Similarities Between The Gift Of The Magi And 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.

Literary elements and writer’s craft are essential to a well written story that gives understanding and meaning to the readers. Authors use these elements to add deeper meaning to a story that otherwise is as dull and same as the rest. The short story Lamb to the Slaughter is about a wife who kills her husband and then tries to cover it up. The Leap, another short story, is about a girl who is telling stories about her mother’s life. Both short stories portray and utilize literary elements and writer’s craft but Lamb to the Slaughter uses them more effectively and clearly.

The narrator plans the murder so well and with such logic but his reasons for murder are irrational. The narrator says he loves the old man but then vows to kill him. Speaking of the murder, the narrator says, "Object there was none. Passion there was none. I love the old man he had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire". If the narrator is not insane he would not kill a man he loves or want to kill someone with an ugly eye. The narrator's reason for the murder of the old man is unjustified and deranged. This shows the narrative irony used because someone who commits a murder with so little logic in the reasoning cannot be trusted. The narrator decides to kill the old man because the old man's eye brings terror upon the narrator whenever he sees it. The narrator's fear of the eye is irrational. Regarding the eye the narrator says, "Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees-very gradually-I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye for ever". Also, the narrator hears things which are not actually occurring. As the narrator is looking in the old man's room at midnight he thinks the old man's heart is beating so loud that he can hear it from the doorway and it keeps growing louder and louder in his ears. He says, "But the beating grew

Verbal irony is used throughout the story as well and relates to the theme of hypocrisy. Throughout the story, many things are said that might confuse you or not make sense which is verbal irony. One of the characters, Old Man Warner said, “ Next thing you know they’ll be wanting to go back to living in caves”(Jackson 4). This is ironic because he is making it seem that cave men and their lifestyles are modern which in reality they are not. Another example is told by Mrs. Delacroix, “ You’re in time, though. They’re still talking away up there”. Here she is talking to Tessi Hutchinson acting like their friends and everything is fine, but at the end of the story when Tessi is the one being stoned, Mrs. Delacroix picks up the biggest rock to throw.

In the short story “Lamb to the Slaughter”, author Roald Dahl conveys his feelings that the troubles in life can be solved by analyzing the situation before acting, that you should appreciate what you have, and that ultimately that everyone is a lamb, all with the power to break free of their control.

There are three principal sources of interest in narratives: suspense, mystery, and irony. In the narratives “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Ronald Dahl, irony is a primary source of interest. Irony is defined as a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result. In both of these cases, the use of irony by the authors greatens the impact the pieces have on their audience. In both “A Rose for Emily” and “Lamb to the Slaughter”, the authors have numerous pieces of irony throughout their respective stories; this use of irony creates a better reading experience for the reader.

Lamb to the Slaughter, written by Roald Dahl is a short story which explores certain issues within society which were initiated during the 1950s and are still present today. The themes of stereotypical gender roles, betrayal and destroyed innocence are all common within the story as well as society. These issues were enhanced through the techniques of dialogue, foreshadowing and symbolism/metaphors. Lamb to the Slaughter is a short story which explores common societal issues that were present during the 1950s and are still found in today’s culture.

Throughout the story Dahl also use Verbal Irony to make Mary seem as an innocent being and not knowing anything that happened. After the death of her husband, she sets a plot to show that she didn't know her husband was dead. In the story, Mary tells the clerk, “Patrick had decided he is tired and doesn't want to eat out” (Dahl 320). This is a lie because Patrick never wanted food. Mary is saying this to make it look like she is cooking for the both of them and like nothing happened that night. Later that night when Mary gets home, she walks in asking her husband how he is doing (Dahl 321). Thus, this is verbal irony being used by Mary because she knows that her husband is dead on the floor. She say this trying to

“The violence of the crash, the noise, the small table overturning, helped bring her out of he shock. She came out slowly, feeling cold and surprised, and she stood for a while blinking at the body, still holding the ridiculous piece of meat tight with both hands.”. (13)In the quote the narrator explains how Mary picked up the weapon and how she hit him in the back of the head which ended up brutal. Its dramatic irony in the sense that the reader knows that lamb chop was the weapon. The use of dramatic irony allows the readers to really feel like a ghost in this story because you know everything but can say anything to the characters.

Authors use literary elements dramatically in short stories to influence a certain feeling on the reader or to send out a certain message to the audience. Throughout the stories, “The Interlopers” and “Lamb to the Slaughter”, both authors use elements to make their story appealing to the reader. Saki, the author of “The Interlopers” uses his examples of literary elements precisely and tremendously, which makes his story better than Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter”.

Verbal irony, defined as the use of vocal language to express a feeling which is totally different from what is expected, can be easily deducted from the plot. To begin with, the enthralling tale begins with the anonymous narrator telling his readers that he is about to recount a “series of mere household events”. As it turns out in the story, the events cannot be simply described as mere when the author clearly knows there is murder involved. When considering the horrible conclusion, the very opening of the story establishes an ironic tone that continues until the end of the tale. Probably, the ironic and casual way the narrator contemplates his story as mere is meant to inform the reader that the facts of the story he is narrating may soon turn out to be something different from what is first presented.

This is where the reader knows more then the characters, having seen the murder from Mary’s point of view and now watching the police officers discuss the crime. Also ironic, is that the police officers are doing Mary a huge favour by eating the evidence, making her practically undiscoverable. What is also special about the story, is that in the very beginning, Mary Maloney is described as a weak woman, only devoted to her husband and submissively in love with him. The reader is completely shocked when she murders her husband.

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".

There are many different genres in literature. From nonfiction to poetry, each literary work has an important message in it. An important genre we study in the 9th grade is short stories. Short stories are entertaining works of literature with a powerful message behind it. A beneficial short story requires a reader to contemplate and make their own conclusions. Short stories mainly teach a lesson or a valuable idea through its story. Through multiple short stories from authors such as Gary Soto, one single thesis has emerged. The Gift of Magi, the Necklace, Christmas Memory, It’s a Wonderful Life, and the Grandfather convey that memories and moments with a person matter more than any materialistic possessions. In the end, though gifts can bring

"The Gift of the Magi” is a heartwarming short story by O. Henry. To different readers, different themes may be more palpable than the rest, and as the audience read through this story, they began to notice that there were many different topics that all tied together to form one narrative.