Which Came Out of the Door, the Lady or the Tiger?

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The author of “The Lady, or the Tiger?” does not reveal which came out of the door, the lady or the tiger. The short story by Frank R. Stockton is frequently analyzed in an attempt to find clues as to whether the lady or the tiger walked through the door.

The last sentence of the story has the narrator asking the question: “And so I leave it with all of you: Which came out of the opened door – the lady, or the tiger?” If the tiger comes out of the door, the former lover of the jilted princess is mauled to death in front of the royal’s eyes. If the lady comes out of the door, the man lives happily ever after with the woman he loves over the princess.