In Roald Dahl’s Short story “Lamb to the Slaughter,” set in the early twentieth century, a murder is brewing. It is not a typical murder. As the detectives strive for answers, not realizing what they are eating, Dahl communicates to the reader that the contrast is unexpected.Dahl begins his narrative in third person participant, limited omniscient point of view. A house wife is expecting her husband home, but unaware of the news yet to come. Rather than stating this directly, Dahl subtly suggests it by expressing Mary’s personality. “The drop of a head as she bent over her sewing was curiously tranquil.” As the author goes on the reader senses a tense mood between husband and wife. This serves the purpose of foreshadowing by hinting at a future problem or disagreement.
Roald Dahl makes us as readers connect with Mary by us knowing that the detectives have eaten the murder weapon and now have no way of ever finding out what killed Patrick Maloney. The ability to get away with murder throughout the story indicates that Mary was comfortable killing her husband and then proceeding to lie about the murder to the police.As they ate the lamb the detectives discussed the murder mystery. At this point the mood is quite bewildered. The detectives have no leads on the case. They are baffled.
That is a short excerpt of the analysis I found, and I would like for people to comment on how the story could have ended, not just in the way of Mary getting away with her crime.
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