffering and sacrifice, can also be likened to Gregor Samsa in “Metamorphosis”. Even

when Gregor was the victim of such a horrid fate, the thoughts swirling in his head was

still that of his sister, his family, how he would have to provide for them, and the like.

These two characters can be said to be both very distinct, and ironically, very alike in

some aspects.

The characterization of the people in a story is essential to successfully deliver

the appropriate message to one’s audience, and I believe Anton Chekhov’s “The Bet” is

an exemplary example of optimizing this crucial element of a story.

Word Count: 535 words