SHORT STORY HELP!!! ?

Question

ok so i am reading a story in english class, here is a summary (copied from wiki):

The semi-barbaric King of an ancient land utilized an unusual form of administering justice for offenders in his kingdom. The offender would be placed in an arena where his only way out would be to go through one of two doors. Behind one door was a beautiful woman hand-picked by the king and behind the other was a fierce tiger. The offender was then asked to pick one of the doors. If he picked the door with the woman behind it, then he was declared innocent and as a reward he was required to marry the woman, regardless of previous marital status. If he picked the door with the tiger behind it, though, then he was deemed guilty and the tiger would rip him to pieces.

One day the king found that his daughter, the princess, had taken a lover far beneath her station. The king could not allow this and so he threw the offender in prison and set a date for his trial in the arena. On the day of his trial the suitor looked to the princess for some indication of which door to pick. The princess, did, in fact, know which door concealed the woman and which one the tiger, but was faced with a conundrum. If she indicated the door with the tiger, then the man she loved would be killed on the spot; however, if she indicated the door with the lady, her lover would be forced to marry another woman and even though he would be alive she would never be with him again. Finally she does indicate a door, which the suitor then opens.

At this point the question is posed to the reader, "Did the tiger come out of that door, or did the lady?". The question is not answered, and is left as a thought experiment regarding human nature.

we are supposed to write a short essay explaining which one the princess chose for her lover and why with examples and stuff... i have a basic idea but some suggestions would be nice... :)

thanks

Answer 1

I read that story before, and now that you mention it again, it reminds me of the choice The Joker presents Batman in The Dark Knight, and Joker knowing the outcome switches the roles on Batman. Also, Rachel expects to be saved, but tells Harvey she does not want to live without him. But ultimately when she realizes that Harvey is the one who will be saved, she seems flustered by the choice. Hopefully you've seen the movie and understand what I'm talking about, and hopefully this provides some insight, but if you'd like more help feel free to email me and we can discuss.

Answer 2

Well you could use the story of Solomon as an example. Two women came to King Solomon one day both proclaiming to be the mother of an child. Much fighting and proof was offered on both sides and finally Solomon said, "There is no way to know so as you both have equal claim we will cut the child in half and each of you may take half." One woman agreed that this was fair and the other said no, that she would sacrifice her half so that the child may live and be happy. The second woman was given the child as she proved to be the one that truly loved the child. True love would be unselfish. Hope this helps.  

Answer 3

I don't know, I kind of look at this similar to the biblical story about the baby 2 women claimed.  King Solomon said to cut it in half and give each  a part of the baby, but he knew the true mother would not allow this and give up her child so it would not be harmed.

When you love something, you don't want to hurt it.  

So if I was the princess and I loved this guy, there is no way I could let him be mauled to death by a tiger, so I would give him the door for the woman.  Even though it would be painful to see him marry another, I could not live with myself knowing I allowed someone I loved to die.