In the olden time period their were many things that surprise people now a days, such as sacrificing people due to not approving of them. In the short story “The Lady or The Tiger? ” A king punishes his loyal servant for dating his precious princess.
The king expresses to the servant that he will have a choice of two doors; one door will have an feisty tiger behind it. While the other door has a lovely young woman who he will then wed. The princess cannot imagine her boyfriend being eaten alive or on the other hand marrying another woman, whom she despises.Stockton uses literary clues to reveal that the princess’ semi-barbarism, jealously, and selfishness will force her to choose the door which has the tiger lying behind it.
The princess’ semi- barbarism would steer her in the direction of choosing the tiger over the woman. For example she does not want to witness her boyfriend’s fate be decided, but she says “her intense and fervid soul would not allow her to be absent. ” Even though she desperately doesn’t want to see her boyfriend die or wed another woman, her semi- barbarism pushes her to show up and watch the mid-boggling event.The “power of a woman’s will, had brought the secret to the princess.
” The princess Ellis 2 didn’t really want to know what was behind each door, but the will of a woman overcame her. Semi-barbarism takes over the princess’ feelings due to the want to know if her boyfriend will survive or wed the princess’ enemy. Another characteristic that the princess shows is jealousy, which would probably make her pick the door of the tiger. She despises the woman that “[blushes] and trembled behind that silent door.
It makes it a harder decision for the princess since she hates the other young woman. This would probably make the princess want to direct her boyfriend to the tiger. Even though the princess feels horrible to send the guy to the tiger she thought “the girl [is] lovely, but she had dared to raise her eyes to the loved one of the princess. ” With that being said the princess would most likely pick the tiger because she can’t bother seeing her lover with another woman.
The princess also see’s “now and then she had seen them talking together… t may have been in unimportant topics, but how could she know that? ” The jealousy is overcoming the princess so much that she is now thinking of times that the other woman and her boyfriend have encountered.
The princess also reveals acts of selfishness due to so much hate for the young woman, which would make her pick the tiger rather than the woman. She even once says “Would it not be better for him to die at once, and go to wait for her in blessed regions of semi-barbaric futurity? She doesn’t really take into consideration what would be best for her boyfriend; she thinks more about what would easier for her to deal with. She also says “how her soul had burned in agony when she had seen him rush to meet that woman. ”That reveals how she would probably rather pick the tiger because she would Ellis 3 want to be present for her boyfriend wed another woman.
She even goes to sleep dreaming “wild horror, and covered her face with her hands as she thought of her lover opening the door to the other side. This last quote shows how bad her thoughts are that she goes to sleep dreaming about how her lover could possibly wed another woman. The princess faces a strong dilemma to either choose the door with the tiger or the door the has the young other woman behind it. In conclusion, the princess shows semi-barbarism, jealousy, and selfishness to enforce her hate for the other woman.
Her characteristics also hint that she would point her boyfriend in the direction of the tiger. The story makes others realize that putting yourself in others shoes will help you see there point of view better.
