Mary Maloney is the main character Roald Dahl’s short story, Lamb to the Slaughter, and is characterized as a loving, deceptive, and intelligent protagonist. Mary Maloney is a very loving wife to her husband, Patrick Maloney, and Dahl displays this by the way he describes how Mary feels about him, “She loved to luxuriate in the presence of this man…she loved the intent, far look in his eyes when they rested on her,” (Dahl 11). She also demonstrates loving qualities by eagerly waiting for Patrick to come home, offering to get his coat, and even offering to make dinner on a night where they usually go out. Quite differently, Mary Maloney is also very deceptive. She demonstrates this trait by asking, “‘Is he dead?’” (Dahl 15) even though she was