“Lamb to the Slaughter” and “The Gift of the Magi” are separate stories with a tale of two lovers, be one darker than the other. Both of these are fine examples of writing with irony sprinkled throughout. They use this technique to create interesting and effective twists and endings. With their ironic similarities, they can be compared to display their differences as well, with their situations being light and dark when set next to each other. “Lamb to the Slaughter” displays irony in a grim fashion through murder and the desperate escape from suspicion. After Mary kills her husband with a frozen lamb leg, she feeds the murder weapon to the officers. They have a small discussion about where the weapon could be, prompting the line, “Probably right under our very noses. What you think, Jack?” This is an example of verbal irony. It gives an effective and open ending, one we can only assume that Mary got away with her crime and the detectives never found the compelling piece of evidence they needed to convict their killer. “The Gift of the Magi” brings about a sweet, wholesome example of classic irony. A couple without money wish to give each other a gift for Christmas, but find themselves lacking the funds to do so. In the end, they both end up selling their most valuable possessions to purchase their presents for each other. …show more content…
The couple in “The Gift of the Magi” were unaware of the fact they were both selling their possessions to provide accessories for said possessions. The police officers in “Lamb to the Slaughter” had no idea that they were being fed the murder weapon that assisted Mary in her crime. In one, a mystery was solved, and in the other, a mystery was left unsolved. Although, “The Gift of the Magi” is more believable than “Lamb to the Slaughter” due to the amount of luck it would take to be able to pull off a crime such as the one Mary