The Lady, or the Tiger?

In the last few paragraphs of the story, the unnamed omniscient narrator inserts himself into the narrative by asking readers to answer the question: “Did the tiger come out of that door, or did the lady?” (Paragraph 19). The narrator then exhorts the reader to empathize with the princess: “Think of it […] not as if the decision of the question depended upon yourself, but upon that hot-blooded, semi-barbaric princess, her soul at a white heat beneath the combined fires of despair and jealousy” and laments that “the more we reflect upon this question, the harder it is to answer” (Paragraph 20). By explicitly leaving the end to the reader’s interpretation, the narrator establishes his authority while creating a sense of fairness and objectivity. However, because the logic behind the question is flawed, this rationality is only an illusion.

Irony, or the use of language that contradicts a statement’s meaning for humorous effect, is the main device that this story relies on. The tone of the story is emphatic and openly admirative of