Day 23: The joy and disgust over messy endings

01/30/2018

Day 23

Task—Write the ending

Frank Stockton’s short story “The Lady, or the Tiger?” has one of the most unsatisfying endings of anything I’ve ever read. This short story spends a great deal of time describing an arena that an ancient king uses to doll out fate-appointed punishments. When a subject is accused of a crime, the criminal is brought to the center of the arena for all to see and is asked to choose between two seemingly identical doors. Each door holds different outcomes for the criminal. Behind one door, a lady waits to marry the accused immediately, and behind the other door, a tiger awaits to tear the criminal limb from limb. Fate decides which outcome the criminal gets. The story goes on to tell of one particular accused man who is charged with loving the king’s daughter, and the reader learns that the daughter has figured out which door holds the woman and which the tiger for her lover’s trial. Just when the reader is imagining the criminal looking up at the princess for the answer and the princess points to the door for the criminal to choose, the story cuts off, and Stockton writes, “The question of her decision is one not to be lightly considered, and it is not for me to presume to set myself up as the one person able to answer it. And so I leave it with all of you: Which came out of the opened door - the lady, or the tiger?”

See what he did there? He didn’t bother with making the choice at all. He leaves the hard work of dolling out the punishment for the reader. It’s a bit of a cop out, really. And in a way, it’s also ingenious! I first read this story as a freshman in my English 9 class. When I came to the end, I was indignant, how could he do this to us? We’d just traveled through the entire story with him. How could he leave it up to us? When my teacher said our assignment was to write the ending, I came up with this cheap, clichéd ending about the princess figuring out how to get to door herself, and then the two getting married on the spot. I mean, it’s a nice, happy ending. But, girl, please! It doesn’t fit the parameters of the story that Stockton so expertly defines.

The amazing thing about this story is that I still find myself wondering what the princess really chooses for her accused lover. And when I have had the chance to choose a story for my students to read, I often fall back on this one because I want to hear their thoughts. I have facilitated many class debates about this issue and assigned many a student to write alternate endings for it. After all this processing, I still can’t decide what I think, even though I have often felt I have finally made up my mind for the last time.

Endings are hard for me as a writer (as evidenced by most of my entries on this blog). Even when I feel I know where I want to go with my writing, it is still hard to leave a satisfying gut punch as the last move of anything I write. This concept translates to the rest of my life. I don’t know how many awkward goodbyes I have been responsible for because I have such difficulty coming to the end of my time with someone. I want to say thank you, and I want to make sure the other party feels my appreciation even for the time given to me, but I end up fumbling with words and I’m horrible at hugs. It all goes south.

Jeff Goins' task for us today was to write the ending of the story that will be our final goal. I could not do it. I am too afraid of making the wrong choice for my character because I don’t feel I really know my character yet. I have some studying and research to do, so I can truly see my character for who he is and give him the ending he deserves. What came to me tonight was simply this—the reader yearns for a satisfying ending—one where the protagonist achieves the goal or finds redemption or falls in deep love. However, the endings I've read that come back to me over and over again are those similar to that of Stockton’s. Messy endings that make readers do some work and process and discuss and come to their own decision about what must have happened.

I am not sure what direction my writing will take, and that is okay, but as the writer, I am going to have to face the ending of my story at some point although it won’t be tonight. This writing challenge continues to show me that plans are important, so I will set my sights on planning before I start drafting, and I will write with my ending in mind, even if it’s an ending that makes readers look up with disgust after the final page and say, “What a rip off!” which is what many students (myself included) have said aloud at the end of “The Lady, or the Tiger?” by Frank Stockton.

P.S. If reading this entry has encouraged you to read Stockton’s work, I would love to hear your theory about the ending. Message me on Facebook or shoot me an email (elissamhoffert@gmail.com). I’d love nothing more than discussing the ending with you, dear reader.