Lamb To The Slaughter

“There was a slow smiling air about her, and about everything she did. The drop of the head as she bent over her sewing was curiously tranquil. Her skin—for this was her sixth month with child—had acquired a wonderful translucent quality, the mouth was soft, and the eyes, with their new placid look, seemed larger, darker than before.”

This physical description of Mary presents her as the stereotypical feminine ideal. Her “slow smiling air” and “tranquil” posture demonstrate contentment in her domestic role. The “translucent quality” of her skin reflects the glow of pregnancy, evoking the archetype of the Madonna. Her “soft” mouth and “placid look” suggest gentleness and submissiveness. By associating Mary Maloney with these qualities at the beginning of the story, Dahl makes her transformation into a murderer all the more unexpected.

“She wasn’t really watching him but 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.”

The speed with which Mr. Maloney drinks his first whiskey betrays his nervous state, foreshadowing the bad news he is about to break to his wife. Mary knows, without looking at him, that he has drained his drink by the sound of the ice cubes hitting the glass. The observation demonstrates how Mary’s world revolves around her husband. Desperate to please him, she is alert to his every movement. Ice cubes are also a key symbol in the text.

“And he told her. It didn’t take long, four or five minutes at most, and she sat very still through it all, watching him with a kind of dazed horror as he went further and further away from her with each word.”

The third-person narrator omits Mr. Maloney’s exact words when he tells his wife he is leaving her. Instead, the description emphasizes the impact of the news on Mary. Within a few minutes, the world she has built with her husband is shattered. The metaphor of her husband retreating “away from her with each word” highlights Mary’s sense of helplessness and loss.

“And I know it’s kind of a bad time to be telling you, but there simply wasn’t any other way. Of course I’ll give you money and see you’re looked after. But there needn’t really be any fuss. I hope not anyway. It wouldn’t be very good for my job.”

Mr. Maloney reveals a great deal about his character in this speech. His casual understatement that “it’s kind of a bad time to be telling you” is his only acknowledgment that Mary is pregnant and he will leave her a single mother. He then seeks to absolve himself of guilt by claiming, “there simply wasn’t any other way.” By assuring his wife that he will give her “money,” Mr. Maloney shows that he believes his only responsibility is financial. He also demonstrates his controlling nature when he tries to curb Mary’s reaction, dismissing her likely distress as “fuss.” While Mary’s world has collapsed, his main concern is that his job should not be adversely affected. Mr. Maloney’s cold betrayal reinforces Mary as a sympathetic character and develops the theme of Loyalty and Betrayal.

“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.”

Mary’s violent act is unexpected as her character has previously been loving and submissive toward her husband. The detached, matter-of-fact tone of the narrator belies the enormity of the event being described. At this point in the story, the figurative roles of the Maloneys' are reversed. Patrick Maloney becomes the “lamb to the slaughter,” while Mary is his murderer. The lamb is also an important symbol in the text.

“She came out slowly, feeling cold and surprised, and she stood for a while blinking at the body, still holding the ridiculous piece of meat tight with both hands.”

Dahl creates a darkly humorous moment by juxtaposing the macabre with the domestic. The grim reality of Mr. Maloney’s dead body is contrasted with his killer (a pregnant housewife) and the murder weapon (a joint of meat). The effect is deliberately absurd, creating situational irony.

“All right, she told herself. So I’ve killed him.”

Readers’ expectations are subverted when Mary’s first thought after killing Mr. Maloney is calm and considered. Rather than resorting to the derogatory stereotype of the hysterical woman, Dahl presents Mary as rational and quick-witted in a crisis.

“As the wife of a detective, she knew quite well what the penalty would be. That was fine. It made no difference to her. In fact, it would be a relief. On the other hand, what about the child? What were the laws about murderers with unborn children? Did they kill them both—mother and child? Or did they wait until the tenth month? What did they do?”

Mary knows that the punishment for murder is the death penalty. She feels that death “would be a relief” for her, as her identity has been constructed around her marriage. However, she is not prepared to sacrifice her unborn child. The insight into Mary’s thoughts suggests maternal instincts drive her ruthless plan to conceal her guilt.

“She knew them both—she knew nearly all the men at that precinct—and she fell right into Jack Noonan’s arms, weeping hysterically.”

When the police officers arrive, Mary’s response sharply contrasts with her composed behavior immediately after killing her husband. By appearing hysterical and swooning into Jack Noonan’s arms, she plays the role of a damsel in distress. The act conforms to the policemen’s perception of women as the weaker sex, ensuring they view her as a victim. This perception develops the theme of The Imbalance of Traditional Gender Roles.

“They were exceptionally nice to her, and Jack Noonan asked if she wouldn’t rather go somewhere else, to her sister’s house perhaps, or to his own wife who would take care of her and put her up for the night.”

By asking if Mary would like to stay with another woman, Noonan reveals the gendered assumption that women are natural caregivers. This sexist belief prevents him from considering that Mary is capable of murder. Mary capitalizes on the men’s gender perceptions to evade suspicion and subsequent arrest.

“‘It’s the old story,’ he said. ‘Get the weapon, and you’ve got the man.’”

Sergeant Noonan intends this comment to demonstrate his professional competence to Mary. However, his assumption that the perpetrator is a man creates dramatic irony. Readers know that he is addressing the murderer, who is, in fact, a woman.

“‘Well,’ she said. ‘Here you all are, and good friends of dear Patrick’s too, and helping to catch the man who killed him. You must be terribly hungry by now because it’s long past your supper time, and I know Patrick would never forgive me, God bless his soul, if I allowed you to remain in his house without offering you decent hospitality. Why don’t you eat up that lamb that’s in the oven? It’ll be cooked just right by now.’”

In tune with the theme of Food, Drink, and Domesticity, Mary feigns the happy hostess to persuade the unwitting officers to consume the murder weapon and ensure that all evidence of her guilt is destroyed. The policemen betray their profession and former colleague by consuming the evidence. Mary adds dramatic irony to the situation by evoking Mr. Maloney’s memory, insisting that he would have wanted his colleagues to enjoy the meal. The claim is a double betrayal of her husband, who would wish his murderer to be caught.

“Probably right under our very noses. What do you think, Jack?”

In the greatest dramatic irony of the story, as the policemen devour the leg of lamb, one of them comments that the murder weapon is probably right in front of them. Unaware they are eating the evidence they have been searching for, they are oblivious to the ironic truth of this statement. The consumption of the murder weapon develops the theme of Loyalty and Betrayal.