The Elements Analysis of The Lady, or the Tiger?
1. PLOT
“Plot is the
arrangement of events that make up a story.”[1]
Usually in plot there are some conflict such as internal conflict and external
conflict. Internal conflict is the main character has a conflict with himself
or herself. The external conflict can occur between the main character with the
other character, society, nature. The author has some technique in story
telling there are flashback, foreshadowing, suspense, and coincidence.
2. CHARACTER
“Character in
fiction can be conveniently classified as major and minor, static and dynamic.”[2]
“Characterization
is the means by which writers present and reveal character.”[3]
It is divided into two that is direct characterization and indirect
characterization.
“In direct characterization, the
narrator or a character summarizes or tells the reader what another character
looks like or what kind of person he or she is.”[4]
“In indirect characterization, narrators
and characters describe, without comment, a character’s appearance or
dress.”[5]
3. SETTING
“Setting that is the
time and the place of the tale.”[6] Setting
can be divided into three aspects that is setting in general, specific, or very
detailed.
4. POINT OF VIEW AND TONE
“The point of view is the vantage point from which the author tells a
story.”[7]
“Similarly, tone in writting is the author’s attitude toward the character,
the topic, or the readers, as expressed by the narrator, and it may come accros
in a number of ways.”[8]
5. LANGUAGE
AND STYLE
“One of the more
difficult literary terms to define precisely is style, a writer’s
characteristic way of saying things.”[9]
“Diction refers to a writer’s choice of words.”[10]
The diction may be describe as general or specific, formal or in formal,
abstract or concrete, common, jargon, Latin-based or Anglo-Saxon words. In the
short story usually there is an imagery and symbol that writer use to support
the story. “Most reader think that imagery refers solely to visual
pictures, but in literature, where it may be called sensory imagery, the
term extends to all senses-sight, taste, smell, touch, and hearing.”[11]
“In broad terms, a symbol is anything that signifies, or stands for
something else. In literature, a symbol is anything concrete-an object, place,
a character, an action-that stands for or suggests something abstract.”[12]
Besides that there is figurative language such as simile and metaphor.
6. THEME
“Theme is an author’s
insight or general observation about human nature or the human condition that
is conveyed through characters, plot, and imagery.”[13]
7. IRONY
“Irony is not much an
element of fiction as a pervasive quality in it. It may appear in fiction (and
in other literary genres as well) in three ways: In a work’s language, in its
incident, or in its point of view. But in whatever forms it emerges, irony always
involves a contrast or discrepancy between one thing and another. The contrast
may be between what is said and what is meant or between what happens and what
is expected to happen. In verbal irony, for example, we say the opposite
of what we mean.”[14] “Besides
verbal irony-in which we understand the opposite of what a speaker says-fiction
makes use of irony of circumstance (sometimes called irony of
situation).”[15]
C.
THE ANALYSIS OF ELEMENTS OF THE
SHORT STORY
1. Plot
Exposition
The story begins by introducing the semi-barbaric king as the major
character.
In the very olden
time there lived a semi-barbaric king... (P.58)
Moreover he had a method to punish an accused person and he has built an
arena inside the amphitheater as a place for doing punishment of the accused
person.
This vast amphitheater, with its encircling galleries, its mysterious
vaults and its unseen
passages,
was an agent of poetic justice on which crime was punished ... (P.58)
The king will punish the accused person in the king’s arena by giving him
the choices to open one of the two door in front of him. He can open either door
that he likes. If the accused person open one of the door, there came out the
hungry tiger, the fiercest animal which directly attack and kill him. If he
open the other door, there came out the lady who was selected for him and he
will be married with her. Then a priest, followed by a band of choristers and
dancing maidens will support the wedding of the accused person. That is the
method of the king in order to manage the justice.
Raising action
The raising action happens when the daughter of the king had a love affair with
one of the courtier in the kingdom.
Among his courtiers was a young man of
that fineness of blood and romance who love royal
maidens. (P.60)
The princess love him
back and feel contented because he is a brave and handsome man in the kingdom. Then
the love affair continue happily for many months.
Climax
The climax occur when
the love affair between the princess and the young man discovered by the king. Without
any hesitate the king put him in the jail.This immediately make the young man to
do the trial in the king’s arena. This case like this is never happen before in
the kingdom. Never before there is a courtier who love the princess, the
daughter of the king. The fiercest tiger has been choosen for the young man and
the competent judge has been surveyed the youth maiden in case if the good fate
is side with him. The king will not be interfere with the tribunal. The king as
the watcher will be enjoy the event itself.
... the king would take and aesthetic pleasure in watching the course of
events ... (P.61)
Falling Action
The falling action
happens when the tribunal for the young man has came. The
people gathered in galleries of the arena to watch the tribunal of the young
man. The young man come to the
king’s arena and prepare to face his fate. This is the quotation :
A door beneath the
royal party opened, and the lover of the princess walked into the arena
(P. 62)
Then he bowed to the
king, but only the princess who is sitting beside her father that he stares. The
princess actually know which the door is contain the tiger and which the door
waited the lady behind it. Besides, she knew that the lady is the beautiful damsels
who had been selected. The princess hated the lady because she can’t imagine if
the lady will marry her lover. However she can’t also let her lover killed by
the fiercest tiger.
Resolution
The
story end when the princess finally decided to pointed the right door for her
lover.
She raised her
hand, and made a slight, quick movement toward the right. (P.63)
It
makes the watcher are startled, they focused on the movement of the young man.
Then without hesitation the young man forward to the right door and open it. Moreover
the reader didn’t know who will come out from the right door. The author leave
the resolution of the story to the reader, the decision is in the reader’s
hand. The story is obviously an open plot. There are conflicts that occur in
the story. The first is external conflict
which happens between the princess and the king. The love affair which occur between
the princess and the young man have been revealed, immediately the king put him
into the jail as we see in quotation below:
He did not
hesitate nor waver in regard to his duty in the premises. The youth was
immediately
cast into prison, and a day
was appointed for his trial in the king’s arena. (Pp.60-61)
Then we
know that the young man will be faced the punishment of the king in the king’s
arena. Because of that the princess tries to help her lover by giving the
direction which door that he should open. The princess know which the door is stood the lady and which the door is the
tiger. Moreover the princess had to think it carefully because her lover life
is in her hands. It make another conflict happens that is the internal conflict
as we see in the quotation :
How
often in her waking hours and in her dreams, had she started in wild horror,
and covered her face with her hands as
she thought of her lover opening the door on the other side of which waited the cruel fangs of the tiger. But how
much oftener had she seen him at the other
door! How in her grievous reveries had she gnashed her teeth, and torn her hair
when she saw his start of rapturous
delight as he opened the door of the lady! (P. 64)
From
the quotation, we know that the princess has a conflict with herself. She confuse
to make a decision.
The
technique of storytelling that the author uses in this short story
is foreshadowing. The reason is the
author tells the story in the beginning to the end, there is no flashback
event. The quotation is:
This love affair
moved on happily for many months, until one day the king happened to
discover its existence. (P.60)
From
the quotation, we can know that the event show a movement we see it from the
time many months until one day. Besides it make the reader prepare to
something that will happen later in the story.
2. The Character
The
Princess
is a major and the protagonist and dynamic character. She dominates from the middle
until the end of the story. We know that she make the reader pay attention to
her and feeling sympathy about her because she has a difficult decision about
choosing the door in order to help her lover. This is the quotation:
Her
decision had been indicated in an instant, but it had been made after days and
nights of
anguished deliberation. She had known she
would be asked, she had decided what she would
answer, and, without the slightest hesitation,
she had moved her hand to the right. (P.64)
From the quotation, we know that the
princess had been thinking before, which is the door that she will be choose.
Besides the author describes the princess with direct characterization,
this is the quotation:
She
hated the women who blushed and trembled behind the silent door. (P.63)
It shows that the princess has been
jealous and hated the lady who stands behind the door.
The King is a
major and an antagonist character that has a conflict with his daughter as a
protagonist character. He dominates from the beginning until the middle of the
story. The king is a semi-barbaric who has an unusual idea about punishing the
crime man by choosing one of the two doors in the king’s arena. Even tough he
is a major character, he is a static character. There is no change in his
attitude from the beginning until the end of the story. The author describes
the king with direct characterization, this is the quotation:
He was
a man of exuberant fancy, and, withal, of an authority so irresistible that, at
his will,
he turned his varied fancies
into facts. (P.58)
From the quotation, we know that
the king has a characterization that man with a great will who will be
realizing what he wanted.
The
young man or the princess lover is the minor character that has a purpose to support
the major character. He has a static character because there is no significance
change in his attitude. He is a handsome young man who works as a courtier in
the kingdom that princess loves. The author describes the young man with direct
characterization, this is the quotation:
Tall,
beautiful, fair, his appearance was greeted with a low hum of admiration and
anxiety. (P.61)
From the quotation, we
know that the young man has a good appearance and when he hums it shows that he
is nervous at that time because he has to face the trial.
The Lady is a minor and
static character. She is a woman who stays behind the door as a reward for the
crime person. There is no change in his attitude and the author describes the
lady with direct characterization, this is the quotation:
It was one of the fairest and
loveliest of the damsels of the court … (P.62)
A priest, a band of choristers, dancing
maidens, a hired mourners are minor and static characters. They show
no development in this story. These are the quotation:
Another
door opened beneath the king, and a priest, followed by a band choristers and
dancing maidens
blowing joyous airs …
(P.59)
…
great wails went up from the hired mourners posted on the outer rim of the
arena … (p.59)
The people are the minor and
static character as audience who watch the tribunal. They also as witnesses of
the young man’s tribunal. This is the quotation:
When
the people gathered together on one of the great trial days they never knew
whether
they were to witness a
bloody slaughter or a hilarious wedding. (P.60)
3. The Setting
The setting of the place is in a
kingdom, in the very olden time, in the amphitheater, in the king’s arena, and
in the prison. Here are some evidences:
The accused person
would be decided in the king’s arena… (P.58)
The youth was
immediately cast into prison ... (P.61)
The setting of the time in this short
story are, in after years, many months, night or day. These are the quotation:
This
love affair moved on happily for many months ... (P. 60)
In
after-years such things became commonplace enough; ... (P.61)
4. The Point of view and Tone
The point of view that the author use in
the short story of The Lady, or the Tiger? is the third person and
limited point of view. We can easily know the story use third person point of
view because the author use pronounce “he, she, it, or they” in the story. This
is the quotation:
He was
greatly given to self-communing; and, when he and himself agreed upon anything, the thing was done. (P.
58)
Then the author use omniscient point of
view because the author know everything about the character as in the quotation
below:
… that
she knew behind which door crouched the tiger, and behind which stood the lady.
He had
expected her to know
it. He understood her nature, and his soul was assured that she would
never rest until she had made plain to
herself this thing … (P.63)
From the quotation above we know that the
author makes us aware about multiple perspectives. In doing that the author
shifts our sympathies from one character to another so we can understand what
the different needs and desire between them.
We know the tone of the story from the
narrator direct comment. This is the quotation:
How
often in her waking hours and in her dreams, had she started in wild horror,
and covered her face with her hands as
she thought of her lover opening the door on the other side of which waited the cruel fangs of the tiger. But how
much oftener had she seen him at the other
door! How in her grievous reveries had she gnashed her teeth, and torn her hair
when she saw his start of rapturous
delight as he opened the door of the lady! (P. 64)
This tone shows ironic. The princess
confused about her decision, both of the two doors can’t solve her problem. The
other tone as we see in the quotation :
…doleful iron bells were
clanged, great wails went up from the hired mourners… (P.59)
It shows the ironic tone that there is hired mourners in
the king’s arena who will grief to the accused person. This idea to hire the
mourner is ironic, because the hire mourner doesn’t feel the sad feeling to the
accused person. They have no connection feeling to him.
5. Language
and Style
The
author uses old English and formal language in the story. In diction we
can find the author’s word choice is when the audience feeling sad from what
they see in the king’s arena. The writer finds another word to describe the
sadness of the audience. This is the quotation:
… and the vast
audience, with bowed heads and downcast hearts, wended slowly their homeward way,
mourning greatly that one so
young and fair, or so old and respected, should have merited so dire a fate. (P.59)
Then
when the princess thinking with pain for making a decision, the writer finds
another word to describe it. This is the quotation:
Her decision had been indicated in
an instant, but it had been made after days and nights of
anguished deliberation. (P.64)
We can find
some imagery in the short story The Lady, or the Tiger?, there is
imagery of hearing, this is the quotation:
… doleful iron
bells were clanged, great wails went up from the hired mourners … (P. 59)
The
doleful iron bells and great wails is imagery of hearing. Besides there is
imagery of sight, This is the quotation:
… and the vast
audience, with bowed heads and downcast hearts … (P.59)
The
bowed head is the imagery of sight in this short story. Then there is also a metaphor
in this story as we see in the quotation below:
… she was the
apple of his eye, and was loved by him above all humanity.(P. 60)
It
means the princess is compare with an apple, it shows that the princess is
adorable and the king as her father loves her very much.
There
is some symbol in the short story The Lady, or the Tiger?. The
Tiger is the symbol of the brutality, powerful, and death. This is quotation:
If he opened the
one, there came out of it a hungry tiger, the fiercest and most cruel that could
be procured, which immediately sprang upon
him, and tore him into pieces,
as punishment
for his guilt.
(P.59)
The other symbol is the lady. The lady is symbolizes a
happiness. This is the quotation:
But, if
the accused person opened the other door, there came for it a lady, the most suitable to
his
year … (P. 59)
The
king’s arena is also the symbol. It is symbolizes the king’s semi barbarism
character. This is quotation:
Among the borrowed
notions by which his barbarism had become semified was that of the
public arena, in which, by exhibitions
of manly and beastly valor, the minds of his subjects
were refined and cultured. (P.58)
6.
Theme
The
theme of the short story of The Lady, or the Tiger? It is about the
choices of the life. We know from the story that every accused man, even
the princess had to choose in
order
to continue their life. They had to choose a door that they like and accept
what is stood behind the door. It is same with the real life that is in this
life there are many choices which we can choose. However we must be careful to
choose it because it impact our future.
7.
Irony
In the
short story The Lady, or the Tiger, there are some irony. The
irony is use to make the reader interested to see what ends up happened as we
see in the quotation below:
… for did not the
accused person have the whole matter in his own hands? (P.62)
The
quotation above include the verbal irony. According to the fact the reader may
be think it is true. We know that the accused person indeed given a freedom to
choose or open either door. It means the accused person can choose his own
path. Then for the conclusion, he has the matter on his own hands.
However even tough he has given
the choice, it doesn’t depend on what has he done in his life and also it
doesn’t depend on the crime that he has done. He can’t know what is hidden
behind every door, he just know that
behind the door there is Lady and the other there is the tiger. He might not be
in this situation if he has an alternative or other choice. However the king
who made the rule force the accused person to do a punishment
with this way. Perhaps if the king doesn’t use this method, the accused will
choose to be released.
The other is irony of
situation. This is the quotation :
... not as if the
decision of the question depended upon yourself, but upon that hot-blooded,
semi barbaric princess, her soul at a
white heat beneath the combined fires of despair and
jealously. She had lost him, but who should have him? (P.63)
We can see from the author direct
comment that the princess is ironically had to choose the door for saving her
lover. She had already lose her lover so now she feel confuse which door that
she will choose. She feel despair about the tiger behind one of the door and
jealous with the lady in the other door.
D.
CONCLUSION
In this conclusion, I can conclude
that this paper consist of introduction that explain about the focuses in
making this paper. The theoretical concept based on two sources, from Robert
DiYanni and Jane bachman Gordon book.The last is The elements of the story are
plot, character and characterization, setting, point of view and tone, style,
theme, and Irony. In the plot I have found the exposition, complication,
climax, falling action, and resolution. There is two conflict, external and
internal conflict that the major
character has to face it. The technique of the storytelling using
foreshadowing. I have found there are two major characters and seven minor
characters. Then in the short story of The Lady, or the Tiger? I have found the setting of place and the
time. In point of view I found that the author is the third person and
omniscient point of view. There are also several tone that the author show in
this short story. I have found a lots of diction imagery and symbol. Moreover there is metaphore in it.
Then I have decided that the theme of the short story is about the choices of
the life. The last is irony. I have found two irony, irony of verbal and
situation
Bibliografi
DiYanni
Robert. Literature:Approaches to Fiction, Poetry and Drama.
New York : Mc Graw Hill Companies, Inc, 2006
Gordon Jane
Bachman and Karen Kuehner. Fiction:The Elements of the
Short Story. Columbus : Mc Graw Hill Companies, Inc, 1999
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