“Lamb to the Slaughter” Roald Dahl

Allusion Reference to something well- known. Biblical allusion to the Bible – lamb to the slaughter. “Mary had a Little Lamb”

IRONY Situational Irony: Something happens opposite of what you would normally expect. Dramatic Irony: The reader knows something important that the characters do not know. Verbal Irony

Characters Mary Maloney Patrick Maloney Investigators Dutiful wife, 6 months pregnant, truly cared about her husband. Patrick Maloney Police Officer, cheating/ left his wife for another woman Investigators Friends of the Maloneys

Summary Mary Maloney kills Patrick with a frozen leg of lamb when he tells her he is leaving her. (Situational Irony) She goes to the grocery store to create an alibi for the investigators. The investigators end up eating the murder weapon they are looking for without knowing it. ( Dramatic Irony) Allusions to the Bible, Mary had a Little Lamb, Mary who was as gentle as a lamb becomes a slaughterer.

THEME Sometimes good people can be driven to do bad things when pushed far enough.