two doorways with an elegant woman standing in one and a large tiger head in the other

The Lady, or the Tiger?

by Francis Richard Stockton

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Student Question

What are two man vs society conflicts in "The Lady, or the Tiger?"

Quick answer:

Two man vs. society conflicts in "The Lady, or the Tiger?" include the king's internal struggle between his barbaric instincts and societal expectations of civility, reflecting his dual nature. Another conflict involves the princess, who defies societal norms by falling in love with someone unsuitable for her royal status, leading to a difficult decision that challenges her societal role. Both characters grapple with personal desires versus societal roles and expectations.

Expert Answers

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Great question! I think one approach you could take is to think of the internal conflict that is going on within the "semibarbaric" king that we are introduced to in the first paragraph:

In the very olden time, there lived a semibarbaric king, whose ideas, though somewhat polished and sharpened by the progressiveness of distant Latin neighbours, were still large, florid, and untrammelled, as became the half of him which was barbaric.

This indicates a man with two halves, each in conflict with the other. The barbaric side, of course, represents man, as he wants to follow his natural inclinations, however, he has to balance this with the "civilised" side that cannot be as barbaric as he would like.

Of course, another external man vs society conflict is evident in the princess and her desire to do what she wants and have a lover rather than play the role that society has ordained for her....

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This is what results in the terrible decision that she must make at the end of the story. Because she has followed her own inclinations and fallen in love with someone privately, she has gone against society and her job as princess, for it is not for her to choose with whom she will marry and with whom she will fall in love.

Therefore, analysing the character of the King and the Princess yields two interesting conflicts between man and society that you can hopefully write about and analyse a bit further. Good luck!

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