Patrick Maloney Lamb To The Slaughter

The short story, “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl, is of a woman, expecting child, killing her husband, for the reason that he said he would divorce her. She had hit him in the back of the head with a leg of lamb she would, later that night, prepare for supper. The story took place in the 1950’s in the Maloney household. The characters in the story were Mary Maloney, a seemingly innocent housewife with a big heart, once filled with love for Patrick Maloney, however now filled with love for the thrill of murder. Patrick Maloney was lethargic toward Mary Maloney. He was an officer; he did not consider his wife as well as their future child. He said he had more exceptional things to do with his new companion. Mary knew that Patrick was a

hard worker, along with knowing he deserved to come home to a warm house as well as a warm meal. Patrick had walked in with a tired look on his face.

He had poured himself a drink of whiskey.He had sat down in his chair, watched Mary.They had sat. Patrick had begun to get up to make himself another drink, although Mary quickly jumped up to offer him another drink. He scowled for her to sit down. There was a long pause in the conversation. Patrick had, later, stood up, as well as looked as though he had bad news to tell his loving wife. Patrick told Mary he was to leave. Minutes of mindless explaining from Patrick had happened. After it all, again, there was long pause as Mary stared in shock while Patrick stood in distress. Mary had stood up in shock insisting on making dinner. Patrick had refused to eat it, telling her in advance. She still went to the freezer, picked up a leg of lamb, frozen. She slowly walked over to the back of Patrick. Without thinking, Mary had swatted the back of Patrick’s head as fiercely as she could, releasing all of the anger with the sadness she had received from the man that day. She stood, watched him fall. Mary’s mind was racing with thoughts of the future. She quickly turned on the oven along with placing the leg of lamb in. Later, she touched up on her makeup, at that point, headed toward the

grocer’s. The grocer, Sam, had given her potatoes, peas with a slice of cheesecake. She thanked Sam while leaving. She had returned home while seeing Patrick still there, deceased. She threw her belongings on the ground, at that moment called out to him, as a decoy, of course. She knelt beside him, cried hysterically. A few minutes later, she had called the detectives to investigate on the situation. Once the investigators had arrives, they gathered around the corpse while whispering. They had taken pictures, as well as searched the body for bruises. The doctor came along a bruise in the back of the head. The investigators had suggested it would be the doing of a bash in the head by a club-like object. They asked Mary if she had an object in the house of that shape. She could not think of any. Minutes later, Mary had asked Jack, one of the investigators, if he along with his mates would like a drink They had all agreed to own, even though it was strictly not allowed. Mary, later, asked Jack to turn off the oven. Without thinking, she offered them the warm meal of a lamb leg. They all agreed to eat, for they were famished from investigating. Suddenly, they were all at the table eating away at the leg of lamb, the very weapon that had came in contact with Patrick’s head.Jack, at that moment, suggests that the clues are right under their noses, nevertheless just cannot be found. As Mary eavesdrops, she chuckles to the statement she had just heard.