Dramatic Irony In Lamb To The Slaughter

Life is so Ironic Everyone knows the story of Snow White. Everyone knows that the old woman who came to Snow White’s house was actually the queen in disguise, and the apple the queen gave Snow White was poisoned. But Snow White didn’t. This is a perfect example of dramatic irony in a story. Ironic situations like this occur a lot in our daily lives, and in many stories, like Roald Dahl’s short story “Lamb to the Slaughter.” Throughout the story, Dahl demonstrates many moments of irony, which have a long-term effect on the whole story. Dahl’s uses dramatic irony effectively to help enhance the plot and help the reader to better understand the story.

The main character, Mary Maloney, comes across as a loving, caring wife. When her husband,

Mrs. Maloney’s lamb is cooked, so she invites the police to eat the lamb, “Would you do me a favor? Here you all are, good friends of Patrick’s, and you’re helping to catch the man who killed him….Why don’t you eat the lamb in the oven?” (4). At first, the police are a bit reluctant to eat the lamb, but then they give in, “‘…It 'd be a favor to me if you 'd eat it up…’ The detectives hesitated, but they were hungry, and in the end, they went into the kitchen and helped themselves to supper” (4). This creates dramatic irony because the murderer, Mary Maloney, is asking the police to eat the murder weapon, which is the evidence of her offense. The police don’t know this, and they decide that they will eat the leg of the lamb. What the police don’t realize is that if they eat the leg of the lamb, they will also destroy the evidence of Patrick’s murder, and they may never find who actually killed Patrick. The reader knows it is the murder weapon, but the police do not, which is why this is an example of dramatic irony. This is an effective use of irony because it creates suspense for the reader because the reader is wondering whether or not the police will finally figure out who killed Patrick Maloney.

Roald Dahl uses dramatic irony in “Lamb to the Slaughter” to develop a feeling of suspense in the reader, leaving them wanting more. The constant repetition of dramatic irony throughout the entire story keeps the reader intrigued, and they keep reading. The reader is hooked until the end, and after that, there is an everlasting memory in the reader’s head. This reader will probably remember many things, but the thing that they will probably remember the most is how ironic everyone’s life