Syntax In Lamb To The Slaughter

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,

“It was extraordinary, now, how clear her mind became all of a sudden” (Dahl 320). Immediately after a murder, the author uses words like, “extraordinary” and “clear” instead of more negative words that would emphasize the gravity of murder. This underlines an important point of the story; after the murder, Mary was not in shock or in grief and was thinking clearly. In addition, certain details in the story show Mary’s absence of emotion and bring out the author’s matter-of-fact tone. Mary casually refuses meat from the grocer, saying, “I’ve got a nice leg of lamb from the freezer” (Dahl 320). She declares an extremely important aspect of the story - the murder weapon - without any feelings of guilt or fear at all. Mary becomes almost robotic as the story moves on, matching the increase in the matter-of-fact tone. Dahl’s change in syntax in various sentences is used to stress sentences in which Mary’s way of thinking becomes very business-like. For instance, when returning to her house after visiting the grocer, she tells herself, “Do everything right and natural” (Dahl 321). This five-word sentence highlights the way Mary follows her own simple commands by slowing the reading of the story down. She does not voice any of her opinions and instead just focuses on the next step. By using a matter-of-fact tone, Roald Dahl is able to fully illustrate the confusing character of Mary Maloney.