Insanity In Roald Dahl's Lamb To The Slaughter

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Insanity is defined as the derangement of the mind, insane foolishness or irrationality. When committed a crime the felony is either considered innocent by reason of insanity or guilty, but what classifies one from the other? In “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl it is debatable whether or not the main character Mary Maloney is innocent or guilty after the death of her husband Patrick Maloney. After fully analyzing the story, Mary Maloney is an innocent victim of insanity proving this through her oblivious states of mind.
The first way that Mary Maloney showed an oblivious state of mind is by drinking. Being as healthy as possibly while pregnant is very important for the development of a healthy baby. Not only did Mary not realize her wrongdoing by drinking while twelve months pregnant, but it did not even seem to …show more content…

Yes, it is human nature to forget things, but is it normal for a woman to forget the meat she just killed her husband with cooking in the oven? While searching the house for any possible weapons police officer“Jack Noonan walked into the kitchen, came out quickly, and said, "Look, Mrs. Maloney. Did you know that your oven is still on, and the meat is still inside?" "Oh," she said” (Dahl 358). Jack Noonan’s action of walking into the kitchen helps readers once again realize Mary Maloney is innocent by the reason of insanity because nobody in the right state of mind would forget about the weapon they used to kill their husband. The only other logical reason would be that Mary forgot due to alzheimer 's which comes from old age, and Mary clearly was not old considering the fact she was about to have their first born child. A person’s state of mind is key in developing who they are, what they have done, and why they have done it. These key components can help anyone who has read “ The Lamb to the Slaughter” develop a complete understanding for the real Mary

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