1. Lamb To The Slaughter
Short Story

2. SECTION A: UNDERSTANDING THE SITUATION
Lamb To The Slaughter
SECTION A: UNDERSTANDING THE SITUATION
What preparations had Mary Maloney made for her husband’s return from work? (p27 hardback, p14 softback)
What other signs were there that she was looking forward to him coming home? (p27/p14)
What, according to the story, was the main reason for Mary seeming so calm and peaceful? (pp27-28/pp14-15)
What was the first sign for Mary that things were in some way not normal? (p29/p16)
Why had Mary not prepared a meal? (p29/p15)
What signs were there that Mr. Maloney was nervous? (pp28-29/pp15-16)
What was it that Mr. Maloney told his wife? (p30/p16)
Why did Mary go to get meat from the freezer when her husband had already said he did not want to eat? (p30/p17)

3. SECTION B: OBSERVING DETAILS AND MAKING DEDUCTIONS
Lamb To The Slaughter
SECTION B: OBSERVING DETAILS AND MAKING DEDUCTIONS
What clues are there in the first paragraph that Mary Maloney is a good housewife? (p27/p14)
In what ways had pregnancy affected Mary’s appearance? (p27/p14)
What do you notice about Mr. Maloney’s conversation? (pp28-29/p115-16)
“She loved to luxuriate in the presence of this man….” (p28/p15). Describe in your own words how Mary felt in the few minutes after her husband came home.
What does Mary first think is the reason for her husband’s manner that evening? (p28/15)
In what ways does the author show that she has become slightly anxious? (p28-29/p15-16)
What exactly caused Mary to begin to get frightened? (p29/p16)
“..watching him with those large bewildered eyes..” (p29/p16). What should the author’s mention of her eyes remind the reader of at this point?

4. Lamb To The Slaughter
At the beginning of the story, Mary is presented as soft and gentle – contented housewife – the last person we would expect to murder her husband.
Let us consider how Dahl creates this impression.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
“there was a slow smiling air about her”
“the drop of her head was curiously tranquil”
“the mouth was soft”

5. Lamb To The Slaughter HOMELIFE
“the room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn”
“fresh ice cubes in the thermos bucket”
she is sewing.
ATTITUDE TO HUSBAND
“she loved to luxuriate in the presence of this man”
“for her this was always a blissful time of day”
hangs up his coat, fetches his slippers, pours his drink, prepares the meal.

6. Lamb To The Slaughter
However when Patrick breaks the devastating news she snaps – kills him. Is this entirely surprising given her love for him?
Perhaps not. What is surprising is how she manages to cover her tracks.
Motive? Not her own life but the life of her unborn child.
Mary becomes cold and calculating - quickly devises a plan.
“it was extraordinary now how clear her mind became all of a sudden”

7. Lamb To The Slaughter 1. Puts lamb in oven - why?
PLAN
1. Puts lamb in oven - why?
2. Rehearses her lines puts on make up - why?
3. Goes to grocer - why? (two reasons)
4. Calls out “Patrick, how are you darling?”- why?
5. Phones police sobbing - falls into Jack Noonan’s arms “weeping hysterically” - why?
6. Offers police a whisky - why? (two reasons)
7. Invites police to eat the lamb - why? (two reasons)

8. Lamb To The Slaughter
Mary Maloney gets away with a serious crime through her wits.
Think about and then describe a time when you either:
Got away with something
Got caught doing something
Tried and failed to get away with something

9. Lamb To The Slaughter Plan out your story first:
Set the scene – what were you doing at the time? Where were you? Who was with you?
What did you do? Why did you do it?
What was the result? How did it turn out? How do you feel about on it now?

10. Lamb To The Slaughter
Part One – “Sometimes we do things we shouldn’t do, temptation can be too strong. One such time with me was when…”
Part Two – “What happened was that…”
Part Three – “Looking back at what happened now, I feel…”

11. Lamb To The Slaughter
Remember – paragraphs indicate a change in TIME, LOCATION, SPEAKER, or SUBJECT.
Dialogue starts with a capital letter.
Be clear about where sentences begin and end.

12. Lamb To The Slaughter
Part One – “Sometime we do things we shouldn’t do, temptation can be too strong. One such time with me was when…”
Part Two – “What happened was that…”
Part Three – “Looking back at what happened now, I feel…”

13. Lamb To The Slaughter
Write about a time you did well at something, or failed to do something you tried to succeed at.
Remember SET THE SCENE, DESCRIBE CHARACTERS, and CONCLUDE.
Start: “Sometimes we really make an effort to do something which means a lot to us. One such time was…”

14. Lamb To The Slaughter Mary Maloney - Hero or Villain?
In “Lamb To The Slaughter” we have a main character who is neither totally good nor totally bad. She is what is called MORALLY AMBIGUOUS.
Morally – to do with being good or bad.
Ambiguous – when you cannot decide one way or the other.

15. Lamb To The Slaughter TASK
Look through the story and see how her actions can be viewed in different ways:
How she acts towards Patrick when he comes home.
How she reacts to his statement.
Killing him.
Her maternal instinct (thinking about her unborn child).
Covering up the evidence
Deceiving the police

16. Lamb To The Slaughter
Can a case be made for each of these actions being good in some way and bad in another?
MAKES USE OF QUOTES!
Examples:
Mary is a good wife to Patrick. She says, “Darling, shall I fetch your slippers?” to him when he comes home. This shows how she is concerned for his well-being.
Mary can be overbearing and doesn’t listen to what Patrick is trying to say. “But, darling, you must eat! I’ll fix it anyway, and then you can have it or not, as you like.” This shows how she isn’t listening to what he is trying to say.

17. Lamb To The Slaughter TASK
Look through the story and see how her actions can be viewed in different ways:
How she acts towards Patrick when he comes home.
How she reacts to his statement.
Killing him.
Her maternal instinct (thinking about her unborn child).
Covering up the evidence
Deceiving the police

18. Lamb To The Slaughter Lamb to the Slaughter CEL
Task: "Mary Maloney is a character who can be both admired and criticised for her actions.”
By considering how she behaves in the story, show whether you agree or disagree with this statement.

19. Lamb To The Slaughter Paragraph 1: Begin:
Name the story and the author. Say what kind of story it is. Link your response to the task.
The short story "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl is a …
Paragraph 2:
Begin: Briefly summarise the story in your own words.
Dahl's short story opens with…

20. Lamb To The Slaughter Paragraph 3
Begin: At the beginning of the story, Mary is depicted as a loving wife…
Include: Her looking forward to her husband coming home
Giving him whisky, greeting him with a kiss, fetching his slippers.
Use QUOTATIONS to support what you have written.
Example: Mary is a very attentive wife who seeks to please her husband. She says, “Darling, shall I fetch your slippers?”, which shows you how she waits upon him and looks after him.
Continue: These are admirable qualities and show her love for Patrick, but…
Explain how all the attention could be too much for Patrick, that she might be too clingy and smothering him.

21. Lamb To The Slaughter Paragraph 4 Begin:
Mary can also be regarded as being tense and impatient and our admiration begins to falter…
Explain how she –
talks too much
tries to be super efficient
won't listen to Patrick when he tells her he wants a divorce

22. Lamb To The Slaughter Paragraph 5
Begin: The most obvious criticism of Mary comes from the fact that she viciously murders her husband
Criticise -Wrong to take life
Situation could have been discussed
Were her reasons totally selfish?
Continue:  However it can be argued that her actions were also admirable.
Mention: 
Difficult because she loved him
She has been treated badly
She is pregnant
Patrick's heartless attitude

23. Lamb To The Slaughter Paragraph Six
Begin: Mary can be further admired for her strong maternal instinct.
Mention:
Concern for her unborn child
Totally selfless – not worried about her own fate.

24. Lamb To The Slaughter Paragraph Seven
Begin: The construction of a convincing alibi can also be thought of as an admirable action.
Mention:
She thinks quickly
She carries it off skilfully
It works effectively

25. Lamb To The Slaughter Paragraph Eight
Begin: Once more, however, criticism can be made regarding her actions.
Mary can be seen as being cunning/crafty/calculating/dishonest.
Include detail (QUOTE from the story) to support what you have to say.
E.g. think about how she prepares herself when going to the shop.

26. Lamb To The Slaughter Paragraph Nine
Begin: Mary’s deceiving of the police further muddies our opinion of her.
She is clever and quick-witted:
Makes them drink whisky
Encourages them to eat the evidence
Makes them feel sorry for her.
BUT:
Her actions are wrong and frightening.
Becomes a cunning and sly person
Her laughter at the end shows her calculating nature, and her incapability of dealing with what she has done.

27. Lamb To The Slaughter Paragraph Ten CONCLUSION
Begin: Overall I admire/criticise Mary Maloney.
Choose only one option!
Sum up how you feel about Mary Maloney, referring to points already made and weighing up the evidence – do you think her good or bad points are the stronger? Remember that although there are reasons to criticise her, there are reasons to admire her – and vice-versa!