"Lamb to the Slaughter" Notes
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Transcript "Lamb to the Slaughter" Notes
“Lamb to the
Slaughter”
Roald Dahl
Allusion
Reference to something well-
known.
Biblical allusion to the Bible – lamb
to the slaughter.
“Mary had a Little Lamb”
IRONY
Situational Irony: Something
happens opposite of what you
would normally expect.
Dramatic Irony: The reader knows
something important that the
characters do not know.
Verbal Irony
Characters
Mary Maloney
Dutiful wife, 6 months pregnant, truly cared about her
husband.
Patrick Maloney
Police Officer, cheating/ left his wife for another woman
Investigators
Friends of the Maloneys
Summary
Mary Maloney kills Patrick with a frozen leg of lamb when
he tells her he is leaving her. (Situational Irony)
She goes to the grocery store to create an alibi for the
investigators.
The investigators end up eating the murder weapon they
are looking for without knowing it. ( Dramatic Irony)
Allusions to the Bible, Mary had a Little Lamb, Mary who
was as gentle as a lamb becomes a slaughterer.
THEME
Sometimes good people can be
driven to do bad things when
pushed far enough.