Rhetorical Devices Used In Lamb To The Slaughter

Roald Dahl’s short story Lamb to the Slaughter was written in 1953, it tells a story about a loyal pregnant housewife, Mary Maloney who is happily waiting for her husband to get home from work. Once he arrives and finishes his drinks, he announces to her that he will be leaving her. In shock and feeling betrayed, Mary ultimately kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb. The title “Lamb to the Slaughter” is effective as it is a familiar saying, the literal meaning is to kill the innocent; while the figurative meaning is that someone may be killed. Dahls uses rhetorical devices in the story such as foreshadowing, dramatic irony, and dark humor to get his point across. The first rhetorical device, foreshadowing, which is described as an advance sign or warning of what is to come in the future. It is used at the beginning of the story when the husband Patrick Maloney comes home from work. “And as he spoke, he did an usual thing. He lifted his glass and drank it down in one swallow although there was still half of it left. He got up and went slowly to get himself another drink…When he came back she noticed that the new drink was a very strong …show more content…
In the story we know that Mary Maloney murdered her husband, but the police do not. They think that Mary couldn’t have done it because she deeply loves her husband and is with child. “’Personally I think the weapon is somewhere near the house.’ ‘It’s probably right under our noses. What do you think Jack?’ And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to laugh.” Here is a perfect example of dramatic irony, because we know what the weapon was and where the weapon is. The police have no clue that they are eating the weapon, and that they are eliminating the evidence of the crime. Mary knows that they are eating the evidence this is why she laughs, because she is getting away with