Lamb To The Slaughter By Ronald Dahl

“Lamb to the Slaughter” Summary “Lamb to the Slaughter” written by Ronald Dahl conveys the unusual story of the death of Patrick Maloney. The setting of the story is in the 1950’s, in the household of the Maloney’s. Patrick was a police officer, while Mary was a house wife. The two were expecting their first child. Mary Maloney awaited the return of her husband, Patrick Maloney, from his work at the police station. Soon, he arrived home in a troubled mood. Immediately, Mary observed this mood as she continued to joyfully greet him. As he sat, Mary supplied him with a strong drink. Mary attempted to comfort him; she even canceled their dinner plans for the evening. Abruptly, Patrick began to confess what had been on his mind that had caused his troubled mood. He confessed that there was another woman that had claimed his attention; he …show more content…
This news came as a shock to Mary, she did not know how to handle the situation. In an effort to clear her mind she prepared to make dinner by going down into the cellar. There, she obtained a large leg of lamb. When she entered the room, she pleaded with Patrick to stay; however, he was persistent on leaving her. The climax of the story occurred when Mary sprang into action by hitting him upside the head with the leg of lamb. Patrick died as he fell towards the ground. Additionally, this is an example of situational irony. Mary loved her husband dearly, nevertheless, in a moment of pure madness, she killed him. In an effort to remain calm, she continued to prepare the meal; she placed the lamb into the oven and went to the store for vegetables. Upon her return, she began to stage a burglary. She dropped the groceries on the ground,