How Does Dahl Use Irony In Lamb To The Slaughter

Roald Dahl, a British writer, composes short stories and poems. In his short story “Lamb to the Slaughter,” he writes about a woman who becomes overcome by her emotions and kills her husband. On the contrast, no one really believes she would have the heart to murder her husband. The story transpires with many twists and turns with a touch of comical references. Dahl uses verbal, situational, and dramatic irony to develop a story that is not expected. Dahl uses three examples of verbal irony to state the opposite of the intended meaning expected. The first usage of verbal irony is the title. When first reading the title, one expects the story to be about a lamb being killed. However, when the story is finished, one can see that the title comes from the wife killing her husband with a frozen lamb leg. The second verbal irony comes to place when Patrick Maloney tells Mary they need to separate at “a bad time”. At this time Mary is six months pregnant. When Patrick says they need to get a divorce, it is …show more content…
Towards the beginning, Patrick tells Mary that they must go their separate ways. One would expect her to become very emotionally unstable. However, she calmly proceeds to make dinner. Shortly afterwards, Mary’s emotions turn her to insanity. Her deep love for Patrick as portrayed throughout the story indicates that she would never harm her husband. Ironically, with a frozen lamb’s leg, she slams it upon the back of Patrick’s head causing him to die on the spot. After realizing what she had done, Mary’s procedures cause one to be surprised again. Because of her love for Patrick, one would expect Mary to be filled with guilt. However, Mary carefully runs through all of the penalties and what would happen to the child. Her mind is so clear that she devises a plan to create the perfect alibi. Situational irony is used by Dahl to develop a plot not