"The operation was successful. The maharaja is dead." Bring out the element of satire in the above statement. What does it tell about the relation between the king and his subjects?

Dear student,

The satire lies in the fact that though the Maharaja had died, the operation became 'successful' as the prediction that the hundredth tiger would claim the Maharaja's life turned out to be true. The king had tried so hard to defeat death by keeping all the matters and his family life on hold so that he could defeat death and later live happily but this did not happen. As soon as the king became content that he had defeated death, he was shown the mirror and finally a wooden tiger had become the cause of his death. The king had never paid heed to his subjects or their needs and as a result the declaration of his death did not bring much change to their lives. The operation was considered successful tough the king had lost his life.