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Women will do almost anything for love, to be loved, or to keep love. That is their mission. When women become jealous, however, the love they want to hold onto disappears, becomes selfishness, and one does not know if it is love anymore. In the short story "The Lady, or the Tiger?" written by Frank R. Stockton, a semi barbaric princess motions which door her lover, the accused man, must open to either receive punishment or a reward. The punishment is to be devoured by a fierce tiger and the reward is to be married to a lovely damsel of the court.
This semi barbaric princess loves the man and chooses which door the man deserves to open. Like many women in love, this princess would not dare to let another woman take her lover away from her. Instead, jealousy takes over and the door that opens will emerge a tiger because she will go berserk to see her man happy with another woman, and will prefer to have him eaten by a tiger and await the princess herself on a heavenly earth. According to Frank R. Stockton, he states, "How in her grievous reveries has she gnashed her teeth and torn her hair, when she saw his start of rapturous delight as he opened the door of the lady" (150). Obviously, this describes her frenzied actions as the lovely damsel appears at the door on the right.
If she leads her lover to the door with the damsel behind it, this princess will be green with envy to see him happily married to his reward, the damsel. Because the princess, like any other woman, would not want to have "her soul... burned in agony" (150) as her love runs to his reward of innocence, she chooses the door in which the tiger will appear, only because this jealous princess would not want her lover to be happy with another woman and have him kept to herself, dead or alive. Dead or alive is how this princess wants her lover, in order for their love to stay together. The author also states, "Would it not be better for him to die at once, and go to wait for her in the blessed regions of semi barbaric futurity?" (150). The green semi barbaric princess feels that her happiness is much more important than the happiness of the one she loves.
Life after death with the man and she, is more satisfying to her than two renewed lives, letting go of each other's love. Simply stated, this princess would rather see this accused man, her lover, killed and devoured by a ferocious tiger and meet her in a heavenly place, than to see him happy with a new life with another woman. All in all, the tiger will emerge from the door on the right because like most women, this princess will do almost anything for her own happiness and to keep the one she loves. That is why she chooses death of her lover, the accused man, over giving the man a life happy with a lovely damsel.
She assumes that if he shall die of being eaten, they will meet once again happy in love. He will love her and only her, and not be married or be in love with another woman. The princess's mission is accomplished. Work Cited Stockton, Frank R. "The Lady, or the Tiger?" in Kearns, George, ed.
Understanding Literature. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1987. 146 - 150.
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