# The lady or the tiger? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 12, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546 "2009-10-12T17:06:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/1 "2009-10-12T17:06:11Z")
I say the tiger. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/2 "2009-10-12T17:12:02Z")
I guess it all really depends on which door I open. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/3 "2009-10-12T17:13:43Z")
Since the OP has declined to provide any form of useful information for those of us who do not recall the story, here is one version. I should state this particular form is much longer and fancier than it needs to be. > **[Short Stories: The Lady Or The Tiger? by Frank Stockton](http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/LadyTige.shtml)** > > Full online text of The Lady Or The Tiger? by Frank Stockton. Other short stories by Frank Stockton also available along with many others by classic and contemporary authors. The meaning fo the story is question for the reader: which do you think love really is? Naked possession, or both the wanting the lover and the best for the lover . Is it Mammon or Eros? ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/4 "2009-10-12T17:24:57Z")
Really? I thought it was about a semi-barbarian princess with a dilemma. I’m not very good at allegories. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/5 "2009-10-12T17:30:26Z")
Definitely the lady. No, wait, forget that; the tiger. I mean lady. Can I ask the sex of the tiger? ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/6 "2009-10-12T17:35:51Z")
The lady – because as long as the hero is alive, there’s always a chance. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/7 "2009-10-12T17:37:39Z")
But if Monty opens one of the three doors to show it is empty, would you change your choice? ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/8 "2009-10-12T17:43:21Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > But if Monty opens one of the three doors to show it is empty, would you change your choice? A+ ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/9 "2009-10-12T17:44:42Z")
I couldn’t vote. Way back in junior high English class, we had a writing assignment to finish the story. He opened the door to find the lady and pushed her through the other door with the tiger, thus making himself available for the princess. Win-win.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/10 "2009-10-12T17:49:27Z")
Pfft. No need to speculate, the original author [wrote a sequel](http://www.imaginaryplanet.net/weblogs/idiotprogrammer/?p=83398933). ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/11 "2009-10-12T17:50:41Z")
The tiger for sure. If she can’t have him, no one will. The story states that she dwelled upon the possibiity of his life with the lady more than his fate with the tiger. And life with the lady disturbed her more. There were probably tigers behind both doors, if I read my princess’ correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/12 "2009-10-12T22:03:05Z")
The story is complete as it stands. To specify the outcome would render it incomplete. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/13 "2009-10-12T22:06:50Z")
**Malleus** –are you a Furry? If so, there may be no difference between the two options. ---
**Author:** ![Shawn1767](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shawn1767](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shawn1767)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/14 "2009-10-12T22:15:21Z")
So, were there no female criminals in this land? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/15 "2009-10-12T22:19:31Z")
> [@Shawn1767](#): > > So, were there no female criminals in this land? Yes. They were not exempted from the choice, nor were they given the option of a gentleman rather than a lady. A great number of gaolers in this land wrote letters to Penthouse. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/16 "2009-10-12T22:22:08Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > The meaning fo the story is question for the reader: which do you think love really is? Naked possession, or both the wanting the lover and the best for the lover . Is it Mammon or Eros? While that’s possibly accurate, by specifying that she’s a barbarian, that she hated the idea of him pairing up with the one woman more than with him getting mauled, it does seem like he’s trying to force us to accept that she would send him to the tigers and that we shouldn’t find this odd. Of course, it might be that he only stressed these points because he felt that otherwise people wouldn’t think that she might actually choose the tigers. But personally, I’d say that _she_ would choose the tigers. But that’s based on how she is displayed in the story, which is separate from what love is or should be. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/17 "2009-10-12T23:19:09Z")
Tiger, for sure. I always thought so. I read the sequel. I can’t say I’ve decided yet. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/18 "2009-10-12T23:46:30Z")
I’d ask both the lady and the tiger which door the other one would say is the correct one. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/19 "2009-10-13T03:37:45Z")
I notice that in the sequel, the reasoning is missing a key point. The groom is pondering whether his bride would smile or frown, but he’s failing to consider the other lady: There’s a woman in the line-up who _isn’t_ his bride, who’s also showing a non-neutral face for some reason. I think if he can figure that out, he has a better chance of picking correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546/20 "2009-10-13T03:43:16Z")
There’s an old Wizard of Id strip which shows a guy standing in front of two doors in an arena, and the king says, "Behind one of these doors is a beautiful woman, and behind the other is a ferocious, man eating tiger. Which door do you choose. And the guy says, “The one with the beautiful woman.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lady-or-the-tiger/513546.md?page=2)