"Lamb to the Slaughter" is a short story written by Roald Dahl, first published in 1954. The story is about a pregnant housewife named Mary Maloney who murders her husband, Patrick, after he announces that he is leaving her.
At the beginning of the story, Mary is contentedly preparing a lamb roast for her husband, who is a detective in the local police force. However, when Patrick arrives home, he delivers the shocking news that he is leaving Mary for another woman. In a fit of rage, Mary grabs a frozen leg of lamb from the refrigerator and bludgeons Patrick to death with it.
After committing the crime, Mary remains calm and collected, even going so far as to offer the leg of lamb to the police officers who arrive at the scene to investigate the murder. She manages to convince the officers that Patrick had come home, eaten the lamb, and then gone out again, leaving no evidence behind.
As the story progresses, we see that Mary is a skilled manipulator, using her role as a pregnant, devoted wife to her advantage as she tries to cover up the murder. She even goes so far as to cook the leg of lamb for the police officers and offer them drinks, all the while knowing that the murder weapon is sitting in plain sight on the kitchen table.
Ultimately, "Lamb to the Slaughter" is a story about the power of deception and the lengths that someone will go to protect their own interests. Mary is able to fool the police and get away with murder, showing that appearances can be deceiving and that people are capable of great acts of evil.
Despite its dark themes, "Lamb to the Slaughter" is a well-written and engaging story that keeps the reader guessing until the very end. Roald Dahl's writing is known for its twisted sense of humor and "Lamb to the Slaughter" is no exception, making it a must-read for fans of suspenseful, unexpected tales.
Short Story "Lamb to the Slaughter" Essay Example
The couple had been, so it seemed, happy throughout their marriage. The search went on. She lifted it out, and looked at it. It is late, and they are now tired, frustrated, and hungry. Maloney loves her husband, and would never harm him. Without any direct verbal response to what he has said, she tells Patrick that she is going downstairs to get the meat for dinner, and he does not deter her.
Lamb to the Slaughter
While she finally feels shocked at seeing Patrick's body, she continues with her plan and calls the police. I would come to discover that Roald Dahl was extremely important in shaping my literary outlook more than any other author , because of his monumental impact on movies, books, and my childhood. After a while, the photographer and the doctor departed and two other men came in and took the corpse away on a stretcher. She put the parcel down on the table and went through into the living room; and when she saw him lying there on the floor with his legs doubled up and one arm twisted back underneath his body, it really was rather a shock. However, we can gather enough on his character by his sudden and unwarranted decision to leave his wife and unborn child. What Is the Main Message of "Lamb to the Slaughter"? Hollowed and stupefied, Mary descends the steps to the cellar, retrieves a leg of lamb from the freezer, and carries it upstairs to prepare a meal. Mary, of course, uses these perceptions to her advantage in creating the perception of herself as a victim.
Lamb to the Slaughter: Full Story Summary
As the police search for and fail to find the murder weapon, Mary suggests Noonan, O'Malley, and the others eat the leg of lamb she has in the oven as she couldn't possibly eat at that moment. In fact, it would be a relief. Out of pity for the new widow, they concede. It is about a wife Mary Maloney murdering her drunk husband Patrick Maloney after he gives her short answers when she asks him questions. For her, this was always a blissful time of day. Her skin--for this was her sixth month with child--had acquired a wonderful translucent quality, the mouth was soft, and the eyes, with their new placid look, seemed larger darker than before.
Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl Plot Summary
This, combined with their blind trust and sympathy for Mary, critically disables the detectives from finding the real culprit behind the murder. It'll be cooked just right by now. Although she kills him, she does not plan his murder. In third grade, during an all-day reading marathon I loved my elementary school , all of the students were allowed to bring in pop and snacks and a sleeping bag to setup shop wherever we liked so that we could literally read the entire school day. There was a slow smiling air about her, and about everything she did. And now, she told herself as she hurried back, all she was doing now, she was returning home to her husband and he was waiting for his supper; and she must cook it good, and make it as tasty as possible because the poor man was tired; and if, when she entered the house, she happened to find anything unusual, or tragic, or terrible, then naturally it would be a shock and she'd become frantic with grief and horror.
