One of my favorite characters from the Oz universe is The Hungry Tiger. You may not know of him, if you have only seen the movies. He only appeared in the books. He is the very special friend and companion of the far more famous Cowardly Lion.
The hilarity of the Hungry Tiger has always amused me. He is a sulking sort of person because he was born a predator with far too much compassion. He has an obsession with the idea of eating people... and he loves talking about it. He especially likes the idea of eating fat babies. He mentions that as often as he can because he is clearly always thinking about it.
The reason he is called the "Hungry" Tiger is because he can't actually do the thing he wants to do. If he did eat a fat baby or... you... he would go into a spiral of depression because he hurt someone. This is an aspect of him specifically. There are animals and monsters in Oz that will not think twice about devouring you up. But they do not have the compassion that the Hungry Tiger has.
Even so, this Tiger is still very depressed because he cannot do what he wants to do. His stomach is always rumbling. He does still eat, although it's more of a vegetarian diet. This never really satisfies him though. As much as I love him, I do feel bad for him. Because of his compassion, he cannot truly be himself. This hurt him greatly... yet he is proud of himself for his restraint. He loves himself for his ability to rise above his carnal desires for the sake of others.
For these reasons, the Hungry Tiger should be revered and loved. One should also have compassion for his own inner aches. He denies himself those selfish desires because he refuses to hurt others to sate his own lusts. He suffers for the sake of freedom and friendship of others. If only we could have compassion for the Hungry Tiger!
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Wow! This character is me! I can relate to him PURR-fectly!
ReplyDeleteI had a feeling you would, and on top of that... he may be my most beloved character from the series.
DeleteHaha, The Hungry Tiger is a fantastic character. The fact he does not act on his natural impulses for the sake of others is wonderful. I feel for him and highly respect him for what's in his heart.
ReplyDeleteHe's probably my favorite. I really just can't help but love him.
DeleteThat is why we eat animals and not people. Who could enjoy meat if it meant sacrificing another person? It would take a hideous individual to do such a thing.
ReplyDeleteI can't blame a tiger for doing what it does. But this particular tiger had compassion that most tigers don't.
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