This Anton Chekhov opens with a dinner discussion about capital punishment. A banker claims the death penalty is kind because a lifetime in prison is not worth living. A lawyer argues that any life is better than no life at all. To prove his point, the banker bets the lawyer a small fortune that he couldn’t survive being locked up for many years with minimal contact with the outside world. Towards the end of the period, the banker visits him with murderous intent. Themes include crime and punishment, idealism and conviction, isolation and dehumanization, acquired wisdom, greed and excess.
The end of the story raises a fascinating question. If the banker had not read the lawyer’s letter, he was intent on smothering him with a pillow. If found out and convicted, would he have wished for capital punishment, or pleaded for a life sentence?
The Bet Text / PDF / Audio (2,700 words)