ipl-logo

Frank Stockton's The Lady Or The Tiger: Summary

850 Words4 Pages

In “The Lady or the Tiger” by Frank Stockton, a question about two doors leaves endless possibilities for debates and showcases the many different traits a person can possess. When facing the choice between a lady or a tiger, personalities and interpretation of human habits are revealed. In reference to the story, Stockton says the decision helps “... you find out what kind of a person you are yourself” (304). Stockton’s quote is often interpreted as the decision made based from the story is what would be chosen in real life by the decision maker. However, looking deeper at the quote shows that the question actually displays the thought process and practicality of the decision maker. In “The Lady or the Tiger”, the question of what a choice can reveal about decision-making processes and how a person thinks is intended to be ambiguous and never have a clear answer. Since the question is presented right away, facts must be gathered and analyzed to determine a decision while deciphering what the author is asking in the title. The question raises reflection on how a choice was made and divulges on thought process and personal speculation about …show more content…

Once the choice is made, it reveals characteristics and a detailed insight into the thought process of decision maker. The inconclusive question is intentionally unanswered to ensure that there cannot be a right or wrong statement. The question itself can be misinterpreted by its answer being understood as only exposing what decision maker would choose themselves because of their opinion on the outcome of the princess’ choice. “The Lady or the Tiger” provides a literal reference to the critic Roland Barthes’ quote that “Literature is the question minus the answer”. Without the ambiguous question presented right away in the title, the short story would have no true meaning or theme behind its

Show More
Related

  • A Real Live Blond Cherokee Character Analysis

    201 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the story “A Real-Live Blond Cherokee and His Equally Annoyed Soul Mate” the narrator Victor is a protagonist character and is daring and upset. This lead him to get into unknown places and making himself look jealous of the girl. Victor started telling the reader what to call him, “Call me an idiot. But I let myself into the gate” (Smith 38). He let himself into a property that he had never been in and he does not know if it is dangerous.

    Read More

  • Relationships In Sharon M. Draper's Tears Of A Tiger

    1113 Words  | 5 Pages

    “ It’s dark where I am and I cannot find the light. There are shadows all around me and my heart is full of fright.” –Andy Jackson. Depression was overpowering Andy when he was facing adversity. Relationships affected Andy during crisis.

    Read More

  • Two Fishermen And The Snob Analysis

    1068 Words  | 5 Pages

    When it comes to doing what 's right; when stuck in a dilemma, how does one conform? Society is constantly edging us to submit to external pressures with the fear of being judged even if it might be the wrong decision. Two Fishermen, and The Snob illustrated by Morley Callaghan are both exceptional examples on how society views and pressures can have an impact on one’s actions towards a situation. Whether it is based on one’s hierarchy placement by assumptions or, even when one gets judged by the way they appear. Throughout these two short stories, the protagonists Michael and John are placed in tough situations making them face societal obstacles.

    Read More

  • The Bass The River And Sheila Mant Character Analysis

    708 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Bass the River and Sheila Mant, W.D. Wetherell uses character development of Sheila and internal conflict of the narrator in order to show that the choices you make to please others are not as good as the choices you make to help yourself. In the beginning, the narrator explains character development to describe Sheila and why she is so desirable. The narrator likes Sheila so much because she is a little bit older than him and that makes it harder to be with her, which drives the narrator more and more. The narrator is describing Sheila, in the beginning of the story to show how interested he is with her.

    Read More

  • The Glass Roses Analysis

    1524 Words  | 7 Pages

    Stephen’s partner, Leka, teaches him that it is important to be your own individual and not let anyone shape who you want to be by sculpting you own ideals and values. Stephen wants to have the choice to gain his own set of values and ideals that will steer his life showing that he has begun to find a path to

    Read More

  • Social Characterism In The Glass Roses By Alden Nowlan

    1317 Words  | 6 Pages

    Individuals may come across a moment in their lives where he/she will have to choose between their own interests or to conform to the norm of society. To some, the choice will be clear; others may feel conflicted where the choice will be unclear. In the short story, “The Glass Roses” by Alden Nowlan, Nowlan shows a sensitive individual’s reaction when experiencing difficulty while deciding between their self-interests or to integrate into society. Stephen, a young fifteen year old boy, suffers from being significantly different to those around him. As a result, he musters up both feelings to fit in his social environment and his own interests.

    Read More

  • Short Happy Life Of Francis Macomber Essay

    684 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ernest Hemingway’s story, “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”, is about a wealthy couple who travels to Africa on a Safari. On their journey, they are escorted by a hunter named Robert Wilson, who acts as a foil character to Macomber, highlighting how he is not a real man.. Macomber has the opportunity to kill a lion, but he runs away. This makes his character stray away from the story’s idea of what a real man is. A real man in this story is portrayed as courageous, prideful, and he must also have a beautiful woman at his side.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Living Like Weasels

    1487 Words  | 6 Pages

    Despite her attempts, Dillard fails to present a compelling argument in either case to make the reader want to change their current way of life. In her attempts at appealing to her ethos, Dillard establishes herself as similar to most others to try and demonstrate that anyone can pursue this life, however, this merely serves to show that, like Dillard, few people have reasons to change their life. It also serves to show that even those who want to change their lifestyle will have the same difficulties that Dillard had in leaving her previous life and ways of thinking. The use of pathos further discredits Dillard’s argument by essentially establishing the weasel as a ruthless killer and then asking the reader to adopt its lifestyle as their own. Dillard presents a weak argument in her composition and relies on her detailed language and confusing analogies to convince the reader to senselessly adopt the life of a

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Bass And Sheila Mant

    250 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the story “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant” a boy takes a girl named Sheila Mant on a date and has to make a difficult decision. That difficult decision is his dream girl or a huge fish that he might never get the chance to catch again. This is a hard choice to make because he loves fishing, but Sheila on the other hand does not. He could pick Sheila because he loves her very much. For the past couple of summers he has been admiring and watching her.

    Read More

  • All Fall Down Theme Essay

    818 Words  | 4 Pages

    The chosen conflict was human vs self because she is trying to overcome her self-doubts about whether her mother was actually murdered or if it was nothing but an accident like everybody constantly tells her. The conflict of human vs self was demonstrated all throughout the story more specifically after the ball when she first sees the Scarred Man. In this part of the

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: The Lady And The Tiger

    599 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lady and the Tiger Argumentative Essay “She knew in which of the two rooms that lay behind those doors stood the cage of the tiger, and which waited the lady.” Which did she choose? In Frank Stockton's short story, the Lady and the Tiger, the lovely princess loves deeply for a man, but now that her father has found out she is with a man in a lower social class, she had to witness her soul mate be sentenced to her father’s coliseum. The princess loves this man greatly, but she is scared that she would have to watch her lover being mauled by a tiger or fall in love with a woman that she deeply despises.

    Read More

  • 'Door In The Story The Lady Or The Tiger'

    740 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although it is impossible to know what the princess’ decision ultimately was, it is rational to say that it was the tiger that was behind the door. To begin with, the readers are given with some information about the princess such when the text states, “The semi barbaric king had a daughter as blooming as his most florid fancies and with a soul

    Read More

  • Tale From The Jungle Margaret Mead Analysis

    825 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Tale From the Jungle: Margaret Mead”, youtube videos, which was introduced by Professor Ana, humanities professor, are a six long clip video documentaries of the first anthropology’s discoveries ever brought to public, the Samoan civilization. This ‘Samoan civilization’ anthropology discovery was discovered by Mead Margaret, an American female anthropologist, and later by Derek Freeman, an Australian anthologist. According to Mead Margaret, an American female anthropologist, she believes that humans are influenced by nurture. On the other side, Derek Freeman, an Australian anthologist, opposes Mead Margaret’s idea. He believes that humans are influenced by nature.

    Read More

  • The Princess's Choice In 'The Lady Or The Tiger'

    760 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Princess’s Choice Frank R. Stockton, the author of The Lady or The Tiger, wrote the story and left us questioning who might have been behind the door. The story is puzzling and mysterious all together. The story gives many evidences and hints to the princess’s decision. Some would say that the lady came out from behind the door, but there are several evidence that show that the princess chose the door with the tiger. First of all, if the princess chose the lady, she would be in so much pain to see her lover and the lady together.

    Read More

  • The Lady Or The Tiger Analysis

    778 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lady Vs. Tiger In the story “ The Lady , or the Tiger?” By Frank R. Stockson there is a semi-barbaric king who’s way of punishing a criminal was by giving him two options which in this case were two doors. He could open either door he pleased in which one of them had a tiger and the other the lady , if he opened the one with the tiger the tiger would immediately eat him but if he got the lady he would have to marry her and make a family.

    Read More

More about Frank Stockton's The Lady Or The Tiger: Summary

Open Document