Discussion Topic
Omission of Patrick's News in "Lamb to the Slaughter"
Summary:
In Roald Dahl's "Lamb to the Slaughter," the omission of Patrick's conversation with Mary emphasizes the shock and finality of his decision, enhancing the story's tension. Patrick's abrupt, one-sided announcement leaves Mary speechless, underscoring her devotion and setting the stage for her extreme reaction. This narrative choice forces readers to imagine Patrick's devastating news, heightening suspense and making Mary's transformation into a killer more believable. The lack of dialogue also helps her avoid suspicion by maintaining her image as a devoted wife.
Why are details of Patrick's conversation with Mary omitted in Dahl's "Lamb to the Slaughter"?
There is no conversation. Roald Dahl deliberately avoids any dialoguing between Patrick and Mary Maloney. Instead, Patrick does all the talking and Mary merely listens. She is so astonished by what she is hearing that she is speechless. Dahl's reason for handling this critical part of the story in the way he does is a matter of speculation. It seems likely that the author did not want Mary to participate in any conversation about the subject because that would have made Patrick's decision less settled, less definite, less final. She is--at least at this point in the story--the kind of woman who would have begged and pleaded if she had had an opportunity to do so. She probably wouldn't have contradicted her husband, but she would have been likely to say such things as, "I'm sorry. I can change. I will. I promise. Please give me a chance. What about...
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our baby?"
Instead of presenting a two-way conversation, the author illustrates what Patrick is saying by showing how Mary might be annoying him and suffocating him with her mothering. To Patrick, Mary might come across as too devoted, too loving, too dependent, too attentive. Here are a few examples:
"I'll get it!" she cried, jumping up.
"Darling, shall I get your slippers?"
"Darling," she said. "Would you like me to get you some cheese?"
"Anyway," she went on, "I'll get you some cheese and crackers first."
"But you must eat! I'll fix it anyway, and then you can have it or not, as you like."
Why doesn't the author reveal Patrick's news to Mary in "Lamb to the Slaughter"?
Dahl spends a decent amount of time giving readers various details that show just how in love (or obsessed) with Patrick Mary is. We are introduced to a doting wife who has nothing better to do than wait near the door for her husband to get home. She knows the exact sounds of his car parking and his footsteps coming to the door.
Mary then immediately greets Patrick with a kiss the very moment that he walks into the house. Mary makes sure that an alcoholic drink is in his hand within minutes of arriving home, and we are told that her favorite part of the day is sitting quietly in the presence of her husband. All of these details make it clear that Mary is absolutely completely in love with Patrick.
Patrick will indicate in various ways that he is not himself, and he finally forces himself to tell Mary his devastating news.
And he told her. It didn’t take long, four or five minutes at most, and she sat very still through it all, watching him with a kind of dazed horror as he went further and further away from her with each word.
Dahl gives readers two sentences that only tell us that Patrick's news didn't take long and completely turned Mary's world upside down. Dahl doesn't tell readers what Patrick said, and that forces readers to wonder what he said. Dahl leaves it up to reader imagination, and that always makes things worse. This is a good thing, because it helps us become better believers of Mary's transformation to a killer who intentionally figures out a way to not be a suspect.