The Bet

Protagonist- Prisoner because he took the bet and spent 15 years in prison

Antagonist- The banker represents society because he challenges the prisoner to a bet of imprisonment for fifteen years

Type of conflict- Person v. Society because society is the ones who came up with the death penalty and imprisonment for life and with out this there wouldn’t be a conflict

Plot: Exposition- When the journalists and intellectual men are at a party, hosted by a banker, arguing over the death penalty

Inciting Event- When the Banker made a bet of two million dollars with the lawyer that he couldn’t stay in jail for fifteen years

Rising Action- What the lawyer did in prison such as playing the piano, reeding, writing, studing different languages, and drinking wine during his fifth year in prison

Climax- When the Banker finds the letter and reads that the lawyer doesn’t want the two million dollars

Falling Action- When the banker finds out from the guard that the prisoner left

Resolution- When the Banker puts the letter in the fire-proof safe as if the bet never happened.

Symbol- All the money the banker owns represents greed

Meaning of Freedom- When you have freedom you can go see and talk to people, play sports, go for hikes, or even sit at home and watch television. The lawyer didn’t have any freedom because he was kept in jail and couldn’t socialize with anyone, and he could only write stories read certain things. He did have the freedom to say no to the bet, but he wanted to prove a point, and in doing so he lost fifteen years of his life, and the freedom to do whatever he wanted for those fifteen years.

Meaning of Home- Home is a place where you can relax, eat, sleep, be warm, and be comfortable, and to me has carpeting. It’s also a place with really familiar surroundings. The lawyer might have had that, but when he took the bet he went somewhere that probably didn’t have the best heating, hard cement floors, scarce food, and an uncomfortable bed. None of his surroundings were like the ones of his home.