Imagine on the way to work walking in the warm air, one stops and finds a hundred-dollar bill on the hard concrete floor. Then later in the day, their boss pulls them into an office and offers a promotion. Excitement is running through ones body with their wallet a little heavier than usual. Waiting all afternoon to top off their perfect day with the best chicken pot pie made by grandma Ann sitting in ones very own fridge. Finally getting home to open the fridge and noticing that the chicken pot pie is gone and wondering which roommate ate the last slice. In that moment anger, confusion, and shock runs through ones body. That is exactly how the loving, devoting, and caring wife, Mary Maloney felt when her husband made an unexpected decision …show more content…
in their marriage that leads her to make a justified life changing event. When Mary perceives the news from her husband, she immediately goes into shock. Some may say that it does not matter what condition she was in she should not of killed another human. Mary could have stepped out the room. There are many other ways to handle the circumstances. Mary might of even planned this. In the story it states “All right, then, they would have lamb for supper. She carried it upstairs, held the thin end with both her hands. She went into the living room, saw him standing by the window with his back to her, and stopped.” In this moment she might have been in shock but thought of the way to kill him with the weapon in her hand. However Mary actions was a mistake caused by anger. There may be a time when somebody could experience their heart rate increasing, muscles tensing up, and jaw clenching ready to hit a wall or lash out on others. Then later they are astonished about what they did. The story verbalizes “The violence of the crash, the noise, the small table overturning, helped to bring her out of the shock”. The author even states she was in shock, and how Mary acted out of character and did not realize what she has done. Overall Mary did not orchestrate Mr.
Maloney slaughter. “She came out slowly, feeling cold and surprised, and she stood for a few minutes, looking at the body, still holding the piece of meat tightly with both hands.” Patrick’s wife surprised herself. He triggered these emotions that resulted in his death.What leads Mrs. Maloney in even more distraught is Patrick just leaves without a care in the world. “ ‘I already told you,’ he said. ‘Don’t make supper for me. I’m going out.’” This could contribute to Mary’s shock, living with somebody that you expected to be with your entire life and then have them get up and leave …show more content…
callously. Mrs. Maloney did commit second degree murder. If this was taken to court, the judge would look at all the details including that it was in the spur of the moment. During this time divorces was looked down upon. The judge would understand her emotions. The court room would not only be empathic but notice she is now a single mother in this society. Mary Maloney would rule innocent from her being in shock in her perfect life. In the beginning of Lamb to the Slaughter it expresses, “For her, this was always a wonderful time of day. She knew he didn’t want to speak much until the first drink was finished, and she was satisfied to sit quietly, enjoying his company after the long hours alone in the house. She loved the warmth that came out of him when they were alone together. She loved the shape of his mouth, and she especially liked the way he didn't complain about being tired.” The author shows that Mary is Patrick’s biggest fan. She cares very much about Mr. Maloney. Everything seems like it's going well in the marriage until Patrick breaks the news. Everybody has tragedies in their life. Most of the time another person does not end up dead when they experience them. Mary Maloney may not have an excuse to just kill her husband. Life is a rollercoaster, one day your going up and up and then next you get that turning feeling in the pit of your stomach when it drops down. Mary Maloney didn't scream and get off the ride, she stayed on the rollercoaster and it continued to go down. Her perfect life wasn't so perfect anymore and she just could not take it. On the other hand Mrs. Maloney was not able to bounce back after hearing what Patrick said. When everything is going so good and then a bomb just hits, one can react in a terrible way. When you become so attach to a lifestyle and then you experience an outcome that you were blind to, emotional pain is normal to have. Mrs. Maloney would have to wake up in her bed and have nobody by her side. She still doesn't have that at the end but that's not her fault because Patrick shared shocking news. The clock is ticking, Mary is waiting, the hours are passing by until she hears the keys jingling into the lock. Just in a moment of time, the clock hands have seemed to stopped moving, the numbers are disappearing, the wood is cracking and it's all because of Patrick. Mary was in love with her husband. She even catered to him and tried to be there for his every need. “He got up and went slowly to get himself another drink. ‘I’ll get it!’ she cried, jumping up.” She was also a very obedient wife. Patrick Maloney didn't seem to appreciate what his wife did for him. Mary might have killed him but he killed their whole family and Mary's heart by trying to leave. Ultimately Mary had the right to kill Patrick. When you love someone like Mary loved Patrick, all you expect is love and affection back. Being six months pregnant one would expect their partner to be just as excited as the other. The thought of all the things they get to teach their child growing up and how to be the better version than they are. Mary's perfect life and being with the love with her life was destroyed because Patrick ruined it and maybe even turned her insane. The room warmly lit by the bright orange, pink, and red glow shining through the window on to the wooden floor where a cold , bloody body lays. Hovering over with a smile plastered on their face through the ski mask and a knife in their right hand, a satisfied man who just killed their fifth person in a week. Some may call this person crazy, insane, or a psychopath. Mary Maloney is possibly similar to this man than we think. The reason for killing her husband could be that she is s mentally ill. In spite of Mrs. Maloney being mentally ill, in another persons view point they may believe that its still not right to kill another person. Mary Maloney should have been taken to treatment or given some type of medication. Even though she is ill, she is responsible for her actions. As a soon to be mother this could be harmful for the child. Mrs. Maloney is putting herself in danger and everybody around her too. Although this may be true it is not certain what mental illness Mary has.
We can assume that she does have one. When she went to the grocery store the grocer could not tell that something major happened. In the story it states " 'Anything else? ' The grocer turned his head to one side, looking at her. 'How about dessert? What are you going to give him for dessert? How about a nice piece of cake? I know he likes cake.' " Mary Maloney easily hid her feelings like she did not just kill her husband. Treatment of her illness would have not happened if nobody saw signs of it. Another sign that shows Mrs. Maloney could be insane is she still believes her husband was alive. "And now, she told herself as she hurried back home, she was returning to her husband and he was waiting for his supper" She was in denial even after she saw him lying dead on the carpet. Lastly that proves that Patrick’s wife is crazy is she laughs after the detectives are trying to figure out how Patrick Maloney ended up dead. In the end it says "And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to laugh." She is assumed that she got away with killing her
husband. If Mary Maloney was charged for the death of her husband. The jury should see that she is right for killing her husband. She was dumbfounded by the news that her husband gave her with the situation of her pregnancy. Furthermore Patrick Maloney dropped the bombshell when she believed her marriage was wonderful. Finally, Mary Maloney perhaps need to be diagnosed with a mental illness. Mrs. Maloney is faultless.
It is incredible how a couple who seemed to have a comfortable semiretirement near Dallas, Texas though they were ready to live life calmly as possible. Rebecca and her Husband Scott both worked part time. During the evening of March 4, Scott started having trouble breathing; Rebecca rushed him to the closest emergency room at the
Mary Maloney is accused of murdering her husband with an unknown weapon for an unknown reason. Chief detective, Patrick Maloney was murdered last night at his own house, no suspects have been identified yet and the search for the murder weapon was futile. Apparently, the officer had come home exhausted from work and was waiting for his wife Mrs. Mary Maloney, who left to buy food across the street for their dinner. According to a statement, Mary arrives home from the grocery store to find her husband dead on the living room floor.
Anti-Semitism is the hatred and discrimination of those with a Jewish heritage. It is generally connected to the Holocaust, but the book by Helmut Walser Smith, The Butcher’s Tale shows the rise of anti-Semitism from a grassroots effect. Smith uses newspapers, court orders, and written accounts to write the history and growth of anti-Semitism in a small German town. The book focuses on how anti-Semitism was spread by fear mongering, the conflict between classes, and also the role of the government.
Mary Maloney was pregnant… Her hormones were all over the place. Patrick Maloney was putting too much pressure on her. By asking for a divorce and treating her really bad. He knew that she was pregnant and still asked for a divorce and was having an affair. He was only going to send money to his kid. Patrick was abusive physically and emotionally.
In Lamb to the Slaughter, Mary Maloney, doting housewife pregnant with her first child, commits a heinous crime against her husband. After he tells her that he is leaving, she become distraught and strikes him in the head with a leg of lamb. Afterwards, Mary...
.... Maloney would leave to be with the other women. This thought though, became a reality for Mary Maloney. Mary Maloney has testified to happening to “stumble across” a will, which mentioned Mary Maloney receiving three quarters of Patrick’s fortune if he were to pass away. Being the wife a detective, Mary Maloney new how to plot a scene. First she would murder Patrick, receive his fortune to care for the unborn child, never have to face him again after he said to her face that he loved another women and had been having affairs with her. Secondly, she would need to dispose of the murder weapon secretly, and create an alibi that would testify for Ms. Maloney. Thirdly, pretend that it was all a dream and that it never happened. Sadly, it was an incredibly easy task for a clever woman such as herself. How is it that money is what shapes our world but also destroys it?
Preliminarily, had been established that Mrs. Maloney was the murderer of her husband Mr. Maloney. Despite this, it was for good reason, as it was due in part to mental anguish. This can be concluded by the reactions and behaviors Mrs. Maloney presented in Dahl’s eyewitness account. To start, Mrs. Maloney was headed for the store at around 6 o’clock. Why would she continue to act even if her husband is dead? “Hello, Sam,” she said brightly, smiling at the man in the shop. “Good evening, Mrs. Maloney. How are you?” “I want some potatoes, please, Sam. Yes, and perhaps a can of beans, too. Patrick’s decided he's tired and he doesn't want to go out tonight,” she told him. … “Anything else?” The grocer turned his head to one side, looking at her. “How about a dessert? … How about a nice piece of cake?” … “Perfect,” she said. “He loves it.”” This quote, from Dahl’s account, shows that she obviously cannot completely function mentally. She murdered him, then went and bought him cake. At this point, she is very confused about herself and the events that occu...
In Roald Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter” Mary Maloney is put in this exact situation. Mary ends up killing her husband with a leg of lamb because of the news he told her. The question being asked is Mary Maloney a psychopath or is she just a normal housewife driven to extreme measures?. She waited eagerly for her husband to come home from work, she truly cared about him she didn't really have to act, she also looked so upset when the policemen were talking to her, so those reasons make it clear that she was a normal housewife.
We see with Mary that being pregnant can alter your emotions and cause someone to act much different that who they really are. Her husband being ready to divorce, makes her in denial that he no longer wants to be with her and hopeless because she will be left to raise her baby alone. Mary, not being about to think straight, kills her husband, going to show that she was evidently suffering from mental instability during and even after the killing. As evident, this was no murder committed in cold blood. Mary is innocent in the murder of Patrick Maloney by plea of temporary
We refer to the murder as 'him' We can sense that Roylott is under more pressure; he has obviously decided to kill his stepdaughter for her riches that he can't make my being a doctor. Maloney has her husband's wage from his work, and the home will only need to be cleaned every couple of days. The text suggests that her husband is stressed. He has to tell Mary that he is leaving her. He leaves her with no explanation for his absence, only that he will pay for the baby's upbringing.
After she heard the news she convinces herself that he (Patrick) is still alive, she also speaks to herself/ practices her speaking to sound ‘normal’, and it shows how she felt about getting away with it. Mary Maloney was over tasked with the keeping of the house and being a doting wife to her husband, all she had going in her life was looking after her husband. Mary only wanted to be there for her husband, wanting to be with him no matter the problems they might have. Mary refused to see that her relationship was in rambles. To make her husband happy she took on as many tasks she could, along with keeping their marriage together as it was slowly falling apart. “Insanity is often the logic of an accurate mind overtasked”. (Oliver Wendell Holmes,
In the story “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl, Mary Maloney is shown to have a very sinister and manipulative character. In the beginning of the story, Mary Maloney was a normal, loving and caring pregnant housewife that loved and cared for her husband, Patrick Maloney, very much. Earlier at the start of the story we see Mary was waiting for her husband to come home from work. She had set up the house with two table lights lit and plates on the dining table so they can have a very romantic dinner when Patrick comes home. When Patrick came home, Mary was very excited to see him. She would try to offer him some drinks and insisted she would get things in the house he needed so he didn’t have to get up himself. The countless times that Patrick said no to her offers and helpful doings, she still tried to serve and tried to make him feel comfortable and relax after work.
“She moved uneasily in her chair the large eyes still watching his face, “but you must have supper. I can easily do it here. I’d like to do it. We can have lamb chops. Or pork. Anything you want everything is in the freezer” (318). Even though Mary was uncomfortable she still tried to make supper for her husband. She just wanted to be the perfect housewife and do what she is supposed to do. At this point Mary is feeling uneasy, and she is also worried. Even though her husband did not want her to do anything she ignored him. Mrs. Maloney did not want to accept the fact that her husband is trying to tell her something, and she does not want to hear it from
Mrs. Hutchinson speaks out when Bill Hutchinson is chosen only because he is a family member. If he were not, she wouldn't have cared if he lived or died. When she, herself, is chosen, she gets upset about it and now it is suddenly not fair. "Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a cleared space by now, and she held her hands out desperately as the villagers moved in on her. "It isn't fair," she said" (Dahl 7). This is most likely how Mary Maloney in "Lamb to the Slaughter" would have reacted if she were caught with murder. She only laughed because she got away with her crime. "And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to laugh" (Jackson 4). She would have been just like Tessie Hutchinson saying "It's not fair" when they haul Mrs. Maloney off to
When the police arrived they try to understand and figure out how Patrick has been killed. But unluckily the officers can not notice Mrs. Maloney was the killer. At the end of the book Mary Maloney giggles when the officers said, “Probably right under our very noses. What you think, Jack?” (Dahl 18). Throughout the beginning, Mary Maloney seemed like a nice caring wife but what Patrick said caused her to do a crime. At that point, Mary knew she got away she eliminated the evidence and managed to escape. Mary laughing shows readers that the killing of her husband was not important to her at all. Therefore the theme of this story is to not trust everybody.