The Classical Introvert's Blog

  Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s “The Lie” is a short story that shows arrogance and entitlement of privileged people which was portrayed in the characters of the Remenzel family. Eli, the main character in the story hides the truth from his parents that he failed to pass the entrance examination; only to be revealed in the worst way possible. When the parents find out that their son was denied admission to the most prestigious school for boys where all his forefathers had gone, they had demanded the board to make an exception for him. The Remenzels are known for the many contributions to their school that had led to opportunities for the less privileged, at least according to Mrs. Remenzel. In the beginning of the book, they displayed prejudice towards the less fortunate and the ‘colored people’ but are then veered towards a revelation that would cause them shame. They are humbled when the chairman disagrees with their arrogance and commands.   Discussion:             The Whitehill School

              “The Bet” is a short story written by Anton Chekhov in 1889. There are two main characters in the story: the banker and the lawyer. They had made a bet on one another after discussing whether capital punishment is better or worse than life imprisonment. The banker wagered two million that the lawyer will not last five years in prison. The lawyer took the bet and added ten more years in prison in order to prove that life imprisonment is better than death penalty. The lawyer would be locked away with strict supervision inside the banker’s lodge in his garden. The lawyer can request any kind and at any quantity of books, musical instruments, wine, and tobacco; however, he is strictly not allowed to communicate orally nor was he allowed to hear human voices. He can only communicate through writing outside of his cell.   Discussion:             The excerpt above provides two contending ideas regarding death penalty and life imprisonment with the inclusion of Christian va