Lamb to the Slaughter (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Roald Dahl
- First Published: 1953
- Type of Plot: Suspense
- Time of Work: The mid-twentieth century
- Setting: A town or city, probably in England or the United States
- Principal Characters: Mary Maloney, Patrick Maloney
- Genres: Short fiction, Suspense
- Subjects: Murder or homicide, Police, Pregnancy, Divorce
The Story
This story begins with the most innocent of domestic scenes. Mary Maloney, a housewife in her sixth month of pregnancy, is waiting for her husband to return home. It is a Thursday night, and they usually eat out. When Patrick Maloney does come home, he is strangely moody and takes a stronger drink than usual. Mary tries to divert him with the usual domestic comforts but to no avail. Patrick asks her to sit down, announcing that he has an important matter to discuss with her. Though the reader is never told, it is clear that Patrick is going to divorce Mary. He ends...
[The entire page is 1434 words long]
See Also:
Roald Dahl (Censorship)Roald Dahl (Short Fiction)Roald Dahl (Cyclopedia of World Authors)Theory of Short Fiction (Topical Overview--Short Fiction)
See Also:
- - Lamb to the Slaughter summary and study guide in the eNotes.
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