Lamb to the Slaughter - Analytical Paragraph

“Lamb to the Slaughter”

By: Kavya Arun

Lamb to the slaughter is a peculiar and perplexing short story written by prominent author Roald Dahl; who portrays Mary Maloney as a cold-blooded killer. Mary Maloney did not show any emotion before killing her husband whom she loved the most, which shows that she did not care about him either way. “At that point, Mary Maloney simply walked up behind him and without any pause she swung the big frozen leg of lamb high in the air and brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his head (Dahl 13).” The quotation states that Mary Maloney did not have any hesitations before killing her own husband. This proves that she is only living with him for the money and she did not care or have any sympathy for killing her own husband; she loves her husband very much but did not have any thought before killing him for she wanted only wealth and therefore, her substandard behaviour proves she is a cold-blooded killer. This leads to the next point, which is Mary Maloney did not have any sympathy that she murders her husband and only thought about what is going to happen to her as she kills her loved one. “All right, she told herself. So, I’ve killed him. It was extraordinary, now, how clear her mind became all of a sudden (13).”  Right after she assassinates her own husband, she did not have any sympathy or any feelings for him which portrays characteristics of a cold-blooded killer; a cold-blooded killer murders someone with no emotions or feelings and the quotation states that after she kills her husband her mind becomes clear and how she feels extraordinary, this is another fact why Mary Maloney is a cold- blooded killer. Next, Mary Maloney starts acting as if she did not know anything about the murder and tricks all the detectives into thinking she is an innocent wife to her husband and she finds it very amusing. “"Personally, I think it’s right here on the premises.” “Probably right under our very noses. What do you think, Jack?” And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to giggle (18). "” Mary Maloney offers everyone to eat the lamb which she kills her husband with saying that he wishes they eat and she acts very innocent while the quotation proves that she did not care about her husband as she giggles but she did not act like that in front of the detectives and officers. In conclusion, Mary Maloney is a cold-blooded killer because she did not have any feelings or emotions when she kills her husband nor did she have any sympathy for him.        

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