Name : Luthfi variant Hanif

Class : 5B
Student’s ID : 1604201
Philosophical Bases of Literary Works--Retelling and Response

The Life We Are Looking For

Aristotle once said that the goal of human life is to have a good life, and in order to talk
about justice, one must define what is a good life. Anton Checkov in his short story titled The
Bet tries to tackle both of these questions: is death penalty a justice? And what makes a good
life? The story revolves around a bet made by a businessman and a young lawyer. The bet is
simple: can the young lawyer survive a voluntary seclusion for 15 years? The lawyer, who at
first seems up for the challenge, starts to feel depressed and lonely. Yet, from this depression
and loneliness, he gain a sort of divine blessings: he no longer have any desires for earthly
materials and feel detached from the material realm. His transformation begs a question: does
a kind of ultra spiritualistic makes a good life? To answer this question, Checkov used a
businessman character as a contrast. Unlike the lawyer who are separated from everyday life
to get a sort of an enlightment from his seclusion, the businessman constantly anxious as he
keep thinking about his wealth, about material that makes a good life for him. 14 years has
passed since the bet was put in place, it is apparent that the lawyer is winner. However, the
day before he is going to win the bet, the lawyer forfeit all of his bet and declare his loss, and
precisely because of that, he feels like a true winner, at least that is what he thought. The
business man finds a note written by the lawyer about his decision to forfeit the bet: he does
not care about material world at at all. The businessman takes the note and keeps it safely
inside a fireproof cabinet. In the end, no one seems to win the bet at all, both of them forfeit
from the bet all together. All that is remaining is for the businessman and the lawyer to live
their life in the way they choose to. The question of what makes a good life once again
escapes. And precisely because of that, we keep on living to find out.

In my response, I will solely focus on the theme of the story. The theme of this story for
me arises from both of the main character of the story: the lawyer and the businessman. From
a glance, reader might think that the businessman is the one who lost the bet, since the lawyer
is portrayed as the one gain the enlightment about the unimportance of this earthly existence.
Yet, one might question his sanity: does an admirable or piety person might write in a tone
which the lawyer uses in his final letter? Does one needs to behave like that to achieve a true
englightment? Does it worth all the bets we put? The dynamic and contrast between the
materialistic banker and the spiritualistic lawyer becomes the centre of the story, hence
reveals the nature of this story: what makes a good life? I admired the writer’s style to reveal
his story in such a simple manner yet complicated in the inside. The complexity which raises
from simplicity begs a deeper investigation. The author used the lawyer and the busninessman
as a starting point to compare and contrast what makes a good life. The lawyer finds a peace
in his solitary life and divine enlightment at the cost of his social life and, probably, sanity.
The businessman, although one can imagine him as a greedy person who cares only for
wealth, is constantly anxious because he is free to do what he likes and associate with
everyone whom he wishes. It is because he is free that he is constantly anxious, unlike the
lawyer. But which one is the correct one? Which one makes a good life? Checkov seems to
put his hand away from this profound issue and choose to take the middle way, hoping that
the reader will nod in agreement with him. Desires is important for human being, but we must
be constantly aware that everything will end one day. At least that is what I think Checkov is
trying to say.