Student Question
Why was the ending of "The Lady, or the Tiger?" surprising?
Quick answer:
The ending of "The Lady, or the Tiger?" is surprising because it leaves the outcome ambiguous, forcing readers to decide whether the protagonist faces the lady or the tiger. The story provides no definitive answer, highlighting the princess's internal conflict between her love for the hero and her hatred for the lady. This open-ended conclusion challenges readers to interpret the princess's decision and discuss the possibilities, rather than offering a clear resolution.
The ending of "The Lady or the Tiger" by Frank Stockton is surprising because we, the readers, are left to decide what happened. The story does not give us an answer, and we have no way of knowing whether our protagonist chooses the door leading to the lady or the door leading to the tiger. What we do know is that the princess loves our hero, but we also know that she despises the lady behind one of the doors. Does she love him more than she hates the lady? Will she be able to accept this lady as her love's new wife? As readers, most of us want a solid ending. We want to know whether our guy gets eaten or married, but we are not given that closure. Instead, we get to discuss the possibilities with our classmates and friends and decide for ourselves.
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