Question:

Attempt in 120-150 words.

How does Kalki use irony at the end of the story to deliver poetic justice to the Tiger King ?

(The Tiger King)

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Use the missed hundredth tiger, the wooden toy tiger and the doctors' remark to show irony and poetic justice.
Updated On: Oct 23, 2026
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Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Plan the answer:
Show the contrast between the Maharaja's boast and his death, then explain how this is poetic justice.

Step 2: Model answer:
Kalki ends the story with sharp irony. The Maharaja, who had bravely killed ninety-nine ferocious tigers, misses the hundredth. He believes he has killed it, but his hunters had actually shot it, so his pride rests on a lie. Later, the same Maharaja who defeated living tigers dies from a tiny splinter of a wooden toy tiger. Even the doctors' remark, 'The operation was successful. The Maharaja is dead', is ironic. In his arrogance he thought he could defeat fate. His boasting and pride in numbers blind him, and his men's secret act that saves his record only makes his fall more ironic. The prophecy of the hundredth tiger is fulfilled in a way no one imagined. Cruelty to tigers and pride are punished in an unexpected way, which is poetic justice.

Final Answer:
The mighty tiger slayer is killed by a toy tiger, proving that fate cannot be defied.
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