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Use Of Irony In Lamb To The Slaughter

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Lamb of the Slaughter In Lamb to the Slaughter, by Dhal, a fantasy tale that shows how the wife, named Ms. Maloney, goes from a very loving and attentive woman, to a murderous, vengeful person. When the husband brings up the idea of divorce and separation, the wife’s whole demeanor changes. The wife was quick to act and murder him with their dinner for the night, a nice lamb leg, because of the rage she felt at the moment. The wife was swift to think of a plan, not to be found out. When the police come, she plays the role of a loving and innocent wife, too frail to harm anyone. The author uses irony to portray that Ms. Maloney is a very smart woman. She was shocked and horrified and got away because no one thought a woman would be capable …show more content…

Both the smile and the voice were coming up better now. She rehearsed it several times more.”(Dhal 5). Mrs. Maloney immediately started working on a way to be convincing because she knew she would be found guilty if she didn’t find an alibi or if her acting was poor. When Mrs. Maloney arrived home from the grocery store, after receiving an alibi, she saw her husband on the ground and immediately called the police. Police were shocked to find out that their co-worker and friend had been murdered in his own home. When they arrived at the Maloney household, the first thing they did was comfort the wife, Mrs. Maloney cried about the loss of her husband. Mrs. Maloney knew that they would never suspect an innocent, weak, woman, to kill her husband. She knew she got away once the detectives started to refer to the murderer as a male. "It's the old story," he said. "Get the weapon, and you've got the man" (Dhal 8). The repetitive use of he or she is a dead giveaway to the sexism and underestimation of women and their capabilities. In conclusion, the theme of the story is that women are very capable, but are always undermined by men. The story shows that men never really want to see the accomplishments of women. Men are too absorbed in

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