Lamb to The Slaughter

Roald Dahl has published several novels and nearly 50 short stories all of which, without exemption, are fascinating, intriguing and bizarre to say the least. One of Dahl’s more famous stories is “Lamb to the Slaughter”.

This is a twisted, gripping tale of Mary Maloney, who murders her own husband by hitting him with a frozen leg of lamb and then hiding her crime and disposing of the evidence by feeding the lamb to the policemen who come to investigate the murder.

This clever story is crafted down to the smallest detail - every word and expression implies something, often has a second meaning and so manipulates the reader’s opinion. The factor that makes this story even more interesting, is that it is written from the murderer’s point of view, while the opinion of the author is still evident.

Roald Dahl effectively developed the protagonist both directly and indirectly; however

the use of indirect characterisation is more dominant because it reveals and explains Mary Malloney’s actions. In the beginning of the story, Mary Malloney appears to be an ordinary house-wife, awaiting her husband’s return, but already Dahl starts creating the eni

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Another quote I feel necessary to mention to prove my conclusion of what Patrick said to his wife is “and I know that it’s kind of a bad time to be telling you, but there simply wasn’t any other way. The irony in this conversation is so strong, it becomes comic and makes Mary (and the reader) giggle. The policemen think that once they find the murder weapon it will be easy to find Patrick’s killer, also they are convinced that the weapon is “right here on the premises” and “right under our very noses” - this is literally true as at that point in time policemen and eating the lamb. gmatic atmosphere of the story by describing Mary as “curiously tranquil”. “Lamb to the Slaughter” - this is (in tradition of all good titles) full of irony and double meaning - leaving the reader to decide whether it means that the leg of lamb has been taken to the slaughter, or if Patrick is the lamb that has been slaughtered. Malloney cannot bear another moment of the fuss that has been created around him by his wife, he loses his nerve and tells at Mary to “just for a minute, sit down“.

The choice of adjective “curiously” implies that Mary Malloney is not usually as calm as she is today.

Mary becomes different - no more is she a husband pleasing wife she once was, she is now a self-conscious woman who know exactly what to do as if she has been prepared for months. This contradicts with her words and actions in the beginning of the story and underlines her duplicity to herself and everyone else. This reaction seems normal and the reader may think that the story has reached its climax.

After fully reading the story, the reader sees the title in a different light. I don’t much like cooking it frozen, but I am taking a chance on it this time. Patrick tells his wife, which by the evidence in the text I assume is, that he is leaving her.

The serene atmosphere set in the first paragraphs is creased when Mr Malloney walkes through the front door and is greeted by his wife: “ ‘Hullo darling,’ she said ‘ Hullo’ he answered” from this first word exchange between the couple, the reader realises that Mr and Mrs Maloney’s relationship is not based on equality and that Mrs Malloney appreciates her husband much more than he appreciates her.

The sentence that led me to the conclusion that Mr Malloney is leaving his wife is “She sat very still through it all, watching him with a kind of dazed horror as he went further and further away from her with each word“.

Approximate Word count = 1241
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

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