Introducing the Story

Literary Focus: Ambiguity

Reading Skills: Making Inferences About Motivation

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The first requisite of civilization . . . is that of justice.

—Sigmund Freud

In this tale, a king holds public trials of subjects accused of crimes. Their guilt or innocence is determined by chance—by having them open one of two doors and reveal what’s behind it.

• A beautiful lady means innocence.

• A ferocious tiger means guilt.

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Ambiguity is the quality that allows something to be interpreted in several ways. Ambiguity in a story

• allows for conflicting interpretations

• adds complexity

• makes the story seem more like real life

The ambiguous ending of “The Lady, or the Tiger?” may make the story linger in your mind for days or weeks.

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• You may find yourself returning to the story again and again, answering the questions it poses differently each time.

When you read an ambiguous story, you may need to make inferences, or educated guesses, about the characters’ motivation. Think about

• what the narrator tells you about the characters

• what the characters do or say

• what you know about the way people act and think

As you read “The Lady, or the Tiger?” pay close attention to the king’s daughter.

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• Think about how her motives relate to other characters.

• Make inferences about the reasons for her behavior.