Imagine standing in front of a mass shooter during a dramatic event. Imagine being 16 years old, and facing a teenager shooting at others with the goal of killing them. Imagine what sort of existential questions would be running through your mind. Everyone has had some morbid thoughts about killing someone, but few people act on this thought. “Lamb to the Slaughter” is a short story written by Roald Dahl. This story narrates the murder of Patrick Maloney by his wife, Mary Maloney. “The Cask of Amontillado” is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe. This story explains how Montresor killed a man out of revenge. People kill for many reasons such as greed, power, or ego, however the main reasons to kill someone is often excessive anger and revenge.
“Lamb to the Slaughter” is a short story written by Roald Dahl and published in 1953. It narrates the story of Mary Malloney, a housewife, killing her husband Patrick, a detective. When Patrick arrived, he felt uncomfortable. Patrick was preparing himself to tell his wife that he was going to leave her. The revelation was so disturbing for Mary that she was not really herself while hearing it. She rejected it.
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This story describes how Montresor decides to revenge himself toward Fortunato by killing him. Montresor tricks Fortunato by hiding his knowledge of wine and pretending that he has received a barrel of amontillado, but he cannot identify it. The machiavellian plan succeed, and Fortunato is immured by Montresor. “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge” (Poe 208). Revenge is a very powerful fuel. It may push people to the hideous action of killing. After being supposedly insulted by Fortunato, Montresor can only seek extreme punishment for Fortunado. “I must not only punish, but punish with impunity” (Poe 208). Montresor swears at beginning of the story to avenge
Montresor tells the story in detail of how he leads a man, Fortunato, to his death. Montresor repeatedly expresses the need to kill Fortunato because he has done something to insult him and he must pay for it with his life. Montresor tells readers early in the story that he is going to be lying to Fortunato’s face by acting one way, but thinking about killing him the whole time. He says "I continued, as was my wont, to smile in
What this shows is a disturbed, confused, and sick mind that finds pleasure in his task. “The Cask of Amontillado” is a story nothing more than the behavior of a sociopath and psychologically deranged killer.
Revenge can bring out many people’s inner evil. In Edgar Allan Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado”, the main character, Montresor carefully plans revenge against Fortunato. Montresor is a man who vows vengeance against a professional wine taster named Fortunato. The wine taster insults Montresor, and he had enough of it. The insult sets him off and he plans a deadly and successful revenge. Throughout the story, Montresor attentively plans his revenge against Fortunato just like an expert.
In “The Cask of Amontillado”, Montresor is guilty of the cold-blooded murder of Fortunato and should go to jail for his crime. Montresor speaks of the “thousand injuries” Fortunato caused him and, more recently, the “insult” that Montresor cannot forgive. Vowing to seek retribution, Montresor comments on the importance of ensuring his own innocence throughout the process of revenge. He goes out of his way to be friendly to Fortunato. Other evidence that supports the crime as being preconceived includes Montresor preying on Fortunato’s weakness, his love of wine and his conceited nature. He praises Fortunato on his knowledge of wine and taunts him with the full barrel that he just purchased asking him for his expert opinion. In preparation
In Roald Dahl’s short story “Lamb to the Slaughter” , Mary Maloney murders her husband, a detective, after he declares that he is leaving her. Mary then has to cover her tracks or else she and her unborn child will be killed. Throughout the story, Mary’s character changes from loving wife to cold killer and back again based on her situation.
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.
Is Mary a good liar? Mary is careless, clever and a devoted housewife. Although, she killed her husband, she truly loved him and would have done anything to stay by his side. At first, the reader might think Mary is a clingy and loving wife, but as the story progresses, the readers learn things aren’t always as they seem. Throughout the story Dahl reveals examples that helps the reader understand more about Mary’s character.
“Revenge is often like biting a dog because the dog bit you.” This quote means that people act in such a devious way as the person who hurt them which does not make them any better. In the short story, The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor wants to seek revenge from Fortunato’s iniquity. Montresor feels that he has been insulted by his acquaintance. In Montresor’s mind, retaliating the same way Fortunato did toward him is the right thing to do. He decided to get Fortunato boozed up on wine since he knew that was his fondness. By this time Fortunato is very gullible and will do anything Montresor insist on him doing. Montresor planned out everything in detail what he cinched to do to Fortunato whether it was right or wrong. He just wanted to seek revenge, but conceal every detail so that it is not obvious. Montresor is a sociopathic character who did everything in his mite and power to show that revenge is a successful ending.
<br>The way the narrator treats his enemy is one of the clearest examples for ironic elements. When the characters meet, Montresor realises that Fortunato is afflicted with a severe cold, nevertheless he makes a point of him looking "remarkably well". Montresor acts in the most natural and friendly way towards the man object of his revenge, and even praises his "friend's" knowledge in the subject of wines. Also upon their meeting, Montresor begins a psychological manipulation of Fortunato. He claims that he needs his knowledge to ascertain that the wine he has purchased is indeed Amontillado. Furthermore, he acknowledges that Fortunato is engaged in another business (i.e.: the celebration of carnival), so he would go to Luchresi, who, one is made to believe, is a competitor of Fortunato's. To these words, Fortunato is forced by his pride to accompany Montresor to the vaults (where the Amontillado is kept), dissipate his doubts and also to prove his higher status than Luchresi as a connoisseur of wine. In fact, during their way down under in the catacombs, the twisted mind of Montresor, dares to give Fortunato the chance to go back, due to the almost unbearable dampness and foulness rampant in the vaults and Fortunato's state of health. The narrator clearly knows about the stubborn nature of Fortunato, and is
Can a person kill someone they really love. Roald Dahl’s mysterious story, ”Lamb to the Slaughter,” takes place in the 1950’s. Dahl introduces Mary Maloney, the protagonist, as a conformable, obedient women, who is six-months pregnant and is obsessed with her husband, Patrick Maloney-a detective. The story begins with Mrs. Maloney eagerly waiting for her husband. When he arrives, Dahl makes it obvious that there is something wrong with the dialogues of his mood, which were very harsh towards Mary. The revelation of Patrick Maloney leaving her completely transformed the once gratified, loving Mrs. Maloney into a brutal, cold-hearted murderer. One lesson the story alludes to is that when people withstand heartbreaking incidents, it is easy for
Roald Dahl, a British novelist, offered his readers a classical short story, “ Lamb to the Slaughter,” with the tale of betrayal, justice, injustice and passivity. Two main characters of the story are detective Mr. Patrick and Ms. Patrick who live in small town. Roald Dahl tries to reflect human nature of perversity, and cruelty through the “ Lamb to the Slaughter”. As the story progresses, theme of love, passion, betrayal and injustice grow stronger. Author smartly shows us how an idle wife becomes a smart criminal to take the revenge of her betrayal and successes to trick officers.
In the story, “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe, Montresor seeks revenge on Fortunato because he made fun of his family name. For years Montresor claims that Fortunato had, “hurt him”, so Montresor gets Fortunato drunk and tricks him into going to his house. When Fortunato arrives, they both go into Montresor’s basement and Montresor locks Fortunato up in addition to leaving him there to die. Montresor commits a crime by killing Fortunato in his own basement. Some people may argue that Montresor was a madman who only wanted to kill Fortunato because he made fun of Montresor’s family name; nevertheless, it is easy to see why one would believe that Montresor wasn’t a madman and that he had more motives rather than just that one reason to have killed Fortunato. What motivated Montresor to seek revenge on Fortunato was that he had made fun of Montresor’s Family name, had a drinking problem which causes him to lash out and say mean things to Montresor, and because Fortunato thought he knew more about fine wines than Montresor did. Theses motivations were also Fortunato’s weaknesses.
“The Cask of Amontillado” was written by Edgar Allan Poe and was published in 1846. In the short story the narrator, Montresor, executes his friend Fortunato because he feels like he insulted him. For this, he seeks revenge. Fortunato is known to be very knowledgeable about all types of wine. Montresor uses this to his advantage to take him down to his family crypt during the carnival celebration. He tells him that he has a unique wine, and believes it is an Amontillado. After Montresor and Fortunato go deeper and deeper into the crypt, Montresor chains Fortunato and builds a wall around him. At first Fortunato thinks it is a joke, but he soon realizes that he will be dying in the crypt. Montresor goes on to boast about his crime and how he has never been caught. This shows that Montresor is a sinister, mentally insane, and a narcissist.
Roald Dahl has published several novels and nearly 50 short stories all of which, without exemption, are fascinating, intriguing and bizarre to say the least. One of Dahl's more famous stories is "Lamb to the Slaughter".
As the story progresses, Montresor devises a careful plan to lure Fortunato to his death trap, but he is careful enough not to place himself at risk. He approaches him at a carnival, and plays on his victim’s weakness for wine by offering to show him a brand of wine akin to the light Spanish sherry, Amontillado (8). The narrator presents an interesting description of his encounter with Fortunato at the carnival; at first expressing dislike for his friend’s behavior by claiming that he approached him with too much warmth since he was drunk, but then he adds that he was extremely delighted to see Fortunato at that particular moment. This illustrates the depth of Montresor’s desire to exert revenge on his friend, since the sole reason of his pleasure at seeing Fortunato is that he knew his plans had taken off, and he anticipated the satisfaction of the act of brutal revenge.