Which door did the young man open in "The Lady, or the Tiger?"
The young man has certain considerations: The princess does love him, but she has seen him talking with a fair maiden and has become jealous as a result. And, she does have barbarism coursing through her blood. In addition, the princess knows the young woman who stands behind one door, a young coutier who has cast admiring looks at the young man many a time.
The girl was lovely, but she had dared to raise her eyes to the loved one of the princess; and, with all the intensity of the savage blood transmitted to her through long lines of wholly barbaric ancestors, she hated the woman sho bluched and trembled behind that silent door.
Yet, even though the young man knows that the princess is aware of who is behind the doors, when the princess indicates the door to the right, it is this same door that the young man chooses, also. He chooses...
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the door to the right, the same that she has chosen because, he believes, she figures that he will think she is trying to trick him since she is jealous, so he will then choose the left door where lies the tiger.
When he chooses the right door, it should, then, be the one containing the fair maiden.
Since we do not have any way of definitively knowing--the author made sure of that--we are all free to speculate. Here's my guess: she told him to open the door with the princess so her lover would live. THEN she will, at some point in time (probably sooner rather than later) she will do away with the beautiful princess and have her lover to herself again.
I think that this question really needs to be moved to the discussion section given this is one of the questions many students have pondered over the years.
One could justify either door in actuality. Readers know that the princess is semi-barbaric, like her father. Perhaps the thought of her lover being with another woman is simply too much for her to take and she believes it would best for him to die.
One could also justify that the princess loves her lover too much to bear the thought of his death. For that reason, she would have lead him to the door that the beautiful woman would have come out of.
In all actuality, Stockton never leads the reader in one direction or another. He simply leaves the answer up to the mind of the reader alone.
That being said, ones answer would depend solely upon their own barbaric nature.
I myself would like to see the lover and the princess together, but since I cannot, who can resit a good 'ol slaughter?
Which door did the princess's lover open in "The Lady, or the Tiger?"
Stockton purposely leaves this question unanswered at the end of the story as the young courtier receives the signal from the princess and walks towards the two doors that determine his fate. The answer is completely subjective and relies upon how the reader perceives the princess. The princess shares similar character traits with her father and is described as being semi-barbaric and hot-blooded. Despite being in love with the handsome courtier, she is also full of jealousy and despair when she discovers that he is attracted to his potential suitor. The reader's perception of human nature also plays a significant role in the conclusion of the story. If the reader feels that humans are inherently savage and hostile, they would more than likely believe that the princess condemned the courtier to death. However, if one believes that humans are intrinsically kind, compassionate beings, they would probably assume that the princess allowed the courtier to marry the attractive maiden. Personally, I believe the princess instructed the courtier to pick the door with the tiger behind it because of her jealous, vengeful nature.
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Which door will the princess choose for her lover in "The Lady, or the Tiger?"
This is a much debated question and I am sure that there will be other answers for you to look at, especially in the discussion postings. I will take a different approach on this and think about the crucial element that is exploited by Frank R. Stockton to great effect: ambiguity.
Ambiguity is a quality that allows something to be interpreted in several different - sometimes conflicting - ways. Ambiguity adds complexity to a story. It can make fiction seem more like real life, where we often encounter people and events that are puzzling and mysterious. It is ambiguity that made this story such an instant hit and has kept people asking and pondering your question for more than a century.
Therefore, the whole point about this story is that there is no answer - the author is highly skillful in ensuring that there is enough evidence to suggest that the princess could open either door rather than just going for one - on the one hand you have her fierce devotion for her love, but on the other hand reference is made to the "hot-blooded semibarbaric princess." As Stockton himself says:
The more reflect upon the question, the harder it is to answer.
Part of the sheer genius of this story is that it keeps us pondering and guessing, never certain of what the princess will ever do.