Mrs. Packletide's Tiger by Saki

Name: Mrs. Packletide's Tiger
Author: Saki

Mrs. Packletide, motivated by jealousy of a rival, Loona Bimberton, decides to shoot a tiger to gain social prestige. She offers a substantial sum for the chance to hunt a tiger that has become too old to hunt effectively. The villagers, eager for the reward, ensure the tiger remains in the area by leaving goats as bait and keeping watch. On the night of the hunt, Mrs. Packletide and her companion, Miss Mebbin, wait in a tree with a tethered goat. When the tiger appears, Mrs. Packletide fires her rifle, but the shot does not hit the tiger; instead, the animal dies from shock and old age. The villagers, eager for the reward, support the narrative that she successfully shot the tiger. Despite the mishap, Mrs. Packletide enjoys her newfound fame, receiving attention and admiration for her "achievement." She hosts a luncheon to celebrate, where she plans to showcase the tiger-skin rug and present a tiger-claw brooch to Loona Bimberton. However, Miss Mebbin reveals the truth about the hunt, threatening to expose Mrs. Packletide's deception unless she is compensated for her silence. Mrs. Packletide, fearing the loss of her social standing, agrees to finance Miss Mebbin's desired weekend cottage. The story concludes with Mrs. Packletide abandoning her ambitions for big-game hunting, citing the high costs associated with her previous endeavor, while Miss Mebbin enjoys her new home, admired by her friends.

By Saki · First published 1912 · Genre: Satire, Humor, Fiction · 1,504 words

First lines

It was Mrs. Packletide's pleasure and intention that she should shoot a tiger. Not that the lust to kill had suddenly descended on her, or that she felt that she would leave India safer and more wholesome than she had found it, with one fraction less of wild beast per million of inhabitants. The compelling motive for her sudden deviation towards the footsteps of Nimrod was the fact that Loona Bimberton had recently been carried eleven miles in an aeroplane by an Algerian aviator, and talked of nothing else; only a personally procured tiger-skin and a heavy harvest of press photographs could successfully counter that sort of thing. Mrs. Packletide had already arranged in her mind the lunch she would give at her house in Curzon Street, ostensibly in Loona Bimberton's honour, with a tiger-skin rug occupying most of the foreground and all of the conversation. She had also already designed in her mind the tiger-claw brooch that she was going to give Loona Bimberton on her next birthday. In a world that is supposed to be chiefly swayed by hunger and by love Mrs. Packletide was an exception; her movements and motives were largely governed by dislike of Loona Bimberton.

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Mrs. Packletide's Tiger is listed on Textopian as a short story by Saki, dated 1912 CE.

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Work type: Short story
Author: Saki
Date: 1912 CE
Language: English
Genres: Satire, Humor, Fiction, Adventure, Short Story
Length: 1,504 words
Structure: 1 section, 25 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)

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Similar titles

Genres

Satire — The story critiques social status and the absurdity of human behavior, particularly in the context of competition and vanity.
Humor — The narrative employs wit and irony to highlight the ridiculousness of Mrs. Packletide's motivations and the outcome of her tiger hunt.
Fiction — The work is a fictional narrative that explores character interactions and societal norms.
Adventure — The plot revolves around the adventure of hunting a tiger, albeit with a comedic twist.