The Lady or the Tiger?

Kevin Coolidge

This is simply barbaric. I’m hot. I’m tired. And I haven’t had a decent meal in days. It’s supposed to make me more vicious. Hungry for the kill, but it really only makes me drink more water to fill my empty belly, and then I can’t stop pacing. My bladder is so full, and I won’t soil the fresh straw.

The smell of perfume tickles my nose. Why do these creatures insist on trying to cloak their scent? It doesn’t work. I smell the fear of the young man in the arena. I wish he had bathed this morning. I do hope the princess makes the right decision. She knows which door leads to me and a terrible, gruesome death. Will she save her lover? Or will I have another bout of indigestion and regret? I hate being the paw of justice.

The Lady or the Tiger? is a short story that was first published in the popular magazine, The Century, in 1882. It is often anthologized and remains the most famous short story of American novelist and humorist, Frank R. Stockton. He originally wrote the story to provoke discussion at a party. His story, In the King’s Arena, sparked a much-heated discussion. So, he expanded the tale and submitted it to the magazine where it was accepted and renamed by the editor.

The story begins with the description of a “semi-barbaric” king who has built a grand arena to deal justice by means of trial by ordeal. This amphitheater has two doors. The accused must choose his fate by selecting one of the closed doors. Behind one is a beautiful woman; the other holds a voracious tiger that will devour the prisoner. The audience will witness a wedding, or a bloody slaughter. Either way the crowd will be entertained.

This king has a beautiful daughter. The king wished her to be wed to a man with royal blood, but she loves a commoner, a man not good enough for his child. When the king discovers the illicit affair, he throws the young man in jail to await judgment, for it is a crime for so common a man to love above his station. The king conducts a search for the fiercest tiger and the fairest of maids for the man’s trial.

The day of the “trial” comes and the young lover walks into the arena, his eyes are nervously fixed upon the princess. He knows she has the means to learn which door conceals the damsel and which contains death. Indeed, she does. She even knows the identity of the young woman. She has seen the man cast furtive glances, and whisper in the woman’s ear. Coyly, she has returned his attention. The princess rages with jealousy. This thief has means to steal her love away.

The princess does send a signal. It has taken her days and nights of anguish, but her decision is indicated in an instant. She knew she would be asked. She secretly signals him to choose the right-hand door. Without hesitation, he moves forward to open the door she has sent him to. What lies behind the door? Stockton does not reveal what waits. He lets the reader chose their own answer.

The princess had lost him, but who should have him? The heat of passion, cold despair, the sense of loss, the deep-seated twist of jealousy, to which door did she point? The Lady or the Tiger? has become an allegorical expression symbolizing a problem which is unsolvable. Which would you choose: the lady or the tiger?

The lady? Or the tiger? Email me at from_my_shelf@yahoo.com and let me know. Miss a column? See what’s behind the door at http://frommyshelf.blogspot.com and eat your fill. Looking for a book with a happy feline? Check out “Hobo Finds A Home” a children’s book about a cat who picked the right door…