Irony is “an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected” (“The Definition of Irony”). In “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl, the events that occur are a perfect example of irony. Mary Maloney wanted to be a good wife, but her husband broke some devastating news to her; the reader can infer that he was going to leave her. This causes Mary to go mad and she murders her husband. She must now find a way to cover up her crime. Roald Dahl uses irony to both create suspense and engage the reader. One clear example of irony occurs when Mary kills her husband. For example, on page 5, the author describes how Mary kills her husband, stating “...she swung the big frozen leg of lamb high in the air and brought it down as hard …show more content…
This is also an example of situational irony because the reader doesn’t expect that a good wife such as Mary Maloney would murder someone, especially not her husband. This adds suspense because the reader now has to wonder how she’ll get away with her crime, or if she even will. Another obvious example of irony occurs when the investigators can’t find the murder weapon. This is because the reader knows that the weapon, a leg of lamb, was in the oven the entire time. For example, on page 11, the investigators talk about the murder weapon; one of them says “Personally, I think it’s right here on the premises” (11). The reality is that the weapon was being eaten, while the investigators’ expectations were that the weapon was something similar to a sledgehammer that was still on the property. This is dramatic irony because the reader knows what the weapon is, but the investigators don’t. This perfect use of dramatic irony adds suspense to the story because it makes the reader wonder if the investigators will find out at the last moment. A third example of irony can be found when the investigators eat the murder