Lamb to the Slaughter

From a strictly factual viewpoint, it could certainly be said that Mary Maloney is guilty of killing her husband. There are no other factors at play in the instance of his death that could have...

The detectives all knew Mary and knew her to be a loving, devoted wife--which she actually was up to the time her husband Patrick announced that he was leaving her. There are strong indications in...

The title "Lamb to the Slaughter" has multiple layers of meaning. On a literal level, a frozen leg of lamb "slaughters" or kills Mr. Malone when his wife Mary whacks him on the head with it, but...

The two lead characters in the story are Mary and Patrick Maloney, a married couple who are not very high up the social ladder since they are a single income family with Patrick being the...

In "Lamb to the Slaughter," we can find an example of foreshadowing after Mary has murdered Patrick and is sitting in front of the mirror, trying to regain her composure: "The smile was rather...

Arguably, this quote definitely embodies the irony of the story and, at the same time, explains the exact moment when pregnant Mary Maloney seems to snap and kill her husband after learning that he...

The protagonist Mary Maloney in Roald Dahl’s short story “Lamb to the Slaughter” at first seems to be a stereotypical 1950s wife: faithful, obedient, and happily fulfilling the expected role of a...

The lamb in "Lamb to the Slaughter" symbolizes Mary. Traditionally, in Western culture, a lamb represents the innocent, spotless creature who is killed to atone for another's sin. Christ is often...

"Lamb to the Slaughter" is primarily set inside the home of the Maloneys. As the story opens, Mary Maloney is occupying herself while anxiously awaiting her husband's arrival. Her actions indicate...

Mary is carefully characterized from the opening lines of "Lamb to the Slaughter" as a woman whose entire life revolves around her husband. Even before her name is mentioned, it is clear that she...

A metaphor is a comparison. This is a story leans heavily on descriptive details instead of metaphor, using imagery—description using the five senses of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell—to...

The story "Lamb to the Slaughter" is filled with many literary devices. Two of these devices involve the element of irony. One type of irony seen in the story is situational irony, and another type...

Dramatic irony occurs when the reader or audience member knows something that the characters in the story do not know. This kind of irony occurs in "Lamb to the Slaughter" at the very end of the...

Much of the foreshadowing occurs when Patrick Maloney returns home from work. He is acting moody and drinking more heavily than he usually does in the evening. He goes to mix himself another drink...

The answer to this question is, of course, a matter of personal opinion. I will present arguments for each side of the issue and allow you to make up your own mind. On the one hand, we can argue...

Mary’s behavior at the grocery store contradicts what happened earlier in the story because she is in a completely different frame of mind. Earlier in the story, Mary Maloney, who was in her sixth...

The story is told from third person perspective and focuses mainly on Mary Maloney. On face value it appears that she and her husband have a good, healthy marriage. She is a good and dedicated...

The love for her husband is as evident in her actions as it is in her words. The characterization of Mary Maloney shows her as a doting wife who, according to the narrator, spends a good time of...

From the Holy Bible, Isaiah 53:7 says All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed...

In a moment, Mary Maloney transforms from a woman who lives to please her husband to one prepared to do anything to save herself and her unborn child. That moment is well-captured in her thoughts...

The point of the story is that Mary gets away with the crime of murdering her husband. She does not go to jail. The police think she is innocent, even as they are eating the murder weapon she used,...

At the beginning of "Lamb to the Slaughter," Mary Maloney is described as luxuriating in the presence of her husband, like a sunbather worshipping the sun. His homecoming is a blissful time of day,...

I agree that this thesis statement summarizes your argument well and can easily be defended by referencing the text. However, another characteristic of a strong thesis statement is that there is...

In the story "Lamb to the Slaughter," Mary Maloney's killing of her husband does not appear at all to be premeditated. Mary kills her husband as a response to his declaration that he is leaving...

In "Lamb to the Slaughter," Mary Maloney kills her husband by striking him across the head with a frozen leg of lamb. She then proceeds to cook the lamb in the oven while the police are in her...

Mary's pregnancy makes it all the more shocking that her husband is planning to leave her. She is six months pregnant—very far along for him to decide to bail out of the marriage. Further, the...

Mary Maloney faces two major conflicts in Roald Dahl's story “Lamb to the Slaughter.” The day has been a perfectly normal one, and as the story opens, Mary is waiting for her husband, Patrick, a...

The first clue that this particular evening was going to be a break with routine was the husband's behavior with his drink. It was not uncommon for him to be silent as he unwound while enjoying...

The overarching literary device Dahl uses in the story is pun. A pun is a word or phrases that has two or more applicable meanings at the same time. The title—and the most important act in the...

It is quite likely Patrick told Mary that he was leaving her. However, we do not initially expect such an uncharacteristic development, as the author begins the story innocently enough. The first...

Mary and Patrick have an everyday routine which suggests the monotony of their lives. Mary, six months pregnant, is Patrick's servant, trying to anticipate his every want and need. What Mary...

"Lamb to the Slaughter" is told from the point of view of Mary Maloney. The story starts off when she is all alone, so we have to be in her point of view at the start. Her husband's arrival, his...

Although the narrator does not explicitly state that Patrick has announced that he is leaving Mary, his pregnant wife, the words "of course, I'll give you money and see that you're taken care of"...

We can infer what Patrick tells Mary from the way she treats him. She won't leave him in peace for a moment. She smothers him with affection and attention. For example: "Anyway," she went on,...

The main idea in the story is informed by irony. The story suggests that what we see is not what we get and that we are easily mislead by our perceptions of what is supposedly good and wholesome....

In Roald Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter,” Mary implores the police officers to eat the lamb that she used to murder her husband. Mary’s husband was a detective, so she knows that the murder weapon...

The title of Roald Dahl's story is a humorous allusion to the Bible, in which there are many places in which a man who is going to be killed is being led quietly and passively "like a lamb to the...

The reader has to feel something for Mary Maloney in order to be engaged. She commits a murder, then finds herself in a tight spot because the house is full of detectives and uniformed cops...

Although "Lamb to the Slaughter" has a third-person narrator, the story is told with a strong focus on the thoughts and feelings of Mary Maloney. Mary idolizes her husband, and the reader never...

Patrick drinks two whiskey highballs before he tells his wife what is on his mind. The first highball was one she had made herself as their customary ritual for his return at the end of the day....

Mary Maloney’s preparations to conceal her crime begin as soon as she has killed her husband. She quickly decides to destroy the murder weapon by cooking it. She then leaves the house and goes to...

Roald Dahl's short story "Lamb to the Slaughter" contains numerous poetic, or rhetorical, devices. Prior to providing the examples of specific devices, allow the devices in question to be defined....

The point of view in "Lamb to the Slaughter" is third person; although, the third person perspective is not the common omniscient point of view. We know that the story is in third person, because...

The most basic answer to this question is that she needed vegetables to go with the dinner she was cooking, a leg of lamb. Because it was Thursday, Mr. and Mrs. Maloney usually went out to dinner,...

Mary Maloney waits for her husband to come home each night and knows exactly what he will do and say. Patrick's arrival that night is described from Mary's point of view, and she senses that...

It is quite simple to identify what is appearance and what is reality in Roald Dahl's short story "Lamb to the Slaughter." The interesting part is finding out how the author juxtaposes them in a...