The Bet is a short story by Anton Chekhov, published in the year 1889.

This text analysis serves the purpose of grasping the various themes encompassed within the story, by analyzing the various aspects of the story. It will address aspects such as the authors style of writing, the tone he uses, and the mood it elicits in the reader. Understanding these concepts is vital to understanding the overall theme of his story. The chronological and sentence structure of the story form an understructure which helps support the overall theme of the story. The setting of the story emanates from its style and plays an essential role by creating an openness that allows a broad audience to grasp the lessons of the story. The allure of The Bet lies in its facile and simplistic style. Such a style is not without purpose: the focal objective of this story was mass appeal; in order to disseminate what Chekhov believed to be the deficiencies of the absolutist monarchies. Power, in late 19th century Russia, rested in the hands of a select few- the church, the monarch, and the nobility. Russia, at the time, was best described as a kleptocracy. Chekhov provides subtle examples, in his story, of his disapproval of the status quo. The terse statement, The state is not God shows this disapproval. The Bet is written in the third person narrative which buttresses the neutral tone of the story. By using this narrative, the narrator acts as a purveyor of actions- allowing the characters themselves to flavor the story with spoken words. For example, when the Banker says, On my part, it was the caprice of a well fed man; on the lawyers pure greed of gold, it manifests the egoistic nature of the Banker, and the (initial) materialistic greed of the Lawyer.

The paucity of imagery used in the story underpins the mass appeal factor of the story. Literary devices like metaphors, similes, and personification may be incomprehensible by a broader and more eclectic audience. Excessive imagery could encroach upon the simplicity of the story and perhaps immolate its central theme. Nonetheless, several examples of imagery can be found. For example, the simile, he read as though he were swimming among broken pieces of wreckage adds visual imagery which exemplifies the Lawyers voracious appetite for books, and hints at his disheveled state of mind. Examples of personification can also be found, frozen trees whining outside the windows, here the whining highlights the Bankers petulant state. A damp, penetrating wind howled evokes and eerie, and ominous mood paving the way for the climax that soon follows. An intriguing device used is the rhetorical question, who is the more humane executioner, one who kills you in a few seconds or one who draws the life out of you incessantly, for years? Here the obvious answer is that the former executioner is more humane, but this is eventually confuted by the outcome of the story itself. This shows that perhaps the banker does not respect life at a fundamental level, nor does he appreciate the lessons of time.

Chekhov relies on the connotations of various words to establish imagery in the setting. The story begins at a lavish party with many clever people, and interesting conversation, hinting at an elite, upper class setting. The dark autumn night creates a foreboding atmosphere, followed by the pacing which establishes the exasperation of the banker. The setting of The Bet is coterminous with the simplistic, unperplexing s tructure of the story. The neutrality of the setting manifests the universality of the story; the storys theme can still be understood by a contemporary audience. It leaves space for the reader to consolidate his or her own imagination into the story. The elements of the setting- the occupation and lifestyle of the characters- are crucial, because they represent the socio-economic statuses of the two protagonists (who are constantly referred to by their occupations!). Their statuses revolve around the theme of the story and are central in understanding the metamorphism (or lack thereof) of the characters. The author abundantly relies on contrasting short sentences with long, drawn out ones to draw the readers attention to certain aspects which play a large role in establishing the tone of the author: for example, It was a dark autumn night. The banker was pacing corner to corner of his study the short sentence secures the attention of the reader, while the longer one builds upon the established, despondent mood. The concise statement, The state is not God, establishes the audacious, straightforward tone of the author. The Bet is organized in a chronological manner so it can easily be comprehended. The intelligible progression allows the reader to grasp the theme behind the text, without obfuscating him or her. The story follows a linear movement through time; it compresses 15 years into a few pages. Initially, brief statements describe the party which took place. Then the bet is described, which creates tension in the story. After which, the author shows various stages of the Lawyers imprisonment and his gradual change over time. An intriguing contrast is made between the enlightenment that the lawyer attains and the deepening depravity of the banker. The progress of the Lawyer is epitomized by the intellectual profundity of the books he reads. Initially, they are of light character, but by the sixth year he begins zealously studying languages, philosophy and history. Whereas the Banker, who once had too many millions to count, has become dilapidated. He is afraid to ascertain the amount of his debts; his initial caprice has now become recklessness. In the climax, the Bankers insidious plan to kill the Lawyer is juxtaposed with the resplendent discourse of the lawyer- highlighting the divergence between the two characters. The central theme is perhaps best stated by the lawyer himself: you take falsehood for truth and ugliness for beauty So do I marvel at you, who have bartered heaven for earth. I do not want to understand you. The lawyer, speaking in a condescending manner, manifests his intellectual freedom while he was physically imprisoned and contrasts it with the Bankers

pathetic servitude to materialism. The last sentence of the story, To avoid unnecessary rumors he took the paper and locked it in his safe exemplifies the disappointing flatness of the Banker, as he does not want the Lawyers message to spread, and shows th at he did not learn his lesson. In The Bet, Chekhov encompasses various themes that were ubiquitous in his time. He addresses the degenerative power of greed that was pervasive among the elite. He attacks the sweeping power of the absolutist monarchy. He also touches upon broader themes such as the lessons that time inevitably imparts on us.

Dhruv Yadav Section D; BA LLB