Irony and Satire
in ‘The Tiger King’
‘The Tiger King’ is replete with irony
that reveals the follies of autocratic and willful rulers who flout all laws
and bend them to suit their selfish interests. The dramatic irony in the story is sharp when
the Tiger King alone is unaware that his bullet had not killed the hundredth
tiger. The other characters and the readers anticipate his doom as he
celebrates his triumph over his destiny. We realize how misplaced the King’s
pride at killing the first tiger was. The astrologers had prophesied, “You may
kill ninety nine tigers like this, but your death will be brought on by the
hundredth tiger.” The King wanted to prove the astrologer wrong and to save his
life. Ironically, to avert death he actually invites it. The lofty titles used to introduce the Tiger King,
suggesting an invincible ferocity are indeed ironic for he is finally killed by
a cheap, crudely made wooden toy tiger which
became the tool of Nature’s revenge. He had killed a hundred tigers in vain and
must be punished for it. Irony is indeed sharp when the surgeons
announce the operation successful and declare the king dead.
Instances of satire
Satire employs irony, sarcasm, ridicule, etc.
in exposing and criticising follies and vices in men. The story uses humour to criticize
self-seeking Kings who willfully exploit both nature and their subjects for
sefish interests.
· When
the Maharaja of Pratibandhpuram was told that he would be killed by a tiger, he
could never imagine the twist in fate where a toy tiger could be fatal. Because
of his conceit, he was unprepared for such surprises flung by life at him.
· The
grandeur associated with a king’s life proves a mockery. The news of the king’s
ailment invited not one, but three surgeons. They got so tied up in
technicalities that they declared the operation successful even though the king
died.
· The
story also satirizes the corrupting influence of power. Just because the Tiger
King had power, he felt he could browbeat his subjects and even defeat fate. He
neglected his responsibility as a ruler.
He neglected the welfare of his
subjects, his family, increased and reduced taxes at will and sacked his
officers. They feared him or else he would have learnt the truth.
·
When we see the king
gloating over his bravery after killing the hundredth old, weak tiger, we
notice that Kalki is satirizing the notions of cowardice and bravery. There is
no heroism in fighting an unequal battle. The King’s cowardice was obvious when
he justifies that one may kill even a cow in self defense.
·
Kalki
is also criticizing the King’s men and subjects who pander to his whims out of
fear or like the shopkeeper manipulate and fool him.
Light humour in the Tiger King
·
The instance of the Stuka bomber
·
The king’s offer of mouse hunt etc
·
The incoherent blabbering by the Dewan and the
Chief Astrologer
·
The Dewan procuring an old tiger from people’s
park and its stubborn refusal to get off the car and the description of its waiting in humble supplication to be shot.
·
The shopkeeper quoting three hundred rupees for a cheap two annas and a quarter toy tiger
SHORT QUESTION & ANSWERS
(pts.)
What happened when
the tiger fell in a crumpled heap?
The maharaja was overcome with elation. He proclaimed that
he had killed the 100th tiger and fulfilled the vow; he ordered the tiger to be
brought to the capital in grand procession and walked away.
What dangers did the
tiger king face in his quest for killing the hundred tigers?
By refusing a British official to hunt in his kingdom he
faced the danger of losing his throne;
fought tigers with his bare hands.
Mention any two
unforeseen hurdles the tiger king encountered in the fulfilment of his mission.
How did he overcome them?
The tiger population in Pratibandapuram had become extinct
so he got married to the daughter of the neighboring kingdom with the largest
tiger population; his refusing
permission to a high ranking British officer to hunt tigers in Pratibandhpuram or even be
photographed with a dead tiger put his
kingdom at stake, but he pacified the Durai by sending some fifty expensive
diamond rings to his wife for which he emptied the royal treasury.
Why was the chief
astrologer struck with wonder when he heard the royal infant speak?
A ten day old infant
could speak legibly; he even asked intelligent questions – therefore awestruck
What was ironical
about the wooden tiger?
What he considered the most befitting gift for his son cost
merely two annas and a quarter. Unlike the majestic tigers the king fought with
his bare hands, it was a crude toy made by an unskilled craftsman, with tiny
slivers sticking out of it A sliver from this wooden tiger pierced the King’s
hand, which led to an infection that killed the king.
What was the prediction
by the astrologers?
-grow up to be a great king- ’champion of champions’ but will one day die. When the ten day infant
insisted on knowing the reason for his death they hesitatingly added that the
prince would be killed by a tiger as he was born under the hour of the bull and
the bull and tiger were enemies.
How did he acquire
the name ’The Tiger King’?
His whole life revolved round tigers- when the astrologers
had predicted that he would be killed by a tiger, the ten-day old infant prince
thundered, ’Let tigers beware’ . When he took over as the king he made it his mission
to kill 100 tigers and challenge his destiny. He killed 70 tigers depleting all
the tigers in Pratibandhpuram, killed the others in his father in law’s kingdom
but was finally killed by a toy tiger.