Customer Reviews

The Lady, or the Tiger? (Creative Short Stories)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Human nature does not change. The story's writing is gorgeous and captures any person's imagination. Treat your family to this classic. We read it aloud.

I love the design of this particular version of the book - one slim volume, and the simple cover - two doors, four eyes. That says it all.

I had originally read the first story of this book in school. I loved the thought of your imagination at the ending. I search long and hard for a copy of the whole book and found an original printing of the book in a little out of the way antique store many years ago(it was no longer in print and this was before Kindle and smart phones were a glimmer of thought). The second story in the book, The Discourager of Hesitancy, is even more thought provoking. Frank Stockton was an amazing writer and his work is classic. This is a must read for everyone.

I remember reading this story, "The Lady or the Tiger" out of my 8th grade literary reader, and I've been fascinated with the story ever since. If you haven't read it, you should: there's a reason it's a classic story.

The story is famous primarily because the author, Frank R. Stockton, has purposely left the ending ambiguous (hence the title of the story). I'll try not to give away too much of the story, but basically, a princess falls in love with a lover below her rank in life. Her father imprisons the lover and offers an unusual punishment. He's placed in an arena that faces two doors. Behind one is a tiger; behind the other is a beautiful woman who the offending lover must marry. The princess knows which door has the tiger and which has the woman, but she's the one who has to decide the fate of her lover. Depending upon how you read the character of the princess as she's developed in the story (and depending on your own psychology), the reader gets to decide which door the princess motions to the lover to take.

I remember writing my own complicated and a little bit bizarre ending to the story when I was younger. It's a story with a built-in thought-experiment that will keep you thinking long after you've read the story. Better yet: read it with a friend or friends and have each try to defend their own interpretation!

The story itself is worth reading, even if you know what's coming at the end because Stockton writes so calmly and simply, leaving barely enough crumbs of clues for the reader to make his decision on how the story ends. It's a simply and beautifully told story, and now you can read it on your Kindle.

Unlike some free Kindle works, this one was easy to read and formatted well.

Enjoy!

Is it as simple as a princess in love being able to save the life of her beloved? You read it once and it sounds as a tale for kids. You read it twice and you can understand there's a circle that never ends. The lady or the tiger? or What would you choose when the choice is love or death?

"In my idea the doors at the end of the story represent the struggle for someone in love and the travisty it causes."

I would loved this story, except that it doesn't give you and ending to the suspense, the story however is well written and descriptive

Is it as simple as a princess in love being able to save her beloved's life? You read it once and it sounds as a tale for kids. You read it twice and you can understand there's a circle that never ends. The lady or the tiger? or What would you choose when the choice is love or death?