Discussion Topic
Significant Moments in "Lamb to the Slaughter"
Summary:
In Roald Dahl's "Lamb to the Slaughter," the climax is debated, with some arguing it occurs when Mary Maloney kills her husband, Patrick, with a frozen leg of lamb. Others suggest the climax peaks during the police investigation when tension is highest as they search for the murder weapon. The story concludes with an ironic twist as Mary serves the cooked lamb to the officers, effectively destroying the evidence. The story's most important scenes include Patrick's shocking news, the murder, Mary's alibi creation, the investigation, and the ironic resolution.
What is the climax of "Lamb to the Slaughter" and why does it occur?
This is an interesting question as I've seen two very different climax moments argued for and adequately defended. One possible climax moment occurs when Mary Maloney whacks Patrick over the head with the leg of lamb and kills him. I think this moment is a legitimate possibility for the climax despite how early in the story it occurs.
A story's climax is a key moment in the plot. It is the story's highest point of action/tension, and it marks a turning point in the story. I have no argument that Mary's clubbing of her husband is the most action-filled moment in the story, and it does mark a definite shift in Mary's overall character; however, I personally do not like this moment as the climax. I just don't think it has enough tension. In my opinion, Patrick's death is a combination of inciting incident and rising action.
Patrick's death works...
Unlock
This Answer NowStart your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
better as a rising action because it functions as a part of the greater conflict of the story. Personally, I wouldn't say that the main conflict is Mary vs. Patrick. I would say that Mary's main conflict is her vs. society/rule/law enforcement. She killed another human, and she has to get away with it in order to protect her unborn child. This leads her to set up an alibi and figure out how to get rid of a murder weapon. Tension is building throughout all of those steps, and the story's tension peaks as the officers are searching the house. They are convinced that the murder weapon is close by, and readers are worried that she just might not get away with it. The story then quickly moves from the climactic moment when the officers are eating to the falling action and resolution of Mary giggling that her plan worked.
What occurs at the conclusion of "Lamb to the Slaughter"?
"Lamb to the Slaughter" ends when Mary serves the police officers dinner after they have no luck searching the house for the murder weapon. The ironic thing about their search, of course, is that the murder weapon is the very leg of lamb that Mary has cooked and which they are eating. Prior to this, the police had concluded that the cause of Patrick's death was a blow to the head with a blunt instrument. They mistakenly believe that the weapon was probably made of steel.
While Mary extends her hospitality to her guests in a brilliant scheme to cover up her crime, the officers offer their sympathy and condolences for the "loss" of her husband.
There is a moment right at the end of the story which makes Mary laugh, when one of the officers remarks to another that the murder weapon was probably "right under [their] noses." This, of course, could not have been closer to the truth.
In a nutshell, it appears that the story ends with Mary getting away scot-free after the murder of her husband, who had been bludgeoned to death with the leg of lamb after coming home and informing his pregnant wife that he was leaving her.
What are the five most important scenes in "Lamb to the Slaughter"?
The short story "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl tells of a police detective who comes home and tells his pregnant wife, whose name is Mary Malone, that he is leaving her. In response, she kills him with a frozen leg of lamb, which she then puts into the oven to cook. To cover up the murder, she establishes an alibi by going to the store for groceries, returning home, and then calling the police. After the policemen conduct an investigation, Mary feeds them the murder weapon. This story divides fairly straightforwardly into five scenes.
In the first scene, Mary waits happily for her husband to arrive, greets him, and makes them drinks. As they sit together, she notices that something is obviously wrong. After he gets himself another stronger drink, her husband tells her the bad news. Dahl doesn't specify whether he asks for a divorce or merely announces his intention to leave, but Mary listens in shock and horror as she realizes she has lost him.
The second scene is the murder scene. After fetching a frozen leg of lamb from the basement, Mary comes up behind her husband and hits him in the back of the head with it. She realizes right away that she has killed him and wonders what to do next. She puts the lamb in the oven and sets it to cook.
The third scene establishes her alibi. She goes to the grocery store and pretends to be in a good mood as she purchases some potatoes, a can of peas, and some cheesecake.
In the fourth scene, she sets herself up for the inevitable investigation. She returns home, sees her husband dead on the floor, weeps, and then calls the police.
The fifth and final scene includes the investigation and its aftermath. Several police officers arrive. They take pictures and fingerprints, question Mary, carry away the corpse, and search for the murder weapon. They also send someone to check Mary's story about going to the grocery, but it is confirmed. Finally, Mary offers the policemen that remain a drink and then the leg of lamb. As they eat the lamb, they discuss their difficulty in finding the murder weapon while Mary giggles.
The answer to this question is subjective, so feel free to pick the five scenes that you think are most important. A good way to force yourself to better answer this question might be to think about how you would make this story into a short film. What five moments absolutely must be included in your film version.
For me, the opening scene that shows Mary eagerly awaiting Patrick's arrival is a mandatory scene. Included in this scene should be a visual image that shows the audience that Mary is pregnant. I would tie this entire scene to the moment that Patrick gets home and Mary sees to his every need. All of this is necessary to paint Mary as the quintessential doting housewife. If this image isn't conveyed, then her transformation by the end of the story can't be properly understood.
A second scene needs to be Patrick telling Mary that he doesn't want to be married any longer. Without this scene, viewers will have no understanding of why Mary strikes her husband with a leg of lamb.
A third scene has to be Mary snapping out of her daze, fully understanding the gravity of her situation, and deciding to cover up her involvement by getting rid of the murder weapon and establishing an alibi. Included in this scene would be Mary's rehearsal of her actions and dialogue at the grocery store.
A fourth scene could be the police asking Mary what happened. From that move to the brief moment when the police confer with each other about Mary's alibi, and they send an officer to the grocery story to check the alibi. It would be a neat scene to show the officer interviewing the grocer.
The final scene has to be Mary giggling about getting away with killing Patrick.
While this question is open to interpretation, 5 crucial moments that develop and resolve the conflict can be identified. This is how I see them:
1) Patrick drains his drink, and refuses dinner. Mary becomes aware that there is tension because of this.
2) Patrick announces his desire to leave his pregnant wife.
3) Mary kills her husband with the frozen leg of lamb.
4) Mary calls to police to announce that she has "found" her dead husband.
5) The police eat Mary's dinner, including the leg of lamb, and theorize about the murder weapon.
Dahl really ends on an ironic note here, with the investigators not aware that they are eating the murder weapon. Readers are left with the understanding that Mary will be spared.
"Lamb to the Slaughter" is a fairly short story so to choose five important scenes would pretty much encompass the entire work. The first important scene is when the husband comes home. The details of the scene are significant because they build the tension as Mrs. Mahoney realizes there is something wrong, and the husband finally confesses what it is. Another significant scene is obviously the murder itself. Then there is the scene at the grocers where Mary acts in complete denial to what she has just done. Next, there is the 'discovery' of the body and the investigation. And finally, the ironic scene at the end where the police are eating the evidence while discussing the evidence without even knowing it.
What is the climax in "Lamb to the Slaughter"?
The plot of a story is made up of the exposition, rising action, falling action, and resolution. The climax is a key part to the plot because it indicates the highest point of action in the story including the highest point of emotional response from the characters.
In Lamb to Slaughterthe climax is upon the reader almost right at the beginning of the story when Mary Maloney the six months pregnant wife of Patrick the policeman murders her husband with a frozen leg of lamb. She had just been told that he is leaving her, he no longer loves her. She is in such shock over what he has just told her that she does not respond to what he says, instead she asks what he would like for dinner. He tries to tell her again to listen, but she descends the stairs to the freezer and retrieves the leg of lamb. When she ascends the stairs he tells her not to bother, he is going out. While his back is turned she smashes his head in with the frozen meat, still in shock. After she sees what she has done her height of emotional response comes over her and she begins to panic. This is the highest point of action in the story, the conflict is at its height and Mary's emotions are at their height. Everything that happens after the murder are the falling action and resolution to the conflict that Mary has murdered her husband that was going to leave her while she was six months pregnant.