Lamb to the Slaughter, was created by Roald Dahl. Dahl was an English children's author who was born in 1916 in Southern Wales. He received a partial degree there before moving to Yorkshire and graduating from Repton School. He worked for an oil company and the Royal Air Force afterwards becoming an author. His most notable novels include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach, among others. This particular short story was one of his more adult-oriented books. It boggles the reader’s mind and leaves them wanting to dive into the mind of Mrs. Maloney, a simple housewife who commits what is considered to be the “perfect crime”. The story, “Lamb to the Slaughter”, follows Mrs. Mary Maloney, a pregnant woman, as she tries …show more content…
Maloney seems to have is cleverness. “It was extraordinary, now, how clear her mind became all of a sudden. She began thinking very fast.” As the story went on, the reader can see what a quick thinker Mary really is. She instantly began planning her escape. She knew what the consequences were, and how to avoid them. Unlike most people, she had a foolproof plan. “She carried the meat into the kitchen, put it into a pan, turned on the oven, and put the pan inside.” Only the more intelligent individuals would consider cooking the murder weapon. As the leg of lamb cooked, Patrick’s blood evaporating beyond recognition. She then proceeded to return to normalcy so that no suspicion fell upon her. “Then she washed her hands, ran upstairs, sat down in front of the mirror, fixed her makeup, and tried to smile.” Mrs.Maloney was clever enough to cover up her tracks, erasing all incriminating evidence, and was not convicted. Throughout the story, one my think Mary escaped her heinous crime due to mere luck. However, she knew that her unborn child would be lost to her if she was captured. Motivated by this, she used her mind’s cleverness to the best of her ability, proving that even under stress, Mrs. Maloney has an above average