Last night, per my usual Thursday schedule, I was watching an episode of Private Practice. Recently, the show has highly focused on the role of psychiatry in the practice — an area I've always found fascinating. During this most recent episode, Addison was waxing on about a moral dilemma which truly had no positive outcomes. She referenced a story that I honestly haven't thought about since I was an undergraduate and read it in a short story class. The Lady or the Tiger? Are you familiar? Below is a recap.
There once was a mildly barbaric king who discovered his daughter (the princess and the apple of his eye) was having a love affair with a guard (someone truly outside her social station). The king had a unique way of punishing such offenses. He would arrest the prisoner and place them on trial. The trial would take place in an stadium which housed two identical doors. Behind one randomly selected door, he would place a tiger (the most vicious he could find). Behind the second door, he would place a lady (one who was beautiful and one that the king felt would be ideally suited to the prisoner). The prisoner then had the chance to choose his own fate. If he picked the door with the tiger, he would be ripped to shreds. If he picked the door with the lady, he would be married immediately no matter what his personal situation was. Both rooms were sound-proof so there was no way for the prisoner to discover what was behind either door. However, the princess decided she needed to know in order to help seal her loved one's fate. She paid a hearty sum in gold and discovered behind which door the tiger was place and which door the lady was positioned. She also discovered the lady was one she knew and hated due to jealousy. As her beloved guard entered the stadium, the princess motioned for him to choose the door to the right. He did. What the author doesn't tell you is what came out from the door ... the lady or the tiger?
Frank Stockton, the author of the piece, claimed the reader's decision defined their character. So I pose the question to you ... who came out of the room? The lady or the tiger?
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