Preview

Lamb To The Slaughter Mary Maloney Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
561 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Lamb To The Slaughter Mary Maloney Essay
In times of sorrow and hopelessness, Mary Maloney’s true disposition is revealed in Roald Dahl’s short story “Lamb to the Slaughter”. At the beginning of the short story, Mary was a devoted housewife that was committed to always putting her husband's needs before her own which was a portrayal of her selfless characteristics. Although overtime Mary’s characteristics changed due to the revelation by her husband Patrick regarding a matter which was not specified in the text. After Mary was exposed to the truth, she couldn’t handle it and her true colors were shown. Mary’s characteristic of being clever are shown through this as she was able to successfully execute a foolproof murder without getting caught.

The author made it clear that Mary
…show more content…
After Patrick was deceased, she subsequently told herself “All right, so I’ve killed him” almost like she had done it before. Her plan in order to cover up for the murder was to cook the lamb and go to the grocery store. Then she would come home to find her husband dead and be shocked. She had come up with the plan very quickly. It was foolproof because she was aware of the consequences and how it might end up affecting her life and her unborn child's future. Her characteristic of her cleverness was shown again when she was able to manipulate police officers. For example when she says “I know Patrick would never forgive me… why don’t you eat up that lamb…”, she is just manipulating the police officers to eat and destroy the murder weapon. “Mary Maloney began to giggle,” displays how her clever murder was successful and how she was even impressed with herself. Due to these scenarios in the short story, it is evident that Mary Maloney is a clever woman, who knows how to escape with murder.

In conclusion, Mary Maloney is a charitable and compassionate housewife, who changes into mastermind murderer. Mary can be described as a selfless being as her first priority was always to put her husband’s needs before her own. Although Mary’s characteristic take a turn when she receives bad news from her husband. From being

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    On the other hand, Lamb to the Slaughter is a murder case instinctively executed by Mary Maloney, who is the wife to the deceased Patrick Maloney. Although Mary commits the crime after her husband broke the news about the plan to divorce her, she immediately comes to her senses after hitting him “as hard as she could” with a frozen leg of a lamb. She successfully lays down a plan to deceive the police that she was…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Judge and jury, I beg thee to charge Ms. Maloney with the murder of Patrick Maloney. Why would the perfectly stable Mary Maloney randomly decide to kill her husband? What would cause a perfectly sane woman to do such a heinous crime? As you are aware, Patrick Maloney was a well-respected member of the police force. To all who knew him he was a good man. He never had any enemies, and was very committed to his job. So how did this good man end up dead? Supposedly, Mr. Maloney was alleged of having an affair. However, Mr. Maloney is no longer around to testify to that fact. If Ms. Maloney had heard of this alleged affair, maybe that drove her to murder him. There is sufficient evidence showing that Ms. Maloney was the murderess. Number one, there…

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Not only did Mr. Maloney say he wanted to leave, but the reason must have been extrememly disturbing to Mary. Although the book did not state why he wanted to leave, a movie made from the book of Lamb to the Slaughter says that he was in love with someone else. Mary was going to cook a hole leg of lamb for dinner that night. When she went to retrieve the lamb leg from the freezer she just realized the reality of what was going on. She was furious. The lamb was frozen solid, like a rock. Mr. Maloney was in the living room facing the opposite way towards the window so he coldn't see Mary. Mrs. Maloney came up with an idea. With no hesitation, she walked up behind her husband and hit him over the head as hard as she could with the frozen solid leg of lamb. Mr. Maloney is…

    • 381 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Killing your husband is not a big deal, right? Not for Mary Maloney. A casual day is not typically when your house is turned into a murder scene. Sometimes you can’t blame people for their impulse actions; for example, Mary Maloney.…

    • 324 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ronald Dahl’s “ Lamb to the Slaughter “ is a story about the murder of Patrick Maloney by his wife Mary , that murdered her husband after Patrick exclaims he’s leaving Mary & her unborn child . This story captures the change on how Mary turns from a loving , nurturing wife to a fiendish murderer.…

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In my opinion, Mary Maloney has lost control. She has killed her husband, Patrick Maloney without knowing the true facts which proves she has lost control. This is shown from the beginning when Patrick Maloney told Mary Maloney something that would change their lives forever. “Her first instinct was not to believe any of it, or reject it all. It occurred to her that perhaps he hadn’t even spoken that she herself had imagined the whole thing” (63). This quote shows how Mary Maloney pretended that nothing happened and went on with her day and started cooking. This proves that she was in denial. Later on in the story, Mary Maloney went to get supper made for her husband and herself. She stopped and looked at her…

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Another way Mary Maloney is more devious is, she pretends to be shocked by Patrick's death. The text states,” if she found anything unusual or terrible when she got home, then it would be a shock and she would have to react with grief and horror”(Dahl 3). This quote shows Mrs.Maloney being devious because she pretends to be surprised so she wouldn`t get caught.Even though she killed him,…

    • 376 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the story “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl, a man named Patrick Maloney informs his wife that he desired a divorce. In the 1950’s at the Maloney Household, Patrick Maloney arrives homefrom his work as a policeman. Patrick Maloney was married to Mary Maloney. Mary Maloney was pregnant with Patrick Maloney’s child. When Patrick Maloney entered the household, he bore bad news for his young wife. He explained to Mary that he was in love with another woman, and demanded to have a divorce. Mary Maloney could not believe the news that he conveyed to her. She stood in front of the man bewildered, trying to believe that the information was not true. She examined Patrick with a dazed horror, and tried to reason with him. As the news truly soaked…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    It started as any other afternoon for Mary Maloney. She was waiting for her husband while knitting, as always. Shortly after Patrick Maloney arrived home, he told Mrs. Maloney something she did not like. In response, she murdered her so-called beloved mercilessly. Mrs. Maloney has committed murder of the second degree. She had not planned to kill her husband before, but ended up killing him in jealousy and possessiveness. Then proceeded to cover up the crimes.…

    • 601 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    lamb for the slaughter

    • 2564 Words
    • 7 Pages

    "Lamb to the Slaughter" is told from the point of view of Mary Maloney. This choice to tell the story from the point of view of the murderer is an interesting choice and one that largely defines this story. The reader knows only what she knows. At times, such as the end of the story, this means that the reader knows more than the other characters, especially in relation to the leg of lamb. On the other hand, the reader is not given access to the reasoning behind Patrick’s decision to leave. This makes it far easier for the reader to be on Mary’s side when she makes questionable decisions.…

    • 2564 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Roald Dahi presents the idea that loss of innocence lead to a transformation of a character. In the story, After Mary Maloney killed her husband with a lamb leg, she said to herself:”So I’ve killed him.”, which demonstrates that the changed of her attitude from a tradition housewife to a clam murderer by she killed her husband because of the imbalance relationship,which led to her anger and seeking for a vengeance.The second one is when Mary found a way to help her escape from the punishment by acting,this demonstrates that the change of her personality by the showing turned into a smart and clear minded criminal who spent time on faking a smile. The last example is when the detectives stayed and ate…

    • 176 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    At the beginning of her stay, O’Brien portrays Mary Anne as a civilized and innocent girl by describing her physical and psychological characteristics. As Mary Anne makes her first appearance, O’Brien describes her as, “an attractive girl… [who has] terrific legs (p. 90)” suggesting that she is innocent has not experienced harsh conditions. O’Brien presents her as a sexual object in order to emphasize her innocence and unfamiliarity to war. Also, the description of her “bubbly personality” implies that she is only sees the positive in everyone which displays her naivety and innocence. O’Brien describes that Mary Anne “love[s] the thatched roofs and naked children, the wonderful simplicity of village life” implying that she is completely unaware of the hostile environment that she is in. Her unawareness and immaturity is shown because she is speaking positively about a place of violence and warfare. Towards the beginning of her stay with Mark Fossie and the rest of the crew members, Mary Anne is described as innocent and naïve. but as she continues to learn more about the war, and she begins to transform into a barbaric and…

    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    lamb to the slaughter

    • 442 Words
    • 2 Pages

    1. I think Patrick told Mary that he wanted a divorce which is why she went crazy and killed him. Patrick obviously wasn’t happy in the home with her which we can see by the way he doesn’t even talk to his wife or even acknowledge her presence when she offers him dinner more than one time. Even more evidence of Patrick’s unhappiness can be found after he tells Mary the “news” and she still tries to make him dinner and he makes a rude comment to her and tells her that he is going out.…

    • 442 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    sky theatre

    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In this story, there are two essential characters, Caitlin and Mary, who lead and help develop the story. Caitlin, the protagonist and also the round character, who envies the beauty of Mary "we loved and hated and feared her with the same fervency that we might a goddess."(201), is ordinary and somewhat self-abased "of cause, being no different from most girls, I didn't love my body"(203). Unlike Caitlin, Mary is charming, confident and she is often sought by the boys."I still remember that Mary Louise had long legs...and dark eyes."(201)…

    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the story, “ Lamb to The Slaughter”, Mary Maloney, the main character kills her husband, Patrick because he told her upsetting news that scarred her deeply, which twas never revealed. After realizing what she had just done, Mary had to act fast. In the beginning after Mary killed her husband, she freshened up, left the house, and pretended to find her husband dead at home. After police arrived, she acted innocent and vulnerable.This is dramatic irony because although the police were fooled, the readers knew Mary was responsible for Patrick's death. (Page 6, paragraph 4) “Briefly, she told her story about going out, to the grocer and coming back to find him on the floor.” Readers knew finding him dead when she arrived home was a lie.Another…

    • 386 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays