Mrs. Packletide's Tiger by Saki

Questions – Answers:

1.    Why did Mrs. Packletide wish to kill a tiger?

Miss Loona Bimberton had received a tiger skin and was boasting herself continuously about it and her pictures with the tiger skin. Mrs. Packletide wanted to kill a tiger to over shine Loona’s popularity.

2.    What made her decide to give a party in Loona Bimberton's honour? What did she intend to give Loona on her birthday?

The very thought of killing a tiger and acquiring its skin in order to over shine Loona Bimberton’s popularity, and showing it off to people before Loona would do, made Mrs. Packletide decide to give a party in Loona Bimberton’s honour.

She intended to give a tiger-clawed brooch to Loona on her birthday.

3.    How was the tiger shooting arranged? What kind of a tiger was chosen for the purpose?

The villagers who were eager to get the reward of thousand rupees from Mrs. Packletide arranged everything for the tiger hunt. They arranged a platform at a convenient and comfortable place on a tree for Mrs. Packletide and her paid companion. They also tethered a goat with a particularly persistent bleat at the correct distance. Also, an old and ill tiger, which had given up hunting and was dependent on domestic animals was chosen for the hunt.  

4.    In what way did the villagers help Mrs. Packletide shoot the tiger?

The villagers were offered thousand rupees deal for helping Mrs. Packletide in tiger hunt. In order to earn the money, they arranged everything for the hunt. Children were posted night and day in the outskirts so that the tiger would not leave his territory. Cheaper goats were carelessly left free for keeping the tiger satisfied in that place. Women were also careful about their singing voices while returning home after their work in the field in order to not to disturb the tiger’s peaceful sleep. Thus, the villagers took all the possible care to make sure that the tiger would not leave the place for any reason.

5.    Who was Miss Mebbin? Was she really devoted to Mrs. Packletide? How did she behave during the tiger shooting?

Miss Mebbin was Mrs. Packletide’s paid companion for the tiger hunting task. She was not devoted to Mrs. Packletide. She was a money minded person. She had a gloomy fear that she would not perform a bit more than what she had been paid for. She had adopted a protective elder-sister attitude towards money. She, during the tiger hunt, persisted that Mrs. Packletide should bargain over the tiger’s price and would not pay thousand rupees to the villagers as the tiger was very old and ill. Her devotion towards Mrs. Packletide was fake which was revealed later when she blackmailed Mrs. Packletide.

6.    Mrs. Packletide was a good shot. Discuss.

Mrs. Packletide wasn’t a good shot. The entire tiger hunting program was organized by the villagers. They even constructed a platform on a tree for Mrs. Packletide and her friend who came there with a pack of playing cards. The tiger was so close but she missed the shot and killed an innocent goat instead of the tiger. So, saying that she was a good shot cannot be justified.

7.    What comment did Miss Mebbin make after Mrs Packletide had fired the shot? Why did Miss Mebbin make this comment? How did Mrs Packletide react to this comment?

After Mrs. Packletide had fired the shot, Miss Mebbin commented, “How amused everyone would be if they knew what really happened?”

Miss Mebbin made this comment because she wanted to take advantage of the fact that Mrs. Packletide had not killed the tiger. She wanted to blackmail Mrs. Packletide for more money.

Mrs. Packletide was very annoyed to hear that comment because she wasn’t ready to accept the reality and wanted this secret not to be revealed. She thought that both the villagers and Miss Mebbin would not reveal the truth as both of them had been paid by her.

8.    How did the villagers react to the tiger's death?

The villagers were happy to hear the news of tiger’s death. They gathered at the place where the tiger was lying dead. They celebrated tiger’s death and their winning thousand rupees with the thumping of tom-toms. Thus, they did not care about the truth behind the tiger hunting.

9.    Do you think Mrs. Packletide was able to achieve her heart's desire? Give reasons for your answer.

Mrs. Packletide’s desire was to get popularity and over shine Loona Bimberton’s popularity by shooting a tiger. Although, Mrs. Packletide had not killed the tiger, she managed to get all the publicity she desired. Her picture appeared in ‘Texas Weekly Snapshot’ and the Monday supplement of ‘Novoe Vremya’. She was able to accomplish her heart’s desire by making Loona jealous. But her happiness was partial because Loona declined the invitation to luch party and refused to look at an illustrated paper for weeks. Thus, Mrs. Packletide’s desire remains partially unfulfilled as the end was not as planned by her.

10. How did Miss Mebbin manage to get her week-end cottage? Why did she plant so many tiger lilies in her garden?

Miss Mebbin managed to get her week-end cottage by blackmailing Mrs. Packletide. She had threatened Mrs. Packletide that if Mrs. Packletide would not buy her a cottage, she would reveal the truth to everybody including Loona. She planted so many tiger lilies in her garden in order to pay a tribute to the dead tiger because of which she was able to possess the cottage. These tiger lilies would constantly remind her of her hunting expedition with Mrs. Packletide.

11. "The incidental expenses are so heavy," she confides to inquiring friends. Who is the speaker? What is she referring to here?

The speaker is Mrs. Packletide. Here, she is referring to the heavy price she had to pay to Miss Mebbin to keep the secret behind the tiger killing incident. She was blackmailed and was forced to give Miss Mebbin an expensive week-end cottage in order to outshine Loona. She had learned a lesson from her bad experience and did not indulge in big-game shooting anymore.

12. Do you think the tiger shooting organized by the villagers was a serious affair? Give reasons for your answer.

The villagers were really serious about the prospect of earning thousand rupees because it was a big amount. They were enthusiastic about it. So, they posted children on village boundaries so that the tiger would not leave its domain. Cheaper goats were carelessly left free for keeping the tiger satisfied in that place. Women were also careful about their singing voices while returning home after their work in the field in order to not to disturb the tiger’s peaceful sleep. They also constructed comfortable platform on a tree for Mrs. Packletide and her paid companion.

13. Do you think the writer is trying to make fun of the main characters in the story i.e. Mrs. Packletide, Miss Mebbin and Loona Bimberton? Pick out instances from the story that point to this fact.

‘Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger’ is humourous and full of satire. The author makes fun of almost all the characters. Mrs. Packletide wanted to kill a tiger because her jealousy for Loona Bimberton. Loona was a boastful lady. Loona became more jealous when she saw Mrs. Packletide’s photo in the newspaper. She also refused to attend the lunch party arranged in her honour by Mrs. Packletide. Miss Mebbin was manipulative, shrewd and materialistic lady. She adopted a protective elder-sister attitude towards money. Moreover, the shooting of an old and weak tiger, which has lost his strength and ferociousness, is also very humourous. Its death due to heart failure instead of bullet arouses laughter.

14. A person who is vain is full of self importance and can only think of himself/herself and can go to great lengths to prove his/her superiority. Do you think Mrs Packletide is vain? Give reasons in support of your answer.

Mrs. Packletide is guided by only one emotion i.e. jealousy. She is obsessed with the desire of over shining Loona Bimberton. So, it has become the mission of her life. She plans a tiger hunt irrespective of the fact that it will cause harm to the fauna and will also cost her a lot of money. She is predominated by affectation. Her intoxication is to such extent that the caution and advice given by Miss Mebbin also goes unheard. So, it would be apt to describe Mrs. Packletide as a vain and pretentious lady.

15. Sometimes writers highlight certain negative aspects in society or human beings by making fun of it. This is called satire. In your groups discuss whether you would classify this story as a satire. Give reasons to support your answer.

This story is an apt example of satire. The narrator through the fun made in the story highlighted the negativities of the society. People in the society mainly the rich are controlled not by love and hunger but by money, status, and jealousy. The story is to hint narrow minded and rich people and their habit paranoia.

16. How does the writer create humor in this story?

The writer created the humour in this story by …

-      Character portrayal of the main characters who are governed by the likes and dislikes of each other, jealously, blackmailing, etc.

-      Portraying of the entire tiger hunting event, the preparations done by the villagers to make the tiger feel satisfied and happy in the domain, the killing of the wrong animal, etc.