The Bet is amazing in its ability to fit so many philosophical questions into one short story. The first is obvious, the stated question of the morality of capital punishment. Others get more complicated, such as the question of the ignorance of man, and the danger of too much knowledge. What is even more amazing is Chekhov’s ability to present all of these arguments in such a detached way, not seeming biased at all. Even in the description of the characters and the setting Chekhov remains very vague and does not favor one side or the other. He seems to give the facts in the story and not much else; he lets you decide who is right and who is wrong. The effect of this being a short story is that Chekhov can get away with making the story not very descriptive and detached and this makes this story very ambiguous. There is no good guy or bad guy, just people and a conflict. The story starts on a dark autumn night, an ominous setting that appears in many stories. A banker is pacing back and forth in his office remembering some night 15 years ago which is obviously important. The story transitions into a flashback to that night. A party is underway hosted by the banker at which the hot topic was capital punishment. The banker and a lawyer at the party eventually settled on a bet that the lawyer could not stay in solitude for 15 years, and if he did, the banker would give him 2 millions. The rest of the first half of the story goes over what the banker sees the lawyer doing during his imprisonment, and the second half takes you to the present just before the lawyers time is up. Something is odd about Chekhov’s writing throughout the entire story, his description is almost non-existent. It does not seem likely that 2 people would descri... ... middle of paper ... ...ry a much more personal story, forcing the readers to decide for themselves who is right, and who is wrong. The fact that a short story was the medium through which to tell this story is amazing, as it does not make it seem of lower quality because the details are missing, it seems to fit. Chekhov also remains very neutral in his description of the events, which lets the reader create even more of a story for themselves. Not only does the reader create settings and environments for themselves, but their own personal beliefs can sway things such as how characters look and their mannerisms. While other writers focus on giving an overabundance of detail, Chekhov stays very cold, not describing or giving bias. With this style of writing Chekhov has achieved a great feat in being able to let a reader make their own story, and the short story medium is perfect for this.
He abandons omniscience, the story’s main narration style, and writes in the first-person: “The hero of my story, whom I love with all my heart and soul, whom I have attempted to portray in all his beauty and who has always been, is now and always will be supremely magnificent, is truth” (Tolstoy 109 [1986]). Unlike many literary works, there is no analysis needed in order to uncover Tolstoy’s primary message — he directly expresses to readers that truth is the center of the text. Essentially, the story’s characters, settings, and plot are merely vehicles Tolstoy manipulates to bring him to this final sentence where the central theme is revealed; everything in the piece ties back to the concept and central theme of truth. Some might say this ending degrades the story’s literary appeal because it does not allow for a clean resolution, but in many ways, this proclamation serves as the story’s climax. In this moment, the veil of fiction is lifted away from the reader’s eyes and only then can they see the story clearly.
Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment incorporates the significance of murder into the novel through a multitude of levels. The act of killing is not only used to further the plot point of the novel, but also offers insight to the reader of Raskolnikov’s ideology and psyche. This is portrayed through both his initial logic and reasoning behind the plotting of the crime, as well as through his immediate and long term reactions after killing Alyona Ivanovna. The emotional and physical responses instilled in Raskolnikov after killing Alyona Ivanovna as well as his justification for doing so helps illustrate his utilitarianism by offering accurate insight into the character’s moral values. These reactions also serve to show the instability of Raskolnikov’s character due to his changing emotions from being completely justified as the ubermensch to showing a sense of great regret. By including the act of killing, Dostoevsky further develops Raskolnikov’s character, and provides another level of detail to readers concerning his ideology and beliefs prior to his actions.
Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment explores the themes of guilt and the consequences of committing immoral actions. Of all the deep, thought-provoking concepts put forth in Crime and punishment, the idea that guilt can be an adequate punishment more valid than any punishment executed by society as a whole is the most far reaching and supported by the novel. Crime and Punishment follows Rodian Raskolnikov’s life from just a few days before he commits two brutal murders to when he confesses his crimes and is convicted and sentenced to several years in prison. Initially, Rodian had successfully gotten away with the murder of two people. Raskolnikov’s guilt-driven madness has given him an immunity and even investigators he confesses to think he couldn’t be guilty. As a result, his guilt continues to feed on his conscience to the point where he is constantly miserable. Raskolnikov’s true punishment is the futility of his attempt to escape the guilt of his actions without confessing and feeling adequately punished.
Pascal’s argument “The Wager” says that it is more reasonable to believe in God than to not believe in god. There are many objections to “The Wager” argument, but William G. Lycan and George N. Schlesinger defend Pascal’s argument. This response will give a brief overview of Pascal’s wager and an overview of Lycan and Schlesinger’s argument while it is being evaluated.
Societal failures during the time the book was written had a tremendous affect on the character development in the novel, Crime and Punishment. At the time, which Crime and Punishment was written, in the mid 1860s, Siberia, Russia was in poverty-stricken conditions. Under the rule of Tsar Alexander II of Russia, many outrageous reforms were passed on. Alexander issued a reform with the hope of emancipating millions of Russian peasants who were owned by landowners. However, what was meant to benefit the peasants, it rather constituted a major restructure of the Russian Society, thus causing much of chaos and turmoil. Through Raskolinokov’s perspective, we are able to see how poor and desolate the conditions are. Especially in the Capitol of Russia, where Raskolinokov lives in, there are many people who live on the streets, and seems as if poverty is inevitably unavo...
It has been said of Anton Chekhov, the renown Russian short-story writer, that in all of his “work, there is never exactly a point. Rather we see into someone’s hear – in just a few pages, the curtain concealing these lives has been drawn back, revealing them in all their helplessness and rage and rancor.” Alice Munro, too, falls into this category. Many of her short-stories, such as “Royal Beatings” focus more on character revelation rather than plot.
Author of Crime and Punishment, Feodor Dostoevsky, uses the text to subtly exhibit factors which aid in disproving the idea of scientific materialism. He aims to prove that there must be another explanation for our complexities, unlike the opposing one in which everything is believed to be made or conducted by matter. Regardless of extensive scientific experimentation, there are still many aspects of the human mind and body that remain unclear. Crime and Punishment relays some extreme qualities possessed by humans which are argued by many to be valid proof of our creation by a higher power. The fact that humans are emotional beings and that emotions are not classified as matter creates the opportunity for philosophical debate. Dostoevsky feeds on this uncertainty and assists in the argument of refuting scientific materialism by providing examples of human emotions such as shame, pity, compassion, love, and guilt. He also attempts to refute scientific materialism by suggesting the existence of a human conscience, free will, self sacrifice, and pure evil.
It seems as though Pyotr and Alexeich both represent different aspects of Chekhov’s father, and Chekhov himself is Anna. Chekov’s father was aloof from his family and came from a lower class background; like Modest Alexeich, Chekhov’s father also fawned at the feet of his social superiors. Chekhov, in contrast, was an unconventional boy. He eventually broke from his family’s lower class position and became a doctor; however, throughout his school and career he performed additional odd jobs to earn money he could send to his father. Also like Anna, Chekhov loved to be with people (Payne xiii, xvii-xxi). Comparing the two, then, it would seem as if Chekhov identifies with Anna as she struggles to find her social identity and wrestles with her desires and the needs of those she loves. This tone gives the story a melancholy mood and leads to a bittersweet conclusion. The ending seems happy for Anna, yet the reader is left to wonder what the ending represents. Did her father and husband receive the dues for their behavior? Are Anna’s actions a normal product of the transformation from youth to adulthood, or did she come to completely discard respect and
Crime and Punishment takes us in the puzzle centered on Raskolnikov, a young man in old Russia who commits murder and then after a lot of lies and deceit finally pays for his wrongdoings.
Some people want to lose all of their human characteristics. Whether it is replacing a body part with a robotic one to become a cyborg, or enhancing their senses with external supplements, the possibilities are endless as mankind strives to phase out of its natural form. But maybe there’s another way to lose humanity. In “The Bet”, Anton Chekhov decides to go a different route to change somebody human into a cold, calculating being. By making a bet and putting a lawyer into fifteen years of solitary confinement, the banker, without a clue, strips the lawyer of his humanity. As the lawyer is in prison, different changes happen to him and several themes arise. In “The Bet”, Anton Chekhov discusses the theme of material existence and ignorance through the passage of
Winning vast amounts of money can make anyone slaphappy, but unfortunately this type of wager won’t be discussed in Shirley Jacksons “The Lottery.” Jackson catches the reader’s attention by describing a typical day by using words such as “blossoming, clear and sunny skies” to attract the reader into believing a calm and hopeful setting which eventually turns dark. In this short story Jackson tells a tale of a sinister and malevolent town in America that conforms to the treacherous acts of murder in order to keep their annual harvest tradition alive. Jackson exposes the monstrosity of people within this society in this chilling tale. She allows the reader’s to ponder and lead them to believe that the lottery is actually a good thing; till she implements foreshadowing, to hint at the dreadfulness behind the lottery and its meaning. My goal in this paper is to discuss why Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a portrayed as a horror story, and the importance the townspeople used to glorify ritualistic killings, to appease to an unseeable force in return of good harvest for the upcoming year.
Throughout history, people have relied on fate as the reason for their misfortune. Whether they let it decide their actions or run their life, fate has been the excuse for many to make bad decisions. In Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Raskolnikov blames the majority of his crime on the instances of fate leading up to the murder of Alyona Ivanovna. Through Raskolnikov’s reliance on fate, readers are able to see Dostoyevsky’s negative stance on the concept of fate. Dostoyevsky does not approve of the use of fate as the determining factor for any logical decision. Dostoyevsky makes it clear that Raskolnikov’s use of fate to justify his actions can only result in a negative outcome.
Throughout the book, “Crime and Punishment,” by Fyodor Dostoevsky, we see key words that play major roles in the plot and development of the story. Five words, in particular, act as front-runners in symbolic themes; they are crime, punishment, poverty, suffering, and child. There is no doubt that these words play a major factor in the novel because not only do we see these words often, but also we experience the words as they are lived through by many of the major characters. What some readers might not realize is that Dostoevsky does not let only one of the words dominate a scene in the book; they are intermingled concepts. Where there is one of the five major words of the novel, Dostoevsky usually accompanies it with another. All five of the words are dependent of each other and without one of them, the novel would not demonstrate the story and powerful themes that Dostoevsky was looking to present.
Short fiction stories are short stories that are not real. These stories are made up in the minds of the writers of the stories. Each story will have literary devices throughout it to enhance the story. These enhance literature because without them in the story, the reader would not be able to visualize the story and understand it as well as the author would like for the reader to. Strong short stories should have several literary devices throughout them to help the reader completely grasp what the writer is trying to unveil. Dynamic character makes the story in Anton Checkov’s story “The Bear.” The setting is important in Shirley Jackson’s “Lottery” and theme is important in Guy De Maupassant’s “The Necklace”.
Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. Trans. Constance Garnett. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2007. Print.