The Lady, or the Tiger? Group at eNotes

Stockton writes that if the "criminal" chooses the door with the hungry...

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:26:35 PST

Stockton writes that if the "criminal" chooses the door with the hungry tiger, "doleful iron bells were clanged, great wails went up from the hired mourners posted on the outer rim of the arena, and the vast audience, with bowed heads and downcast hearts, wended slowly their homeward way, mourning greatly that one so young and fair, or so old and respected, should have merited so dire a fate." Because of the king's love for theatrics, the...

On the other hand, it could be that the creator has little faith in what...

Thu, 4 Jun 2009 23:08:10 PST

On the other hand, it could be that the creator has little faith in what they do and either can't create an ending or doesn't want to create one for fear of being criticized for a weak ending. It happens all the time in film, where a director will make more than one ending because they have so little faith in their work for an ending.

When the story is read for the first time, the ending is a shock--and...

Thu, 4 Jun 2009 22:58:43 PST

When the story is read for the first time, the ending is a shock--and usually a frustrating one! We want to turn the page to see how it comes out. This reaction shows how attuned we are to the basic narrative structure: introduction, conflict, rising action, dramatic climax, and conclusion. In this story, we are denied the dramatic climax with its resolution of the conflict, and there certainly is no conclusion to wrap it all up and let us...

This is very question that Frank Stockton, the author, proposes to the...

Thu, 4 Jun 2009 14:45:43 PST

This is very question that Frank Stockton, the author, proposes to the readers: Now, the point of the story is this: Did the tiger come out of that door, or did the lady? Stockton directs the reader to consider analyses of characters before writing the denouement to his plot of "The Lady, or the Tiger?" a study of the human heart which leads us through roundabout pathways of passion, of of which it is difficult to find our way. As...

Who comes out of the opened door-the lady,or the tiger?

Thu, 4 Jun 2009 14:02:09 PST

Who comes out of the opened door-the lady,or the tiger?

When the story was first published, it created an intense reaction by...

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 06:32:04 PST

When the story was first published, it created an intense reaction by readers who wanted a resolution, one way or the other. Any time I have taught this short story in my classroom, my students invariably groan and complain. the ending of The Sopranos television show reminded me of "The Lady or the Tiger?" because of the outcry of disappointed viewers who wanted a satisfying ending, not ambiguity.

Any time you put down a book and wonder, then the book has a perfect...

Sun, 31 May 2009 22:29:48 PST

Any time you put down a book and wonder, then the book has a perfect ending. If you put it down and say, huh?, it hasn't done its job. The same can be said with any of the arts, and for this book in particular, it made me wonder at the end, did the man meet the woman or the tiger? And so it goes with any unsolvable problem. I can see people not liking the story without an ending in which case they point out that the author does not have...

So much can be read into the fact that the king is "semi-barbaric". He...

Sun, 31 May 2009 20:54:23 PST

So much can be read into the fact that the king is "semi-barbaric". He does know right from wrong, but he chooses to ignore it and go with with whatever he fancies. In a sense, this makes him, perhaps, the worse kind of character. He does, in fact, know that his ways are evil and subject to incorrect chance, but he does not care. He sees his method as a perfect fifty percent to fifty percent, so according to him, it is fair. Still,...

What do you think is the effect of an ending like this?

Sun, 31 May 2009 19:23:48 PST

Personally I think this kind of ending makes the story more memorable. It makes me wonder what would've happened and makes me think about the two different possibilities.

Who were paid to wail if the unlucky door was picked?

Sun, 31 May 2009 17:04:21 PST

Who were paid to wail if the unlucky door was picked?

In the story "The Lady, or the Tiger?" the king is defined as...

Sun, 31 May 2009 13:39:23 PST

In the story "The Lady, or the Tiger?" the king is defined as "semi-barbaric"; however, from his conduct in the narrative "barbaric" seems more appropriate. For, the author's use of irony in his descriptions of the king suggest the cruelty of the ruler: When everything moved smoothly, his nature was bland and genial; but whenever there was a little hitch, he was blander and more genial still, for nothing pleased him so much as to make the...

How would you describe the character of the king and the way he rules...

Sun, 31 May 2009 13:02:10 PST

How would you describe the character of the king and the way he rules his people in "The Lady, or the Tiger?"?

Topic: What would happen if the TIGER came out of the door? I know the...

Wed, 13 May 2009 15:28:28 PST

Topic: What would happen if the TIGER came out of the door? I know the princess would be sad and all, but list some more stuff that may happen, from your perspective. Let's just say, the tiger came out of the right door. I want to know what would you think would happen like after 5 months or something. List ANY possibilities that may occur. Other that the princess being sad and all. Imagine. Would she poison herself? I just want to know...

What would happen if the LADY came out of the door. I know the princess...

Tue, 12 May 2009 15:38:00 PST

Let's just say, the lady came out of the right door. I want to know what would you think would happen like after 5 months or something. List ANY possibilities that may occur. Other that the princess being jelous and all. Imagine. Would she poison the lady? Would she confront the young man?

I just want to know those things for my essay..... "What do you think would happen if the lady came out, imagine it after 5-8 months of the...

the author never consider the king's system of justice as perfectly...

Mon, 11 May 2009 22:39:21 PST

the author never consider the king's system of justice as perfectly fair, infact in his description about the king as "semi-barbaric", you can actually conclude that the author was trying to say that the king's justice system is unfair,that's it.

The barbaric nature for the king and his daughter found in their sense...

Mon, 11 May 2009 06:46:00 PST

The barbaric nature for the king and his daughter found in their sense of justice and entertainment. The king didn't care about discovering how was actually guilty and innocent, he wanted to leave everything to chance and allow the justice system to provide entertainment for himself and others. He is also barbaric in the sense that his reward system for being innocent completely disregarded the feelings and desires of the person on trial. He...

What was "barbaric" about the king and his daughter? What wasn't Barbaric?

Sat, 9 May 2009 16:16:34 PST

What was "barbaric" about the king and his daughter? What wasn't Barbaric?

what is the king's method of lady accused criminila? (The lady or the...

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:18:08 PST

what is the king's method of lady accused criminila? (The lady or the tiger)

the king all crazi

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 05:41:44 PST

the king all crazi

The reader is left hanging about this question -- Yes, the princess...

Mon, 9 Mar 2009 09:40:58 PST

The reader is left hanging about this question -- Yes, the princess motioned toward the right door, but we also know that she was very jealous, meaning she might have decided that it would be better for her love to die/ get eaten than to marry another woman. The author here uses intentional ambiguity; that is, he forces the reader to decide for themselves the fate of the young suitor. We as an audience are left to figure out just what...