The Lady and the Tiger by Frank R. Stockton | Teen Ink

The Lady and the Tiger by Frank R. Stockton

November 29, 2016
By Anonymous

The Lady and the Tiger is a short story written by Frank R. Stockton for publication in the magazine The Century in 1882."The Lady, or the Tiger?" has entered the English language as an allegorical expression, a shorthand indication or signifier, for a problem that is unsolvable.


The short story takes place in a land ruled by a semi-barbaric king. Some of the king's ideas are progressive, but some of his rule makes many people suffer. One of the king’s innovations is the use of a public trial by ordeal as an agent of poetic justice, with guilt or innocence decided by the result of chance. A person accused of a crime is brought into a public area and must choose one of two doors. Behind one door is a lady whom the king has deemed an appropriate match for the accused; behind the other is a fierce, hungry tiger ready to kill and eat the criminal. Both doors are heavily soundproofed to prevent the accused from hearing what is behind each one. If he chooses the door with the lady behind it, he is innocent and must immediately marry her, but if he chooses the door with the tiger behind it, he is deemed guilty and is immediately devoured by it.


The king knows that his daughter has a lover, who is of lower status than the princess, an commoner, and has him imprisoned to await trial. By the time that day comes, the princess has used her influence to learn the positions of the lady and the tiger behind the two doors. She has also discovered that the lady is someone whom she hates, thinking her to be a rival for the affections of the accused. She known that person is very kind and beautiful. And someday her lover will forget her. When her lover looks to the her for help, she discreetly indicates the door on his right, which he opens.


From that Stockton wanted us to thought and decided what gonna happen next. And that cause people asking themselves what will happen and it made the story become interesting. It telling the death of the brave commoner just like a flip of coin. So what if you choose the door with the tiger? or the lady? How do you think? Do it sounds interesting? 


The author's comments:

I wrote this article for my English exam. I would like to know what are you thinking so please comment and let me know what I needs to improve


 


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