Lamb to the Slaughter by Roal Dahl

545 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: revenge and its consequences

Having to take your anger out on someone isn’t fair or good, especially if you’re being killed with frozen lamb. Based on everyone’s understanding, when you kill someone you’ll have to pay the price and consequences. Apparently this lady didn’t. But are we sure she’s going to marry another man and kill him too? In “Lamb to the slaughter”, I’m going to be talking about Mary Maloney and how madly crazy she is.
In the beginning of the story Mary Maloney sounded so sweet, kind and generous. She patiently waits for her husband to come home from work. As he gets in the house, Mary treats her husband with whiskey and a kiss. She knew he didn’t want to talk until the first drink was finished. Mary keeps up with her husband’s daily routine and she notices something strange. He lifted his glass and drained it in one swallow but there was still half of it left in the cup. She knew what he had done because she heard the ice cubes falling back against the bottom of the empty glass when he lowered his arm. Although, when the husband tried to get himself another glass, Mary tries to get it for hi...

Show More
Related

  • The Killings by Andre Dubus

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Killings by Andre Dubus Plot is defined as, "the authors arrangement of incidents in a story it is the organizing principle that controls the controls the order of events (Meyer,64). " The element of plot is heavily relied on in the short story, "The Killings" by Andre Dubus. The plot which is completely made inside the imagination of an author (Meyer,64), gives the audience important insight to people, places, and events in the story (Meyer,64) . "The Killings" provides a somewhat conventional plot pattern, where the character is confronted with a problem and is then led into a climax, which late leads to the resolution of the story (Meyer,65). The conventional plot is easy to follow and serves as a basis for movies and other forms of fictitious entertainment (Meyer,65).

    Read More

  • Cutting Into The Meatpacking Line By Deborah Fink

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    In America today, race/ethnicity, class categorization, and gender inequalities are just some of the most controversial issues that have created social division in every facet of our society. Gender inequality for one, remains a significant issue from the past up to this day. Looking at history, women have struggled to gain equal rights as well as equal pay against their male counterpart. As described in her book, “Cutting into the Meatpacking Line”, Deborah Fink detailed the inequalities against women and ethnic groups in the meatpacking plant where she had a first-hand experience as a worker. Furthermore, capitalism played an important role in the inequalities in race, gender, culture, and ethnicity, and it has also legitimized the disparities

    Read More

  • Culminating Writing Task II

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Lamb To The Slaughter Mary Maloney

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    “All right, she told herself. So I’ve killed him” (Page 2). Imagine what that means. Why did she do it? How did she do it? Will she get away with it? All those questions are answered and more is revealed. In the book “Lamb To The Slaughter” by author Roald Dahl, it depicts the story of pregnant housewife Mary Maloney and how she copes with the knowledge her husband Patrick Maloney gives her. Mary Maloney's coping skills are not up to par though, so she precedes to murder her husband with a frozen leg of lamb. She then sets up an alibi and reports the murder. Her cover up was that the cops would eat the lamb, therefore discarding evidence and she would be scott free. This eventually happens and Mary is now riding alone with her unborn baby.

    Read More

  • Lamb To The Slaughter Mary Maloney Essay

    1670 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mary Maloney, of “Lamb to the Slaughter,” is a wife, soon-to-be mother, and a murderer. “Lamb to the Slaughter” was written in 1953 by renowned author Roald Dahl, and it was a shocking story for its time. In short, a woman [Mary Maloney] waits for her husband to get home. Upon his arrival, she notices he is acting very strange and he tells her something (what we assume to be him breaking things off) to Mary. She goes into the freezer in shock and grabs a leg of lamb and kills him with it. She then creates an alibi by going to the store for vegetables, and convinces herself that nothing has gone awry and that everything at home is just peachy. She gets home and calls the police and they come to investigate, who completely deny that she could

    Read More

  • Pride by Dahlia Ravikovitch

    1730 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the poem pride, Dahlia Ravikovitch uses many poetic devices. She uses an analogy for the poem as a whole, and a few metaphors inside it, such as, “the rock has an open wound.” Ravikovitch also uses personification multiple times, for example: “Years pass over them as they wait.” and, “the seaweed whips around, the sea bursts forth and rolls back--” Ravikovitch also uses inclusive language such as when she says: “I’m telling you,” and “I told you.” She uses these phrases to make the reader feel apart of the poem, and to draw the reader in. She also uses repetition, for example, repetition of the word years.

    Read More

  • The Mother, by Grazia Deledda

    906 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is perhaps no greater joy in life than finding one’s soul mate. Once found, there is possibly no greater torment than being forced to live without them. This is the conflict that Paul faces from the moment he falls in love with Agnes. His devotion to the church and ultimately God are thrown into the cross hairs with the only possible outcome being one of agonizing humiliation. Grazia Deledda’s The Mother presents the classic dilemma of having to choose between what is morally right and being true to one’s own heart. Paul’s inability to choose one over the other consumes his life and everyone in it.

    Read More

  • Becoming Animal By David Abram

    536 Words  | 2 Pages

    In his unique and thought provoking book Becoming Animal: An Earthly Cosmology, David Abram discusses our relationship with the world, trying to influence us to return to the use of our animal senses as we build our perceptions and interactions with the world around us. Abram (2010) states “This book is about becoming a two-legged animal” (p. 3). It is clear that we already are animals, we have always been, but I think what Abram is trying to do is influence us to return to our animal senses and instincts to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves as humans. Abram (2010) indicates however that “To identify with the sheer physicality of one’s own flesh may seem lunatic” (p. 6), which is perhaps one of the reasons we have separated ourselves from the non-human world. So how does Abram suggest we become more animal? Why does he believe this is so important to our earthly existence? How does he suggest we live in a more right relationship with the world?

    Read More

  • Animal Liberation by Peter Singer

    1078 Words  | 3 Pages

    Animals can be a man's best friend; however, they can also be ones worst enemy after passing certain boundaries. Peter Singer who wrote Animal Liberation gave valid points in my opinion because animals do have a right to live and we should give them their space. Humans take everything for granted and never seem to learn until it too late. Today slaughterhouses are abusing animals in disturbing ways which has to change. I will agree with Singers concepts on animals because they have a right to live a peaceful life like humans; they have a life ahead of them once they are born. Singer argues that animals should have their interests considered throughout their lives. Singer wants to eliminate speciesism from our thoughts which is, a human discriminatory belief that all other animals are not as good as them therefore they do not have rights and we could do what we want to them. We should not be the only types of "animals" in this earth who has a set of rights we should abide.

    Read More

  • Into the Wild by Christopher Johnson McCandless

    1175 Words  | 3 Pages

    The book, Into the wild, takes us into the world of a young man named Christopher Johnson McCandless. He travelled across the western United States from 1990 to 1992, and on April 28, 1992, he started his last adventure and walked into the wilds of Alaska. About 112 days later, he died of starvation. Unsurprisingly, public opinion polarized on his behavior. Some may admire his courage and noble ideals, though some regard him as an idiotic and arrogant narcissist. Although he died on his way to find the truth and back to nature, I believe that Chris McCandless should be considered as a hero, but I cannot completely approve of all his behaviors.

    Read More

  • Wild Geese by Oliver

    1307 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Wild Geese” is very different from many poems written. Oliver’s personal life, the free form of the poem along with the first line, “You do not have to be good,” and the imagery of nature contributes to Oliver’s intent to convince the audience that to be part of the world, a person does not need to aspire to civilization’s standards.

    Read More

  • Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer

    946 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, the author talks about, not only vegetarianism, but reveals to us what actually occurs in the factory farming system. The issue circulating in this book is whether to eat meat or not to eat meat. Foer, however, never tries to convert his reader to become vegetarians but rather to inform them with information so they can respond with better judgment. Eating meat has been a thing that majority of us engage in without question. Which is why among other reasons Foer feels compelled to share his findings about where our meat come from. Throughout the book, he gives vivid accounts of the dreadful conditions factory farmed animals endure on a daily basis. For this reason Foer urges us to take a stand against factory farming, and if we must eat meat then we must adapt humane agricultural methods for meat production.

    Read More

  • Character Paragraph of Mary Maloney in Lam to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl

    640 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Winter in the Blood by James Welch

    1518 Words  | 4 Pages

    Winter in the Blood, a Native American novel written by James Welch, takes place on a cattle ranch in Montana, around 1970. On the surface, this is a story of a Blackfoot Indian sleepwalking through his life, tormented by visions, in search of a connection to his heritage. Welch's language is, at once, blunt and poetic, and the pictures it conjures are dreamlike and disquieting. Furthermore, the narrator of the novel is disheartened by the loss of his brother, Mose, and his father, First Raise ? the two most cherished people in his life. After struggling with guilt, sorrow, and alcoholism, the narrator overcomes these down falls through re-identifying with himself and his culture? specifically through the help of his grandfather, Yellow Calf.

    Read More

  • We Ate The Children Last By Yann Martel

    1232 Words  | 3 Pages

    Parents tell their children to think first and act second. Most people forget this as illustrated in Yann Martel’s satire “We ate the Children Last,” written in 2004. It starts out with an operation and humans are given a pigs digestive tract to cure cancer. Because the operation made people eat garbage, they gave it to the poor At this point everybody wants to have this operation. When people started going cannibalistic, the government puts them together to eat each other. This started out as a good thing by curing cancer. After that everybody from the poor to the people administering the operation didn’t pause long enough to consider the consequences. Real world examples of people not pausing to consider the consequences are seen frequently, whether, it be on a small or big scale. Yann Martel is saying that

    Read More

More about Lamb to the Slaughter by Roal Dahl

Open Document