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Rachel Gruber
Mrs. Carter
AP Literature
5 May 2014
Short Story Analysis
Prompt: How does irony and symbolism contribute to the overall theme of the short
story Lamb to the Slaughter?
There is no doubt that Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl is a particularly odd
story, but also a story with great meaning. Most readers recognize the authors name
from his infamous book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, making it hard to believe
that he is capable of writing such a dark and twisted story. Dahl uses symbolism and
irony throughout his short story to contribute to the overall theme.
Mary Maloney is like any wife in the mid-20
th
century. Taking Patricks coat right
when he walks in the door, and making a strong [drink] for him (Dahl 1) has become a
daily routine for her. Mary lives to please her husband, so when he admits to her that he
wants a divorce, she is completely taken aback. After soaking in the awful news, Mary
went downstairs to the freezer and took hold of the first object she found a leg of
lamb (Dahl 2), which would serve as their dinner. However, the leg of lamb serves a
totally different purpose at the same time; the murder weapon. This single leg of lamb is
a symbol for innocence and weakness. Mary is like a lamb would be; delicate, fragile,
and dependent on others. She has always relied on her husband for everything; never
Comment [C1]: Change to authors
Comment [C2]: Delete word
Comment [C3]: Delete this sentence because
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is equally dark.
Comment [C4]: Change to letting the bad
news sink in
Comment [C5]: Change to a comma
Comment [C6]: Change to a comma
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thinking for herself, and never putting herself before him. Finally having had enough,
Mary simply walked up behind him and without any pause, 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 2), ultimately killing him. This act of violence is a symbol of release. Mary no
longer has to rely on anyone but herself; she is in total control. Once the detectives
arrive and begin their investigation, they end up staying for dinner and eat the leg of
lamb, thus destroying all of the evidence. Coincidentally, the dinner is a symbol for the
slaughter; since the lamb is gone, so is Marys submissive status of ever being
controlled by her husband. These symbols contribute to the overall theme that the
weakest characters come out triumphant in the end, accepting their newfound power.
Irony is also quite prevalent throughout Dahls short story. Mary was completely
devoted and invested in her marriage with Patrick; she did everything for him with no
complaints and the utmost affection. Him wanting a divorce was a complete shock to
her, and even though he had promised to give her money and see that [shes] taken
care of (Dahl 2), none of that mattered to Mary. By killing him, Mary ironically ensures
that a divorce will no longer be needed, since the divorcer has been permanently
eliminated. Another ironic situation would be that after Mary kills Patrick, she up and
leaves her house to buy groceries for the dinner that she doesnt plan on eating. Talking
to her grocer, Sam, she states that, [she] wants some potatoesPatricks decided hes
tired and doesnt want to eat out tonight (Dahl 3), which is ironic in the sense that Sam
believes that Patrick is waiting for Mary to get home to cook their dinner, when in reality,
Mary has killed Patrick and the groceries serve no real purpose. Once she arrives home
again, she calls the police since she has discovered her husband is dead in their living
Comment [C7]: Change to eating
Comment [C8]: Put around this word
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room. As the doctor, policemen, and investigators arrived, Mary told Jack Noonan, a
friend of Patricks who was also a policeman, about going to the grocer and coming
back, when she found him on the floor (Dahl 3) This is specifically situational irony
since the reader knows what has really happened to Patrick, but the investigators are in
the dark as to what Mary has done.
The actual leg of lamb has to be the most ironic object in Dahls short story.
Since it is late at night while the policemen investigate, and they have yet to eat dinner,
Mary invites all of them to stay and eat the lamb. Claiming that [she cant] eat a thing
and that itd be a favor to her if they dined, the men agree to stay. While at the table,
the men discuss the whereabouts of the murder weapon. One investigator claims that
its probably right under our noses (Dahl 4), which is entirely true since theyre eating
the murder weapon; the leg of lamb. Mary cant help but to find this humorous, and in
the other room, [she] began to laugh (Dahl 4), revealing that she feels no remorse for
what she has done. This contributes to the theme in the sense that she has risen from a
formerly weaker state, to a new and powerful state of self-independence.
Lamb to the Slaughter contains many different literary techniques within its story;
however, symbolism and irony are the most prevalent. Dahl uses both of these
techniques to add to the recurring theme that weaker people may seem powerless and
meek, but they can blossom into extremely strong characters by the end of a story.
Mary develops into this dominant character in a very short amount of time, darkening
the tone, and yet Dahl makes this drastic change seem so effortless so that it almost
seems natural with the incorporation of the symbols established in the story as well as
the use of irony in various forms. T
Comment [C9]: Change to arrive (present tense)
Comment [C10]: Change to clueless
Comment [C11]: Added in