Brittany Stoddart
Mrs. Bridgman
ENG4U1-04
September 22, 2020
Through the Eyes of A Tiger
When analysing the princess’ duties to her kingdom and her controlling personality in Stockton’s The Lady or the Tiger, it is clear that the princess chose for her lover to face his death.
When people’s faith in the justice system depends on chance, it is important that their knowledge of a crime is reflected in the trial. By the author emphasizing how the kingdom’s trials work and what their outcomes mean, the princess has a duty to choose the tiger’s door. During the beginning of the story, the author describes the trials and how they determine a person’s innocence or guilt: “the accused person was instantly punished if he found himself guilty, and, if innocent, he was rewarded on the spot” (Stockton 2). Now that the princess must decide whether or not her lover is guilty, she must also take into consideration how her choice will affect the people, since it is her responsibility to keep the kingdom in order and reassure people that the king’s justice system works. She knew her lover was guilty and unfortunately she set herself up to make the tough decision of punishing him for it. Everyone in the kingdom already knew what the true outcome was supposed to be: “Of course, everybody knew that the deed with which the accused was charged had been done” (2). When people near and far know that the accused is guilty, seeing him choose the door of innocence would cause confusion and would cause them to doubt their justice system. The author uses the setting of the story to allow the reader to better understand what social conditions caused the princess to make her decision. She had to choose the tiger as it was what would keep the kingdom at peace, even if she would not be.