How Does Dahl Use Irony In Lamb To The Slaughter

Roald Dahl’s classic short story, Lamb to the Slaughter, is a tale like none other. Masterful in its use of dark humor, the story is riddled with absurdity and ambiguity which provides comic relief to the otherwise macabre scenario. However, it is Dahl’s pervading use of irony that truly defines the narrative and forms the the backbone of the tale. The various forms of irony employed throughout the tale is significant as it is present in all facets of the plot and serves to emphasize the futility and brutality of man.

Foremost, irony is essential to the developing action of Lamb to the Slaughter, as it generates tension between Mary Maloney and her husband, Patrick. Dahl first employs situational irony in the story as he writes, “...she especially

After the dispute between husband and wife, Mary wishes to smooth things over with Patrick, and grabs a leg of lamb to prepare him dinner, which he refuses because he is going out. Dahl states, “At that point, Mary Maloney simply walked up behind him and without any pause, she swung the frozen leg of lamb high in the air and brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his head. She might as well have hit him with a steel bar,” (Dahl 2). This scenario demonstrates dramatic irony as the title of the piece foreshadows what is to come: a “lamb to the slaughter” typically defines a person who is betrayed unexpectedly by someone close to them, Patrick in this instance. The title also conveys situational irony as it can be interpreted literally: the leg of lamb led to the slaughter of Patrick Maloney. Patrick’s untimely death further exhibits irony as he is a detective--his job is to find criminals and prevent crime, yet he is incapable of stopping his own wife of committing the most serious crime of murder. Perhaps the most ironic aspect of Patrick’s death, however, is in the way it parallels his decision to leave his wife. Whereas the destruction of his marriage lasted four or five minutes, his life after the ultimately fatal blow lasted a mere four or five seconds. Dahl writes, “She stepped back, waiting, and the strange thing was that he remained standing there for at least four or five seconds. Then he crashed

The foundation of her character is built upon her name of Mary which evokes the childhood tale of Mary who had a little lamb; the image is exploited by Dahl when he juxtaposes it with her heinous actions, as an officer recalls that “‘The doctor says the back of [Patrick’s] head was broken to pieces,’” (4). Her dualistic nature is further explored by Dahl in several instances through Mary’s internal monologue: “All right, she told herself. So I’ve killed him,” (2). This matter-of-fact response is chilling as it shows no sense of remorse and is followed by her actions of returning to normalcy as she visits the grocery store and pretends that her husband is alive, creating dramatic irony as the grocer is unaware of Patrick’s death. Mary’s final act of irony, though, demonstrates Dahl’s penchant for dark humor, as in the closing scene, Mary feeds the lamb to the police officers who are responsible for finding Patrick’s killer. The situational irony is brilliant as the officers converse: “‘Personally I think the weapon is somewhere near the house.’ ‘It’s probably right under our noses. What do you think, Jack?’ And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to laugh,” (Dahl 4).

To conclude, through his continual employment of irony, Roald Dahl