Lamb To The Slaughter Marry Mary Maloney

How does Dahl intend us to view Mary Maloney in ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’?

In some stories, it is hard to figure out the true personality of a character. This is the case in ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’, a short story by Roald Dahl published in September 1953. The confusing protagonist is Mary Maloney, a pregnant woman who murdered her husband, Patrick. Throughout the story, Dahl presents her in multiple conflicting views, causing the reader to be unsure what to think of her.

One view of Mary Maloney that Dahl presents is that she is a doting housewife. He gives details to show that she is a woman who is so selfless that she does chores for her husband even though she is six months pregnant. One way Dahl presents this view is by going

into great detail about the chores Mary performs for Patrick. For example, when he stands up to fetch another whisky, Mary immediately jumps up and cries, “I’ll get it!” The way that Mary dotes on Patrick suggests that she deeply loves him. On the other hand, if Mary had not performed any chores for Patrick, the reader could assume that she couldn't do the chores either because she was pregnant, or because she didn't love him that much.

However, despite the fact that Mary seems so committed, there is also evidence that she is in love with the idea of having a husband rather than her husband himself.

One way this is presented is by Dahl only referring to her husband as “her husband” or “he” for most of the story. For example, “Mary Maloney was waiting for her husband to come home from work.” This shows that Mary is waiting for her husband, rather than Patrick Maloney, meaning Mary values him as her husband rather than as himself. If Dahl had referred to him as Patrick Maloney, it would seem like it was him that she was waiting for because she loved him, rather than her husband because she loves the idea of having a husband. Another piece of evidence that shows that Mary loves the idea of having a husband rather than Patrick is that when Dahl describes what she loves about him, everything is related to him being a man. For example, she “loved to luxuriate in the presence of this man”. This shows that she loves the idea of a man being in the house. She could love this idea so much because it creates routine. For example, she knew Patrick would arrive home at approximately ten minutes to five, as he does every day. If Dahl had instead described things Mary loved about Patrick’s personality, it would have seemed like she loved him rather than just loving having a husband in

general.

Another view Dahl presents of Mary Maloney is that she was too shocked to know what she was doing when she murdered her husband. One way he presents this is by changing the sentence structure from long, relaxed sentences to short, tense sentences. For example, one sentence at the beginning of the story is, “The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn, the two table lamps alight- hers and the one by the empty chair opposite.” However, one sentence after Patrick tells Mary he is divorcing her is, “A leg of lamb. All right then, they would have lamb for supper.” By making the sentences shorter and more tense, the reader can feel the shock and abruptness that has taken over Mary’s mind after she hears the bad news, compared to the previous relaxation of her mind. If the sentences had stayed long and relaxed, not only would the death of Patrick Maloney have less effect, but it would seem as if Mary was relaxed after murdering her husband. However, since the sentence structure changes, the reader is affected more by Patrick's death and can feel Mary's shock. Another way Dahl presents this view is by saying that she looked and sounded “peculiar” after killing Patrick. This shows that the death affected her so greatly that even the ways she spoke and looked were affected. If Dahl had not included this part, there wouldn't be that much evidence that Mary was shocked.

A fourth view Dahl presents of Mary Maloney is that she was a cold-hearted killer. There is evidence that she knew exactly what she was doing when she murdered her husband. One example of this is that after she murdered Patrick, she immediately started putting things in place to ensure that she wouldn't be a suspect. One way she did this was by creating an alibi by visiting the grocer’s shop. She even practiced the way she looked and sounded in the mirror to ensure that she would be viewed as innocent: “She tried a smile. It came out rather peculiar. She tried again.” This shows that she cares more about her freedom than Patrick. If she had mourned Patrick’s death rather than leaving his body straight away to ensure her freedom, it would have seemed more like she cared about him. Another example of this is that she made the police eat the leg of lamb, and therefore the murder weapon. The men did not particularly want to eat the lamb, as evidenced by the fact that one says he “wouldn't dream of it.” However, Mary makes them do it so that all evidence of her crime is destroyed. After the police eat the lamb, she giggles, showing that she finds it funny that she has gotten away with murder. The giggle is one of the main points that makes the reader question Mary’s character, as it is such a cold-hearted thing to do after murdering one’s husband. If Dahl hadn't added this giggle, the reader would likely have the view that Mary was a good person who did a bad thing.

In conclusion, Dahl presents several different views of Mary Maloney. She is at first presented as a doting wife, who tries to make everything perfect for her husband, whom she loves. The situational irony in this story occurs when Mary murders Patrick, as it is exactly the opposite of what one would expect her to do after reading about how devoted to her husband she was. It is likely that Mary is generally a good person, but was so upset when Patrick told her he was divorcing her that she lost control. It is up to the reader to decide which view they agree with, which makes the story more interesting.