Editor's Choice
In "The Bet" by Anton Chekhov, why is the bet referred to as "cursed" by the banker?
Quick answer:
The banker calls the bet "cursed" because it has led to his financial ruin and jeopardized his reputation. Over the years, his fortunes declined, and as the bet's end approached, he faced severe debt. Winning the bet would have meant paying two million rubles, which he couldn't afford, driving him to contemplate murder. However, the lawyer forfeits the bet, sparing the banker. Thus, the "curse" ultimately affects the lawyer instead.
The banker regards the bet as "cursed" because it seems to have brought him nothing but bad luck. Since making the bet with the young lawyer, the banker's fortunes have taken a serious turn for the worse. As the terms of the bet draw to a close, the banker is mired in serious debt. If the young lawyer holds out and wins the two million rubles, the banker will be utterly ruined—not just financially, but also in terms of his reputation.
No wonder, then, that the banker gets so desperate when it seems like the lawyer's going to win the bet after all. He heads off to the garden house on his estate where the lawyer has been staying in solitary confinement for the past fifteen years, intent on killing the lawyer before he can win the bet. Fortunately for the banker, he doesn't have to resort to such drastic measures; on the desk in front of the sleeping lawyer is a note in which the lawyer states his intention to concede the bet five minutes before it's due to expire. Perhaps the bet was cursed after all—just not for the banker.
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