How Does Dahl Use Dramatic Irony In Lamb To The Slaughter

In “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl a woman named Mary Maloney accidentally kills her husband. When Mary’s husband comes home she follows her usual routine of making her husband a drink and sitting down with him. When she offers to make him some food, he tells her to instead sit down. He tells her that he is going to leave her. This leaves Mary puzzled. She hopes that this was a dream and decides to ignore what he said in hopes that she heard him wrong. Mary goes down to the basement to get some food to cook for her husband. That’s when she pulls out a lamb’s leg and she decides that’s what she will cook tonight. Her husband tells her that he’s going out and to not bother with supper. That’s when without hesitation she swings the lamb’s leg as hard as she

She calls the police and tells them her alibi and they look around. One of the officers reminds her that there’s a lamb leg in the oven. She takes it out and insists that they eat it. Out of hunger and their trust for Mary they eat the lamb . The irony shown in this short story is dramatic irony because the reader knows that the lamb leg was used to kill the husband but the officers in this story do not. One of the officers mentions "[the weapon is] probably right under our noses. What do you think, Jack?" (4).This displays irony because they keep discussing how the weapon is so big it must be noticeable and the weapon must be near the house, but it’s actually in their stomachs. Another example of dramatic irony is when Mary gives them the lamb leg to eat she says “Here you all are, all good friends of Patrick's, and you're helping to catch the man who killed him” (4). This is dramatic irony because the readers know that Mary was the one who killed Patrick , her husband, and is trying to look innocent but the officers don’t know this and genuinely think they’re looking for another man and that Mary is just a nice