Distinguished Deception

“This vast amphitheater, with its encircling galleries, its mysterious vaults, and its unseen passages, was an agent of poetic justice, in which crime was punished, or virtue rewarded, by the decrees of an impartial and incorruptible chance.” This quote from the short story, The Lady, or the Tiger, written by Frank R. Stockton, describes a system of justice practiced in the olden times by a barbaric king in a faraway kingdom. The accused person would be given a choice between two identical doors, one leading to a savage tiger, the other to a beautiful lady. Depending on which door they chose, they would either be devoured by a bloodthirsty beast or wed to the lovely lady in front of the watchful eyes of the crowd.

In this kingdom, the king valued his daughter above all others, and she lived life to the best. She wore the finest clothes, lived in the grandest palace, and ate the most exquisite food. (P2) Her only problem was that a man of civilian origin loved her, and she loved him back. This affair did not go unnoticed in the eyes of the powerful king. Enraged, he sent the man to the amphitheater, determined to sentence him for his crimes. Stricken with grief, the princess who had found out the secret of which door would lead to death, signaled to her desperate beloved. Everyone agrees that the princess is the daughter of a barbaric king, with the same blood running through her veins. Some people think that the man should not trust the princess while others argue that he should. The man should not trust the princess for three reasons: her spoiled personality, her strong feelings, and the minimal consequences.

The first reason the man should not trust the princess is because of her spoiled personality. The princess is barbaric and impulsive. Even though she clearly loves the man with all her heart, her soul is a “white heat beneath the combined fires of despair and jealousy.” She is “hot blooded” and “semi-barbaric,” used to getting what she wants without lifting a finger. Faced with what will most likely be the hardest decision she has ever encountered in her life, she will undoubtedly be filled to the brim with helplessness. All she has ever known was getting what she wants just by simply giving a command, yet now, despite having all her resources and money pooled in, she could not achieve her goals. This dilemma undoubtedly sparked her greed and envy of the lady behind the door, which made it nearly improbable for her to guide the man towards the lady. The man, who knew the nature of the princess very well, understood how the signal would be based on anguished, hasty, and rash decisions. With this in mind, he should not listen to her, else he will be faced with the vicious jaws of the terrifying tiger.

The second reason the man should not trust the princesses is that she has strong feelings. Just the thought of seeing her lover and the lady together sent “her soul burning in agony.” She “gnashed her teeth” and “tore her hair” horrified at the mere vision she had conjured. This reaction tells us more than enough. If the thought of her lover being with someone else had not been enough to steel her resolve, her loathing of the lady behind the door would definitely be a magnet forcing her hand towards the tiger. One must also consider the fact that she is the king’s daughter, and with all the riches and prizes he has given her, there is no doubt that she loves him. The king wishes for the man to be punished, and the princess had only ever listened to the king. Breaking this habit would be like a fish ceasing to swim. While normally, bloodshed is met with repulsion and disgust, in this faraway kingdom in the faraway land, it has been normalized. This king uses the arena frequently, and the citizens watch enthusiastically. They would not mind the violent display, at most sighing for the loss of the man before moving on with their lives. The princess knows this, and she will likely choose to end her rage, grief, and jealousy towards the lady by simply allowing the man to pick the door to the tiger.

The third reason the man should not trust the princess is because of the minimal consequences. While the princess might be upset after the man is gone, she will not get to be with him either way if he lived. “She had lost him, but who should have him?” should it be the very person she loathed with all the barbarism that had been passed down to her through her ancestors? Surely she would rather the man be offered a quick, swift, and spectacular death by the claws of the tiger, rather than stay with the lady forever. She shall not be as short sighted as to live reduced to shambles as the man and lady share a house, rather shrug and live in luxury lounging as the tiger shredded him in the show.

Some people think that the man should trust the princess because the tiger is gruesome, and the citizens and king are watching. This argument is invalid because the trial happens frequently, and is completely normalized in this society. Like the ancient Romans watched gleefully as the gladiators battle to death in the Colosseum, the citizens cheered for the surprise behind the doors. The violent and bloodthirsty tiger did not deter the princess in making her decision, making it likely she had chosen the door. In fact, the citizens of the kingdom watched the festival in exhilaration. The man does not want to die so early, so he should not listen to the advice she has given him, and should open the other door.

Others argue that the man should trust the princess because of her efforts. She spent countless hours, heaps of gold, and abundant resources to find out the secret. Surely, because of how deeply she cared about him, she would advise him to choose the door of the lady. But this dispute is null because of her status as a princess. She would gladly spend this much effort for what she wanted, but she can easily get more. These valuables were rocks gathering dust in her castle walls, so her efforts does not mean that she would help the man survive. Knowing how easy it is for her to put in what would be nearly impossible for anyone else, the man should not follow her advice, as it will likely lead to the tiger.

Thus, neither the risk of death nor the effort are strong enough reasons for the man to trust the princess.

The man should not trust the princess because of her spoiled personality, her strong feelings, and the minimal consequences. This short story should be a warning to receptive people, people who would gladly listen to someone’s advice, to think critically about what the other person is telling you. Sometimes instead of guiding you towards your destination, they might be secretly deceiving you behind your back - gently shoving you off a cliff.