Summary In Roald Dahl's Lamb To The Slaughter

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.

In “Lamb to the Slaughter” Roald Dahl uses dramatic irony to make the reader feel surprised because Mary Maloney does certain things, like killing her husband and acting as though it is a shock when she finds out, that only the reader and Mary Maloney know. First near the middle of the story, after finding out he wants to leave her, Mary Maloney kills her husband Patrick with the leg of lamb that they are supposed to eat for dinner at their house. According to the text, “At that point Mary Maloney simply walked up behind him and without any pause 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” (Dahl 153). This quote is an example of dramatic irony because only the reader

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.

In the short story “Lamb To The Slaughter”, written by Roald Dahl, the two main characters, Mary and Patrick Maloney, show many emotions and the emotions are portrayed in certain ways depending on how Dahl uses word choice and figurative language. Throughout the story the emotions of the characters change and alter depending on how specific events happen and show how the character will react in the situation, whether it be good or bad. Mary and Patrick Maloney have very different emotions towards each other and it’s very surprising to see how the emotions change during the course of the story.

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.

You wouldn’t expect the lamb to kill the man. “ Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl is a about a women named Mary Maloney that killed her husband. Mary’s husband tells her that he is leaving her. Not knowing what to do to try to keep her husband, she gets a leg of lamb and hits her husband in the back of the head and kills him. She quickly covers her tracks and fools the police, offering them the leg of the lamb for dinner to get rid of the evidence. Therefore Roald Dahl’s use of irony throughout the story, builds up a understanding of Mary Maloney.

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.

Short stories everywhere all have exceptional ideas, and deep plots. They are able to share plots of murder and irony, or even love and romance. The stories The Gift of the Magi,by O.Henry, and Lamb to the Slaughter, by Roald Dahl, both have great plots, author's craft, and symbolism. One, about two lovers who cannot afford a Christmas gift, and will sacrifice it all for love, and another, about a murder, and its cover up. While both stories are compelling to readers, The Gift of the Magi is the better story when compared to each other because of its symbolism, imagery and is able to identify with readers.

In the short story Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl the husband that comes home early one day with bad news. He told his pregnant wife something. It was really shocking to her, and in the story it said that she got really sad. He then says that he would give her money and see that she is looked after. When she heard the news she went downstairs to the basement and got a frozen lamb to cook him. When she came up, he heard her and could tell that she wanted to make him supper. So he told her that he was going out so she doesn’t have to make it, but he said it in quite a rude manner and she seemed bothered by this because right after he said that she hit him in the head with the frozen lamb and he died. After she seen what she has done,

Foreshadowing in a story is very hard to include, without making the next event too obvious. In the story “Lamb to the Slaughter” Roald Dahl uses elements of suspense to engage the readers to keep reading to see what happens next. Even though one may seem innocent and gentle, can turn powerfull in a second. The author frequently uses dramatic irony, plot twist and foreshadowing to create a story that is both creepy and mysterious.

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”.

Characterization is an important component in short story writing. In the short story "Lamb to the Slaughter" written by Roald Dahl, we are introduced to Mary Maloney, a pregnant housewife who recently found out that her husband is going to leave her. Mary develops into a very complex character as the events of the short story unfold. Mary is a typical housewife, waiting on her husband hand and foot. She loves him dearly, but as the short story unfolds, we see that he does not share the same feelings. Mary, unable to handle the rejection, lashes out and kills her husband. We then see Mary’s character transform before our eyes and the once loving, dutiful housewife becomes a very devious, manipulative and cold hearted character. She manages

expected them to be. From what I saw of the wife I expected Patrick to

Language, both physical and verbal, is used in literature to convey the emotions of the characters to the readers. Roald Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter” is no exception, he uses both to their fullest extent to show the wide range of emotions expressed in the passage. Mary goes from a loving housewife to an intelligent and even robotic murderer. Patrick, well he pretty much stay the same the whole way through. To figure out these pivotal actions in the story let’s study both Mary and Patrick.

In “Lamb to the Slaughter”, the author, Roald Dahl depicts Mary Maloney is waiting for her husband, Patrick Maloney who works as a police officer. However, when Patrick comes back home, he decides to leave his families. Mary murdered her husband impulsively, as a six-month pregnant mother, she has no idea how things will turn out for her and her baby. In order to stay out of her crime, she tries to have an alibi from the grocer and destroys the murder—a leg of lamb. By narrating from Mary’s perspective, the author convinces the readers that even though Mary commits the crime, the unsuccessful marriage, the specificity of pregnancy and the greatness of maternity help to declare Mary’s motivation of her crime and doubts about Mary’s full responsibility