Notes For All Chapters English Literature Class 10
Introduction
‘Mrs Packletide’s Tiger’ shows womanly vanity, hypocrisy and jealousy in a humorous way. Mrs Packletide pre-arranges the tiger hunt. It brings out the taunt of the author on womanhood. To show herself more than Loona Bimberton she has to part with a lot of money to hush up Louisa Mebbin.
What makes Mrs Packletide to hunt a tiger ?
Mrs Packletide now wished to hunt a tiger. The compelling motive behind it was that Loona Bimberton had been carried in an aeroplane. She talked of nothing else except this and this made Mrs Packletide jealous of her. To counter her fame, a tiger-skin out of hunting and lots of press photographs were necessary. She had arranged in her mind to belittle Loona Bimberton in a lunch that she would organize in her (Loona Bimberton) honour. She would then offer her a tiger-claw brooch on her next birthday.
Arranging for an old tiger for the hunt
Circumstances proved favourable. Mrs Packletide offered the villagers a thousand rupees for shooting a tiger. It happened that a neighbouring village had had a tiger. It had left game-hunting and grown old and weak. This money made the villagers post children to head the tiger back there. A day was finally fixed for Mrs Packletide to hunt it. The one great anxiety was lest the tiger should die of old age before the date of hunting. Women crossing the forest were asked not to sing aloud lest the tiger’s sleep should get disturbed.
The night of the tiger hunt
All arrangements for hunting the tiger were made properly. On the night when Mrs Packletide was to hunt the tiger, she sat on a platform made in tree. With her sat Louisa Mebbin, her paid companion. They had playing cards to pass the time. A goat was tied at a distance as a bait for the tiger.
Louisa Mebbin’s strange questions
Louisa Mebbin told Mrs Packletide that she was in danger. But Mrs Packletide told her that she wasn’t as the tiger was very old. Louisa Mebbin asked her if that was so she must have got it cheaper. A thousand rupees for it were a lot of money in those days.
More of Louisa Mebbin
Louisa Mebbin was a very cunning and crafty woman. She never wanted that money should be spent uselessly. She would never be happy even to pay tips to the waiters. She never served more than she was paid for.
The tiger arrives on the scene
Mean while the old tiger appeared on the scene. It saw the tethered goat and lay flat on the earth. It did so to take a little rest before attacking the goat. Louisa Mebbin told Mrs Packletide that if the tiger didn’t touch the goat they won’t pay any money to the villagers.
Death of the tiger and the goat
Just then Mrs Packletide fired a shot. The tiger was killed. Louisa Mebbin told Mrs Packletide that the shot had killed the goat. The tiger had died due to heart failure as it was very old. Mrs Packletide got annoyed at this discovery. Louisa Mebbin being a paid companion kept quiet.
Mrs Packletide’s victory and Loona Bimberton’s reaction
Mrs Packletide faced the cameras with a pride. Texas Weekly Snapshot and Novoe Vremya magazines published her photos. Loona Bimberton refused to see these photographs. She also declined the luncheon party organised by Mrs Packletide. She, however, received the gift of a tiger-claw brooch with repressed emotions.
Louisa Mebbin’s blackmailing Mrs Packletide
Louisa Mebbin told Mrs Packletide that all would be amused if they knew how she shot the goat dead and frightened the tiger to death. When Louisa Mebbin told her that Loona Bimberton would be amused, Mrs Packletide pleaded that she shouldn’t do so. Louisa told her that she had seen a week-end cottage named ‘Les Fauves’ (The Wild Animals). It was very beautiful with tiger-lilies. All her friends admired it. Mrs Packletide bought this for Louisa Mebbin to keep her mouth shut.
Mrs Packletide’s refusal to hunt
Mrs Packletide stopped game hunting. On being asked why she would say that the incidental charges were very high.
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