“Why did I make this bet? What’s the good? The lawyer loses fifteen years of his life and I throw away two millions. Will it con
vince people that capital punishment is worse or better than imprisonment for life? No, no! all stuff and rubbish. On my part, it was the caprice of a well-fed man; on the lawyer’s pure greed of gold.” According to the excerpt, what motivated the lawyer to wager the bet? A.sense of justice B.boredom C.love for a child D.desire for money
The excerpt presented belongs to the short-story "The Bet" by Anton Chekhov in which a banker an a lawyer make a bet in which the lawyer has to spend 15 years in confinement and if he does this he will prove to the banker life imprisonment is better than death penalty and receive money for it. In the excerpt presented the banker and narrator begins reflecting the reasons why he accepted the bet and he states as a result of it the lawyer lost time and he lost money, also he wonders if that will prove people anything about capital punishment and life imprisonment and he finally admits he accepted the bet because of "the caprice of a well-fed man; on the lawyer’s pure greed of gold", this shows the banker accepted the bet for a simple or caprice and he believes the lawyer wager the bet because of his greed of gold or due to desire for money (Option D).
It sets the scene of pre-revolutionary France and demonstrates dickens’ sympathy toward the people of France at this time. The quote is important because it still shows the humanity of the peasants before it is ripped away from them by the hatred and violence brought on by the revolution.
