The Lamb

People aren't always as they seem. Roald Dahl shows this in the short story Lamb to the Slaughter. In this story, a woman named Mary Maloney has lingered all day for her cherished husband, Patrick. When returning home, he gives her horrible news. She's terrified and acts on her first thought, picking up a leg of lamb, to swing it against the head of Patrick. She kills her husband, revealing her true side. Then she does everything she can to convince others alongside of herself, that she didn’t…

Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl is a short story about a pregnant wife named Mary Maloney finding out that her husband Patrick Maloney was leaving her. It was an unexpected news that Mary didn’t understand, her feelings towards the news of her husband leaving, made her thoughts shift. Mary had panicked and a lot was going through her head. While Patrick was turned around trying to furthermore explain why he’s was leaving Mary took a frozen lamb leg and hit Patrick in the back of the head,…

Following research conducted and findings of previous topics and articles, this contribution is to open the mind and thoughts surrounding the questions many have asked. This paper will review the findings of research based on the mindset of serial killers and, will also explore the ideas and trends involving serial killers in today’s society. This article is designed to help us understand a little more about why things thought to be taboo involving serial killers, in some areas become somewhat…

“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…

“Lamb to the Slaughter follows Mary Maloney from a normal day with her husband, but goes a different direction after Patrick Maloney basically divorces her. She then proceeds to retrieve a leg of lamb from the cellar, and kills Patrick. In Trifles, a team of investigators come to the scene of a murder with their wives, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale. Peters and Hale are retrieving a few items for Mrs. Wright, the wife of the victim. The wives find multiple pieces of evidence that could be used to…

In the short story “Lamb to the Slaughter” the character of the detectives and Patrick Maloney are incapable of portraying Mary as an antagonist as the author, Roald Dahl makes them behave in a bias and stereotypical manner. Primarily in the beginning of the story, Mary is evidently devoting wife, who is taking time to care and love for Patrick and desires for everything to be ready before his return. When Patrick returns home that evening, he is observing that Mary is presenting excessive…

The scene I will be analyzing is from the 1955 film The Night of the Hunter. The film’s plot is of two young children who are left with a large sum of money from their father who robbed a bank. Their widowed mother, desperate for love, marries Harry Powell (a.k.a. the preacher) who believes he delivers “God’s work” while also killing women on the side. He ends up murdering the children’s mom, and in turn, he becomes their caretaker. He soon finds out that the children know where the money is…

Have you ever wondered why authors use irony? There are multiple types of irony that can be used in writing to maximize the story’s entertainment. A good example of all three types of irony can be showed in Ronald Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter”. In this story Mary Maloney murdered her husband. The detectives think that is impossible that Mary was able to kill Patrick. Here are some examples of how one of the types of irony, dramatic irony, ties into this story. First off is an when Mary goes to…

SFC Lamb joined the United States Army in August of 1989 and completed over 24 years of credible military service that has spanned across the United States Army, the United States Army Reserve, and the Kansas Army National Guard (KSARNG). The longevity of his service as an Active Duty service member, Reservist, and a Guardsman are a testament to his unwavering dedication to his country and the State of Kansas. SFC Lamb endured multiple deployments throughout his KSARNG career to include…

Are you Afraid? While both The Landlady and Lamb to the slaughter by Roald Dahl are great stories; both were not scary as they were more creepy. One problem with both stories is that there is a disconnect between the reader and the main characters. In The Landlady, Billy is very naive and always figures things out a little too late compared to the reader, taking them out of the experience. In Lamb to the slaughter the reader follows the killer, slowly losing their mind. While interesting, it…