Compare and Contrast Essay: The Name is Mine vs. The Bet

People's perspectives on significant philosophical and moral issues can be swayed by society. As a result, growing up in a system that limits the ability to influence the choices faced in life. Within The Bet, the lawyer, regarded as the protagonist, makes the most vital decision throughout the story, eventually fearing his existence and abandoning the banker's risk. Whereas Anna Quindlen, the protagonist of The Name is Mine, makes a crucial decision to honor her name, refusing her married name. Both the protagonist and antagonist of The Bet and The Name is Mine stress the significance of maturity when making decisions, as they genuinely represent a person and life aspirations.

All judgments, regardless of magnitude, are influenced by one's concept of identity. In The Bet, the lawyer constructs a new persona as a type of contrarian mystic who challenges or rejects the whole of society. Before being mentioned, he renounces the money he would have won as part of the bet and later vanishes. While in The Name is Mine, Anna firmly believed that she had made the right choice to keep her maiden name. Amid her ruling, she preserved her individuality, and she came to embrace her childhood nickname.“There are numerous influences on personal and professional decisions. People often make decisions that follow identities. That is, when making decisions, people are influenced significantly by questions about their personal identities,” (Jonassen). By re-examining the conceptions of who each person is and what's genuine, identity is mastered. If not vigilant, society could miss how the sense of self, along with characters, impact the choices made, and the institutions served. "If decision-making is not a case of rational preference-based choice but identity-driven or rule-based action , then the forming of identities is a possible source of organizational strength or weakness," (Turner). Decisions, both good and bad, have a profound impact on the community. Whether it's staying secluded from the rest of humanity or sticking to a name, societies’ beliefs shape the decisions made, and those actions impact the world.

Emotions are powerful, all-pervading, seldom destructive, and sometimes beneficial decision-makers. The ways through which emotions impact perceptions and decisions show substantial regularities across many areas.“Mental processes that are inaccessible to consciousness organize our thinking, shape our judgments, form our characters, and provide us with the skills we need to thrive,” (Books 2011,p. Xi). As such, emotions can be utilized as a launching pad for irrational or rational decision-making and actions, which have a profound impact on character and overall well-being. Throughout the lawyer's imprisonment, he was noted as being miserable, vulnerable, and hostile during his sentence. “Those who watched him through the window said that all that year he spent doing nothing, but eating, drinking and lying on his bed, frequently yawning and angrily talking to himself. He did not read books. Sometimes at night, he would sit down to write; he would spend hours writing, and in the morning tear up all that he had written. More than once he could be heard crying,” (Chekhov 3). Essentially, the contented lawyer’s ego shifted into a vengeful, enraged, and despondent adult. His confirmation bias led to illogical conduct, which resulted in negative repercussions such as losing his independence and being cut off from the rest of society. “When I made this decision, I was part of a couple. Now, there are two me's, the me who is the individual, and the me who is part of a family of four, a family of four, in which, in a small way, I am left out,” (Quindlen 6). In a sense, Anna was reluctant to make a hasty decision without much deliberation. She had the unnerving feeling that her child was trying to make sure she was one of them, which she was, but also that she wasn't. Such, a person's overall mood has a major influence on the speed and efficiency with which they make decisions. Without a doubt, prevailing emotions have an unexpected influence on decision-making by changing the perceived value of possible decision outcomes. 

Maturity became part of the protagonists' lives since they valued materialistic worth above all else. "The intensity of materialism is certainly associated with the standard of living that plays a substantial role in making things more salient to one’s self-concept. The general psychometric results of researches confirm materialism as a pervasive construct that exists in the different cultures of the world," (Griffin). As such, the degree of materialistic value is undoubtedly linked to the development and quality of one's life. Anna Quindlen chose to keep her maiden name over her married name, which had created conflict within her family. Afraid of making the wrong decision and risking relationships was something she put into consideration. So naturally, when someone's loved ones are involved, social and emotional maturity develops as a result of the risk entailed in making certain judgments. Not only did her preference strengthen her relationships, but it also weakened them as people made things more irritable for her. The link between the two stories is the culmination of social maturity for Anna and the lawyer. Having to determine who is most important or what is most important in life. When significant individuals are active in decision-making, social maturity emerges. Both Chekov's and Quindlen's novels demonstrated the maturation of characters as a result of the fear of destruction that comes with making a decision.

By the end, both protagonists had discovered that there is hope. Finding the most vital decisions they made shaped their lives for the better. Every day, the potential to develop  decision-making skills is by the choices made. It is critical to be conscious of  influences if anyone is to make sound judgments. Decision-making procedures can be beneficial because they urge all to take a step back from the circumstances and evaluate it objectively.