Plot in The Bet

Plot Examples in The Bet:

Part I

"solitary confinement..." See in text (Part I)

The phrase “solitary confinement” refers to the practice of keeping someone isolated in a prison cell. Readers should notice how the initial bet—determining whether the death penalty or life imprisonment is more humane—transforms into a bet about whether the lawyer can survive in solitary confinement. The theoretical discussion thus takes a decidedly pragmatic turn.

Tess, Owl Eyes Staff

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Part II

"“To prove to you in action how I despise all that you live by, I renounce the two millions of which I once dreamed as of paradise and which now I despise...." See in text (Part II)

In a turn that shocks the banker, he discovers that the lawyer no longer cares for the two million rubles. Throughout the story, the banker presumed that the lawyer would welcome the money. However, at the end of the letter, the banker discovers that the lawyer has learned of the emptiness of materialism and has thus decided to forego the prize.

Tess, Owl Eyes Staff

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"Elburz and Mont Blanc,..." See in text (Part II)

The Elburz mountain range is located in northern Iran; Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the French Alps. Throughout his many years reading about the world, he has vicariously traveled to these peaks.

Tess, Owl Eyes Staff

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