Essay on Feminism in Dahl's "Lamb to the Slaughter"

Murder, one of the worst crimes a human could commit, is not taken lightly and most times the primary suspect is a male. In the 2 stories, “Lamb of the Slaughter”, and “The Landlady”, the reader learns just how murderous man’s counterpart can be. Roald Dahl, the author of these 2 stories, wrote “Lamb of the Slaughter” from the perspective of Mary Malony a loving housewife who gets terrible news, and wrote“The Landlady” from the perspective of Billy Weaver, a 17 year old businessman who stumbles across a Bed and Breakfast run by our next “Mistress of Death”. The reader will learn that even though these 2 stories are different in many ways, they still have plenty of similarities.

Another theory of who killed Elizabeth Short is that George Hodel killed Short. Hodel is a surgeon, so he was very capable of performing the surgeon-like dismemberment of the body. (Beth Short). In 1949, Hodel was tried for the molestation of his own daughter, but was later acquitted of the charges. (Beth Short). This shows that George Hodel was not a normal person and was disturbed in the head. The real evidence comes from former LAPD detective and son of George Hodel; Steve Hodel. His son Steve says that he has found pictures with Beth Short, and that he has heard

Mary begins the story as a doting housewife going through her daily routine with her husband. She is content to sit in his company silently until he begins a conversation. Everything is going as usual until he goes “ slowly to get himself another drink” while telling Mary to “sit down” (Dahl 1). This shocks Mary as she is used to getting things for him. After downing his second drink, her husband coldly informs her that he is leaving her and the child. This brutal news prompts the first change in Mary, from loving wife to emotionless and detached from everything.

Mrs. Maloney gets away with the murder in the end. This caused by a revolting ending in which he police detectives eat the leg of lamb that was used to kill Patrick. The writer creates an unbelievable ending by making the story, up to the murder, set in a very normal family house. It is not somewhere you would associate with a morbid killing. The writer builds up an impression that the marriage may not be as good as it could be, and both were under strain not to release the tension onto each other.

In “Lamb to the Slaughter,” Dahl conveys various situations when Mary, the main character, gets so caught up in her own fear, she ends up hurting others. When Dahl demonstrates these moments, he creates the mood as a mentor to

Mary Maloney was what one would call a great housewife. Always making sure never to get out of routine when it came to taking care of her husband. Filled with compassion and love she gave her all to be the best wife she could be. Like before, Mrs. Maloney catered to her husband needs treating him with a great deal of respect, and was very considerate when it came to his workload. “I think it’s a shame,” she said, “that when a policeman gets to be as senior as you, they keep him walking about on his feet all day” (Dahl par.16). Being six months she knew all too well about someone being on their feet too long. Giving such

Mary Malonely and Miss Strangeworth are not what they seem. Mary Malonely kills her husband Patrick. “All right she told herself, so I’ve killed him. This example shows that Mary kills her husband because she could not handle the news that he is leaving her. This quote goes with the theme because Miss Strangeworth

It is still common in today’s society to dismiss women’s experiences in the workforce. According to pureresearch.org, women are more likely than men to adjust their career in order to take care of their family. Anne-Marie Slaughter’s article has given me a lot of insight on how America is structured in terms of women in the workforce. She explains in her article “Why Women Can’t Have It All”, the difficulty of keeping a high profile job while taking care of her family. Her experiences is very common among women all over the spectrum of the workforce.

Over the course of time, gender roles have always been a popular topic that is either obviously discussed or implied in various literary works. In a great number of literary works, the general expectations of gender roles are strongly criticized. Some of the outstanding representatives of short stories can be “The Dinner Party” by Mona Gardner, “Appointment with Love” by S.I.Kishor, and “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Ronald Dahl. Despite all the differences that are presented in these short stories, a stronger figure of women against society’s expectations is established in all of these works overtime. This concept is revealed through the distinct characterization, the central conflicts presented, and how these stories are resolved.

During the course of "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl, readers learn a valuable truth; those who seem weak are sometimes the most powerful. The characterization of Mary Maloney makes the reader believe that she is frail, naïve and a weak woman. However, this is not the case, as proven when “…she swung the big frozen leg of lamb high in the air and brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his head” (13). Consequently, Mary, a pregnant woman, is able to kill a large man with a single blow. This is an example of Mary’s physical strength that is hidden by her physical image.

From the beginning of time and around the world, women have been subjected to patriarchal oppression in various forms. From economic hardships such as wage gaps or an inability to own property, to social mores such as submission in marriage and sexual objectification, women are systematically treated as second- class citizens without a voice. African American women have faced these gendered challenges in addition to racial discrimination in the forms of slavery, unfair taxation, red-lining, unequal access to education and derogatory media representation to name a few. “Passing” by Nella Larsen portrays two African American women as main characters who experience racial and gender oppression in various ways. Webster’s Dictionary defines oppression as: the state of being subject to unjust treatment or control, prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control; mental pressure or distress. Larsen’s story delves into social and feminist issues of oppression such as loss of identity, oppressiveness of marriage, women’s independence relating to women’s lack of independence, the importance of marriage in society, how race and class function in society, and how relationships are dictated by race, class, and gender.

She explains how content about her marriage is and the posterity that runs through their marriage. Shortly after her husband arrives and all the happiness and posterity rapidly shifts. Her husband explains that he no longer wants to be with her and her grief turns into murder. She hits her husband in the back of the head and proceeds to go on with life. Death shows Mary Maloney that life will never be the same and she takes matters into her own hands and heads to the supermarket as if nothing happened.

Maloney became so fed up with Mr. Maloney that she decided to take matters into her own hands. Women in this form of society traditionally did not speak against men let alone kill their husbands. This irrational move made by Mrs. Maloney was a pivotal moment that allowed her to finally regain the freedom that was taken from her and given to her husband. It was important for her to free herself from her husband so that she could regain the normalcy she has lost and begin becoming her own person again. Without an absurd act like the one displayed by Mrs. Maloney, she would have been help captive by her husband for the reset of her life.

Several types of special focus exegesis exist in the Ruth 1:1-22. Feminist interpretation can be found in verses 15-17 when Ruth commits to Naomi and makes the choice that she will follow Naomi. At the time, it was not the norm for one woman to be so dedicated to another. Ruth tells Naomi that she will give up everything to follow Naomi and her God. While making this decision Ruth will “lives among and helps to support the Israelite people.”

Katherine from the play The Taming of The Shrew is exemplifying altogether the mannerisms of a feminist nevertheless as a result, in the play the mannerisms of being a feminist aren’t significant any longer owed toward the changes of conduct happening from having to be wedded off to becoming acquiescent. The speech at the end is the illustration of a mentally ill woman, consequently influenced by the principles of submission and domesticity. In the play she is a free spirited woman in a male dominated world obliged by principles that a “Feminine principle has long been given low status in the patriarchal system of values. Hence, feeling has been so long falsely opposed to thinking, as intuition has to reason—the former supposedly subjective