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Imagery In Roald Dahl's Lamb To The Slaughter

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What risks are you willing to take in order to save a child? In the short story Lamb to The Slaughter, Roald Dahl utilizes characterization to suggest that people who face traumatic experiences change in order to protect the thing the value most. As well as change how the course of their life will play out

Mary Maloney is initially perceived by the audience as a caring and devoted wife who would do anything to help her husband. Mary was constantly over prepared for her husband Patrick 's arrival from work. Mary being prepared is shown throughout the beginning of the story. Mary often references how her looking at the clock made her feel immense joy for it was counting down the minutes until her husband would come return. When Patrick enters the house Mary awaits his every desire although she is six months pregnant. She insists many times to make him dinner after he expressed he was to tired to go out. Which fits the good wife stereotype that Mary was trying to uphold. At this point Mary being a good housewife was the best option for her child. Being that her child was what she valued most she did everything she could to uphold the good wife standard.

As the story continues Mary Maloney is confronted with a terrible shock that drastically change her as well as her future and her child 's. Patrick brings home news that Mary wasn 't expecting. The news being that he wanted to leave he. This is conveyed when Patrick tells Mary "And I know it 's a tough time to be
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