Comparing Lamb to the Slaughter and Captain Murderer
In this essay, I am going to compare and contrast the two short
stories "Lamb to the Slaughter" and "Captain Murderer", picking out
techniques used by the authors which make it different to a typical
murder mystery.
When one thinks of a murder mystery, one usually thinks of images like
a large, stately home, a cunning butler, and a bloodstained
candlestick, and an intelligent and observant detective with a
comparatively incompetent sidekick. In the end, the detective solves
the case, justice is done and the murderer is put behind bars.
"Lamb to the Slaughter" and "Captain Murderer" both have the
ingredients for a murder mystery, i.e. a murderer who is cold,
calculating and a bit mad, but neither follow the traditional murder
mystery style.
"Lamb to the Slaughter" was written by Roald Dahl, in 1954. He is more
famous for his children's books, but has also written many short
stories for adults, compiled in books such as "Tales of the
Unexpected" and "Switch Bitch". In these books he writes about strange
things happening to ordinary people.
"Captain Murderer" was written by Charles Dickens, one of the literary
greats, more well known for his adult books such as "Great
Expectations" and "Hard Times" about British society before 1900.
The victim in "Lamb to the Slaughter" is Patrick Maloney. Dahl gives
us with quite a shock when we discover this - his wife Mary would have
seemed a more typical victim. The couple seem to have a very
ritualistic relationship, when Patrick breaks the ritual, you can see
something is about to happen: "he did an unusual thing. He lifted his
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... differences between the two: one is a mock fairytale, told as though a
child was reciting it. The other involves policemen trying to solve
the case, which makes it more realistic. One features just one murder
whereas the other has several. The heroine sacrifices herself in
"Captain Murderer", whereas Mary is a more conniving character, and
manages to evade capture. The murder she carries out happens on the
spur of the moment, and may have been caused by a temporary loss of
mental stability. In "Captain Murderer", the killing is done through a
disturbing ritual, by a complete madman who undergoes no change in
character. Descriptions of atmosphere, characters, and feeling are
much more prominent in "Lamb to the Slaughter", whereas the main focus
of "Captain Murderer" is on the story line and description of the
ritual.
Often people are not what they seem. According to Roald Dahl, in “Lamb to the Slaughter,” “But there needn’t really be any fuss. I hope not anyway. It wouldn’t be very good for my job.” When in public Patrick Maloney was the doting husband, but when the doors hid outside eyes Patrick revealed his true feelings. He wanted a divorce. He wanted to ruin his wife and soon-to-be child, but without anyone knowing. Thought the passage, the tone is revealed as condescending. The way Mr. Maloney talks to his wife is as though she is a small and unknowing child.
Until the end where the clever detective (who is usually quite an old man, dressed in a smart tweed suit) goes through one by one all of the suspects telling them exactly why they could have committed the murder, but then why they didn't. He then confronts the real murderer who is normally the one everyone least suspects. This all takes place in a large country manor where lots of people would have been busying round but for the murderer, conveniently there are never any witnesses to the crime. The murder is most often well planed out, with a devious reason behind it. The two stories are both very different and mainly the only similarities are that they are both about murders that are done by people that are close family to the victims they murder in there own homes.7 The settings in both of them are very different; in lamb to the slaughter the setting is in a normal home in a small village, where normal family life goes on.
Dahl, Robert. "Lamb to the Slaughter." 1961. Elements of Literature. Vol. 4. N.p.: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 2007. 379-86. Print.
do not seem suitable to be human beings. He understands the things he does are
Science, Technology and Human Values in Henrik Ibsen's Enemy of the People and Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five
“For God’s sake,” he said, not turning round. “Don’t make supper for me. I’m going out.”
It is a cool, misty night, and after a miserable day, you decide to treat yourself to a movie. You are at the movie theater; you open the double-doors swiftly and smell the delectable-popcorn lathered in butter. You approach the desk; the employee welcomes you with a slow-grin and asks “Can I help you?” You proceed to choose the latest horror movie, Silence of the Lambs….you give the next employee your ticket to validate it and be admitted into the theater; with a crooked smile the employee makes a vigorous rip and hands you back your ticket. Then the employee softly utters, “Enjoy your movie!” You head towards the right hall; as you walk down, you notice the lights begin to dim….You finally reach the theater; you get comfy in your seat; the lights darken and transform the theater
In "Lamb to the Slaughter" Roald Dahl uses the leg of lamb as a symbol of domesticity. The meat, which the primary intention of it was to be cooked and eaten, had mainly to do with the kitchen and women. When Mary used the leg of lamb to kill her husband, she turned a domestic tool into a tool for harm and murder. In this way, Mary challenged the domestic role the patriarchy of the time had placed her into. The leg of lamb also represents Mary, and the way she follows her husband, the same way a lamb follows a shepherd. The leg of lamb also alludes to the bible; in the way the Jesus was the Lamb and a martyr for Christians, the same way that Mary’s husband was a martyr for the patriarchate.
going to eat the lamb because at the start and all the way through the
Slaughterhouse Five is the story of Billy Pilgrim who has become “unstuck in time.” He travels back and forth being able to see his birth, death, and all the years between his birth and death. During the times he travels back and forth they either happen repeatedly or out of order. A major theme in Slaughterhouse-Five would be War and Death. In the beginning of the story, Billy Pilgrim talks about the bombing of Dresden, which it killed almost 100,000 Germans. Some parts of the story are based on Vonnegut experiences. Vonnegut survived a war which it could lead to having some kind of lasting effect on him. In chapter one Billy or Vonnegut, goes to Dresden again with his old friend Bernard O'Hare. Where he meets his wife and sensed
Dahl, Roald. "Lamb to the Slaughter." Lamb to the Slaughter and Other Stories. London: Penguin, 1995. N. pag. Print.
When Roald Dahl used repetition to add to the scare factor in his short story, “Lamb to Slaughter”. Throughout the story he used repetition to emphasize things. Like when he repeats “They always treated her kindly.” and “The two detectives were exceptionally nice to her.” It was to emphasize that they treated her as the victim rather than a suspect. The repetition used made me curious when reading the story. Whenever I saw something repeated, I asked myself ‘Why would they do that?’ I became intrigued and wanted to read more and find out. By repeating, Roald created suspense and anticipation for the reader to get to the climax, prompting the reader to keep reading. In conclusion, repetition definitely made the story scarier.
The Thought-experiments in Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five or the Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance With Death
In “Lamb to the Slaughter”, Roald Dahl uses diction, details, and syntax to emphasize the matter-of-fact tone that is consistent throughout the entire story. Diction is a key element of tone that conveys this matter-of-fact tone. For example, Mary Maloney says to herself after killing her husband, “All right… So I’ve killed him” (Dahl 320). This sentence is lacking emotion. It states a pure fact, without going into further detail and captures a turning point in Mary Maloney’s way of thinking. By telling herself “all right,” Mary distances herself from the murder. She is detached from her own story and does not reveal any qualms about murdering her own husband. Similarly, Dahl uses the next sentence to describe Mary’s thoughts by explaining,
To conclude, the two short stories, “Lamb to the Slaughter” and “Charles” demonstrate that the truth can be right in front of you. Although the two stories have a similar theme they do it in a completely different way. In “Lamb to the Slaughter” there were cops trying to find out a murder, who committed it and what the murder weapon was, while in “Charles,” it was not a mystery until the end. So remember, sometimes smiles are just put on to cover up the truth that is