Summary:
Reviews Lamb to the Slaughter, a short story by Roald Dahl, author of James and the Giant Peach. Provides a short plot summary and analyzes themes and symbols.
Lamb to the slaughter by Roald Dahl is a good short story. It is about a woman called Mary who murders her husband called Patrick and then deceives a shop keeper by making out that her husband is still alive and then deceives the police by making them eat the murder weapon.
The way the setting is described in lamb to the slaughter is one reason it is a good short story. At the very start of the story the setting is described in great detail. Dahl describes the living room and uses phrases like 'lamps alight' and 'curtains drawn' that make this feel warm and cozy. Also he puts two of things like 'two table lamps', 'two tall glasses' and 'two chairs' to make it sound that Mary and Patrick are very close. But then when Mary is waiting for Patrick to come home from work Dahl uses the phrase 'empty chair opposite' the word opposite hints they don't get along as well as they suggest.
The characterisation in lamb to the slaughter is also very effective. Dahl describes Mary as a nice quiet person. He describes her as having a soft smiling mouth, wonderful translucent skin and large eyes. He also describes that she is not how she looks on the outside. On the outside she looks calm and vulnerable. But on the inside she is evil. Dahl describes Mary's eyes as having a darker look this suggests a more sinister side to her. And he uses the word translucent to describe her skin it suggests she is hiding nothing. Also when Mary is taking to Patrick she repeats the word darling and its sounds false like she doesn't mean it or as if she is using it in a controlling way, telling him what to do.
The way Mary's husband Patrick is described is also very good. Dahl uses ice to suggest that Patrick is callous and emotionless. Also as Patrick comes in from work Dahl uses harsh words like gravel and slamming, then uses 'the key turning in the lock' which hints he is controlling. Also when Patrick is talking to Mary he uses short sharp sentences like 'no, forget it' and uses 'its kind of a bad time' which is and understatement and it shows he does not care about Mary or think about Mary and the baby she is carrying. When Mary tries to help him by making his dinner he says 'there needn't really be any fuss' and says ' it wouldn't be good for my job' which shows he is selfish and only thinks about himself.
The structure of lamb to the slaughter is very good. The story builds up to a dramatic climax. It starts when Mary gets some bad news off Patrick. Then she offers to make him some dinner and he refuses but Mary goes down to the basement and into the freezer and picks up a frozen leg of lamb then goes back upstairs. The climax is when Mary murders Patrick by hitting him over the head with the frozen leg of lamb. It is very unexpected because Mary seemed so gentle and kind and she had seemed the injured person. Patrick is made out to be cruel and evil but he is in fact the victim. This is where the funny part of the story is aswell when Mary hits Patrick with the lamb before he falls to the ground he sways for four or five seconds. Before falling to the ground. It is also funny because the idea of having a leg of lamb as the murder weapon is very unrealistic.
I enjoyed the twist in the ending because when the police are investigating the murder Mary finishes cooking the lamb and offers it to the police men to eat and they eat it all up. I think it is effective because now she will never be found out because the police have ate the murder weapon which would have been the only evidence.
I think lamb to the slaughter was a good short story because the characters were interesting and unpredictable. And the story keeps you in suspense until the end because you want to know if Mary is found out or not. Also the story was good because it was original and funny.
This is the complete article, containing 716 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
