Zan , Zhang Reading and Writing 162 May. 6 Reading Response Assignment 2 “The bet” The 15 years of solitary life, the imprisonment makes people lost personal freedom, but in return he also get ideological freedom. Although this process is very difficult, there is still a person who has finished it. According to the short story“The bet”written by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov in 1889, Chekhov wants to express that reading is priceless, reading can save the heart and soul, so that people can cross the limitations of time and space, to see different world to experience a different life, by using an interesting story about two people，a banker and a young lawyer who make a bet with each other about whether …show more content…
According to the short story “The bet”, we can see the change in the young lawyer’s book that he read. From popular entertainment readings to medical research to classical works (Chekhov 1889), I can guess that the lawyer’s thought from feeling lonely and empty to getting rid of loneliness and enjoying knowledge to owning his own thought about what is the most important and happiness in the world. There are many things that can be much more important than fame and money. I think that when he decided to walk out the room, though he lose money 2 millions and around 15 years time, he become rich in his mind. The price, which he has cost, is worth to what he has got in his mind. During this years reading, his body seems to be imprison, his mind is traveling any corners of world. Maybe some people cannot understand that why he didn’t stay in the room for just only 5 hours. I think this decision is to show the dignity of his mind, his wisdom and his contempt for money worship. Maybe he used to be greed of money and fame, but now he want to prove him to be …show more content…
(Chekhov 1889) He contrasted sharply with his lawyer, In order to show the great change after reading books. As for the old banker, this character has been chosen perfectly. The bank is represented the money and benefits. Also the banker can entirely represent or suggest the people who are value fame and money. Although he was moved by the letter written by lawyer, and felt embarrassed, he still chose to hide the letter in order to prevent others from talking about his gossip, or avoiding the imprisoned person came back to ask him for money. The result of the story is rational. Compared with the young lawyer, the old bankers cannot lose fame and money at the end. Because these two things have been deeply rooted in his mind, through almost all his life. Actually we can feel that the end of the story expresses the irony to the
The author enables us to look into the different worlds of money and romance and whether or not. not they can exist together), as it is not only a story of superficiality. richness, but also of lost love and the use of wealth to regain it. These themes alone are a contrast, as money is a matter of the mind. and love is a matter of the heart.
Our aim is to portrait the character of Dmitry Dmitrich Gurov, in the context of the story, extracting those elements that are characteristic of the period in which Chekhov wrote the story. True love is a reason for everything, even deleting the laws of life. People's mistakes and weaknesses are part of life and, without contradictions, the world would not have evolved.... ... middle of paper ...
Chekhov reminds the readers that Anna is young compared to Gurov. Chekhov’s novel states, “As he went to bed he reminded himself that only a short time ago she had been a schoolgirl, like his own daughter” (3). The images of Anna being a schoolgirl not too long ago, when Gurov has a daughter of similar age, brings the sense of abnormality between the relationship of Gurov and Anna. It’s hard to imagine such a huge difference in lovers especially in the strict culture of Russia in the late 19th century where these occasions were unthought-of. The uncomforting thought of the difference in age goes back to differ the meanings of love and romance in the novel because against all odds and differences, Anna and Gurov hide away from these obvious facts. The thought of love in this culture is between a man and woman of similar age. According to Chekhov’s novel, “He was sick of his children, sick of the bank, felt not the slightest desire to go anywhere or talk about anything” (9). Chekhov’s description of sickness reveals that Gurov has a huge moment of denial, denial of family and denial of age. This denial of age, helps Gurov cope with the oddities of their relationship, the oddities of the love they had with the characteristics of a romance. Gurov was trying to change the definition of their relationship on his own mental terms. While Gurov was trying to bring out a spontaneous, younger
The Bet highlights the flaws associated with placing too much importance on earthly pleasures. The short story begins by a banker reminiscing on a party he threw 15 years ago. The guests at the party are depicted as highly rational and scientific, based on their occupations and the content of their discussions. The banker argues that capital punishment is more humane than life imprisonment. A lawyer so highly disagrees with this statement that he impulsively makes a bet with the banker that he will stay in solitary confinement for fifteen years, and if successful the banker will award him two million rubbles. The lawyer’s willingness to sacrifice the prime time of his life in...
Upon reading more closely, the story is revealed to present a tragic journey of a man who has lost his sanity but seeks solace in the materialistic comforts of his old life. The story succeeds in making a number of statements about human nature: that wealth is the most powerful measure of social status and anyone without it will face ostracization; that denial of one 's mistakes and unfortunate circumstances only leads to more pain; that even the most optimistic people can hold dark secrets and emotional turmoil inside them. All of these themes compel the reader to ponder their real-life implications long after the story is
In his novella, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Leo Tolstoy satirizes the isolation and materialism of Russian society and suggests that its desensitized existence overlooks the true meaning of life—compassion. Ivan had attained everything that society deemed important in life: a high social position, a powerful job, and money. Marriage developed out of necessity rather than love: “He only required of it those conveniences—dinner at home, housewife, and bed—which it could give him” (17). Later, he purchased a magnificent house, as society dictated, and attempted to fill it with ostentatious antiquities solely available to the wealthy. However, “In reality it was just what is usually seen in the houses of people of moderate means who want to appear rich, and therefore succeed only in resembling others like themselves” (22). Through intense characterizations by the detached and omniscient narrator, Tolstoy reveals the flaws of this deeply superficial society. Although Ivan has flourished under the standards of society, he fails to establish any sort of connection with another human being on this earth. Tragically, only his fatal illness can allow him to confront his own death and reevaluate his life. He finally understands, in his final breath, that “All you have lived for and still live for is falsehood and deception, hiding life and death from you” (69).
In every rags to riches story, the protagonist eventually must decide whether it is better to continue to associate with impoverished loved ones from the past, or whether he or she should instead abandon former relationships and enjoy all that the life of fame and fortune has to offer. Anton Chekhov gives his readers a snapshot of a young woman in such a scenario in his short story Anna Round the Neck. While this story certainly gives a glimpse of the social climate in Russia during the nineteenth century, its primary focus is the transformation of Anyuta (Anna) Leontyich from a meek, formerly impoverished newlywed into a free-spirited, self-confident noblewoman. Throughout the story, the reader is drawn to pity Anna’s situation, but at the
Fulford, Robert.“Surprised by love: Chekhov and ‘The Lady with the Dog’.” Queen’s Quarterly. n.d. Web. 17 November 2013.
Ivan Ilyich was an intelligent and prosperity Russian high court judge; he never considered that personal relations play an important role in human being. He lived his life without knowing the essentials values of a human being which are compassion, love, honesty, and sincerity, sencibility. He never question to himself about what is more important in life money or personal relations. He never thought about the true of life, it will end one day. Keeping this point in mind, the narrator in this story explains that money would make the journey of life easy. Money can be earned with lost of hard work and, money can buy things, materials, which for a moment make you, feel happy, but it is momentary.
Lu Xun’s articles play an important role in modern Chinese Literature. Only by taking close reading, readers would be able to understand the deep meaning of his articles. “A Madman’s Diary” was the first vernacular fiction Lu Xun published, as well as the first Chinese vernacular story. The article includes preface and main body. The preface mainly uses classical Chinese to introduce background and cause of the story. The main body has thirteen pieces of Madman’s diary written in vernacular. The main character and the writer of diary both were “Madman”. Lu Xun used his poignant pen to reveal a variety of deep-seated social contradictions, also to dissect and deny the old Chinese system and concepts of stereotypes. He expressed a strong sense of urgency for national survival and a strong desire for social reform.
The final logic of plot that must be explained at the end of the story is Pyotr's confrontation with his guilt-ridden, contemptuous father before he leaves for Moscow. The intent to reconcile father's financial loss is expressed through Pyotr's coaxing rhetoric and judgemental approach to his father's daily attitude at the table. Finally, the room is brightly lit, not by the family's ability to regroup--their affections were a bonfire now--but by a single, dazzling beam of sympathy to Pyotr, when his father says "Good-bye...the money is on the round table."
The underlying themes in “The Bet”, arrogance, greed, and materialism are effectively portrayed in both the banker and the lawyer. Despite the short length of the story, Anton Chekhov enables both characters to see the error of their ways. The lawyer realizes the two million rubles weren’t going to make him any happier. The banker saw that he didn’t like the selfish, materialistic person he had become when the narrator says, “Never, not even after his terrible losses in the stock market, had he felt such hatred for himself.” “The Bet” by Anton Chekhov proves to be an excellent commentary on how the want for things can corrupt a person and how society as a whole needs to place more value upon the things money cannot buy.
Chekhov writes ”Prisoner suffered severely from loneliness and depression”(pg.3). Since the lawyer was in solitary confinement he had to human communication, that made him get depressed and lonely. Solitary confinement has making him suffer mental problems and the banker's opinion about solitary confinement was actually happening. The story says ”At the table a man unlike ordinary people was sitting motionless”(pg.6). The lawyer did not respond to any sound at all. Furthermore, his mental state lost the way he responding to anything because since he was in that room for along time by himself without any odd noise. Also he is just focused on
“Upper classes are a nation's past; the middle class is its future.” This quote was written by Ayn Rand. The meaning of this quote is that the upper class was important in the past, but now in the future, the middle class will be the important class.It relates to the story because in Russia during this time period, the upper class was the important class and the lower class had no rights. Anton Chekhov is the author of “The Bet”, “The Lottery Ticket”, and “Oh! The Public”. Anton was from Russia and in the three stories he represents Russia from 1881 to 1896. He also slides in his life experiences and things that had to do with him in his stories. The theme, class structure, is shown in the stories “Oh! The Public, The Bet, and The Lottery Ticket” during the times of 1881 to 1896.
Matlaw, Ralph E. Anton Chekhov¡¦s Short Stories: Texts of the Stories Bachgrounds Criticism. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 1979.