Study Questions on "Lamb to the Slaughter"

written by: Elton Gahr edited by: Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch updated:
3//!"
#o understand "Lamb to the Slaughter" $ully% it re&uires more that simply
understanding the e'ents o$ the story( )t is important also to understand the
reasons $or the characters* actions and the choices that the author made(
#hese &uestions will help to del'e into the depth o$ this story(
"Lamb to the Slaughter" by +oald ,ahl +oald ,ahl
is a $un story that uses irony and perspecti'e to create a truly en-oyable story(
Still% to get the greatest 'alue out o$ this story% it is worthwhile to understand
not only what happens in the story but why it happens( .rom the way the
situations o$ the characters change them to the decisions they ma/e%
e'erything in this story must wor/ together to create a masterpiece(
0hat 1oint o$ 2iew )s "Lamb to the Slaughter" #old .rom and 0hy )s #hat
)mportant3
"Lamb to the Slaughter" is told $rom the point o$ 'iew o$ 4ary 4aloney( #his
choice to tell the story $rom the point o$ 'iew o$ the murderer is an interesting
choice and one that largely de5nes this story( #he reader /nows only what
she /nows( 6t times% such as the end o$ the story% this means that the reader
/nows more than the other characters% especially in relation to the leg o$
lamb( 7n the other hand% the reader is not gi'en access to the reasoning
behind 1atric/8s decision to lea'e( #his ma/es it $ar easier $or the reader to be
on 4ary8s side when she ma/es &uestionable decisions(
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0hat )n:uence ,oes 4ary*s 1regnancy ;a'e on the Story3
Early in the story% the reader disco'ers that 4ary 4aloney is pregnant( #his
understanding is important to the story on a number o$ le'els( #he most basic
is that it helps the reader to understand -ust what it is that her husband is
doing by lea'ing her( #his ma/es the story more ambiguous in morality by
ma/ing the reader associate with the woman more( )n addition% it almost
certainly helps /eep her $rom being suspected( #he motherly instinct o$
protection is in'o/ed by this understanding as anyone can understand the
instinct o$ a mother protecting her child and the $ear o$ e<ecution is 'ital to
ma/ing 4ary a more positi'e character(
0hy 6re the E<act 0ords 1atric/ Says 0hen Lea'ing 4ary Le$t 7ut3
)n the middle o$ the con'ersation between 1atric/ and 4ary% the narration
changes $or a single paragraph at the 'ery clima< o$ the con'ersation( 1atric/
leads into the con'ersation with the hope she won8t blame him too much( )t
then says that he told her% though not e<actly what% and ends with him
saying that he will ta/e care o$ her( #his change in narration is disconcerting
and in large part that is the point( #his helps the reader to understand the
disorientation and detachment o$ 4ary(
)n addition to this% by not telling the reader e<actly what happened% it gi'es
$ar more power to the reader in the interpretation o$ her later actions( =y not
/nowing e<actly what he said% it lets the reader decide i$ 4ary8s actions in the
rest o$ the story are -usti5ed or not(
0hy )s 1atric/*s 1ro$ession )mportant3
1atric/ is a police detecti'e( #his bit o$ in$ormation is 'ital to the story in a
number o$ ways( 6s a story in which the reader is supposed to empathize
with the murderer% ha'ing the 'ictim be a 'ital and trusted member o$ society
creates e'en more con:ict in the mind( )n addition to this% it plays with two
basic ideas% that the police will loo/ $or a /iller more 'igorously i$ an o>cer is
/illed% but also that she /nows the o>cers who will in'estigate the crime( #his
means that they are more li/ely to be com$ortable with her( 6lso important is
the understanding that 4ary is li/ely to ha'e an escape o$ being arrested $or
the crime( 6s the wi$e o$ a police detecti'e% she has almost certainly heard
many stories about crimes that he has sol'ed and how he has done it( .inally%
this creates many other suspects that could ha'e committed the crime
because as a police detecti'e he has many enemies(
0hat )s the ,ramatic )rony in "Lamb to the Slaughter"3
#here are a couple o$ moments o$ dramatic irony in "Lamb to the Slaughter("
#hese are cases in which the reader understands more than the characters(
#he most clear o$ these occurs near the end o$ the story( 4ary has called the
police and the detecti'es are in her house( 6s they are eating the lamb o$ leg%
one o$ the o>cers says in relation to the murder weapon that it is ?probably
right under our 'ery noses(@ #his statement is literally true though the o>cer
who says it has no idea what he is saying(
0hat )s the 7rigin and 4eaning o$ the #itle "Lamb to the Slaughter"3
#he original use o$ "Lamb to the Slaughter" is $ound in the =ible( #his phrase
is located in both Aeremiah and )saiah( )t re$ers to someone who goes
innocently and unconcernedly into a dangerous or li$e threatening situation(
)n the story "Lamb to the Slaughter%" it has a number o$ meanings though(
#he 5rst clear meaning is one that is a $orm o$ dar/ humor( #he lamb in this
case is actually a murder weapon( #his twists the meaning o$ lamb to the
slaughter into something that is not a metaphor but what actually happens(
0hile the 5rst meaning is clear% the metaphorical use o$ the statement is still
'alid and in $act there are two people who go into a situation li/e lambs to the
slaughter( #he 5rst o$ these is the murder 'ictim who% while /nowing he is
going to do something uncom$ortable% has no idea what is going to happen to
him( #he second though is 4ary hersel$( )t is the shoc/ because she doesn8t
/now what is coming and that shoc/ is what dri'es her o'er the edge(
0hy ,oes 4ary )nsist the 1olice Eat the Leg o$ Lamb3
Leg o$ Lamb
)n the story% 4ary as/s the detecti'es to eat the leg o$ lamb she had made $or
her husband% and e'en when they turn it down% she insists that they eat this(
#his insistence is important beyond simply the idea that it is the murder
weapon( =y ha'ing the detecti'es eat the lamb% they ha'e destroyed the
e'idence which will ma/e them loo/ stupid e'en i$ they later understand( #his
will discourage them $rom thin/ing o$ it as a weapon( )n addition% because she
ensures they ha'e seen the murder weapon rather than hiding it% she de5es
the e<pectations as most criminals hide the weapon(
"Lamb to the Slaughter": Bon:ict% +ising 6ction% .alling 6ction% Blima< and
+esolution
written by: Elton Gahr edited by: Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch updated:
3//!"
=y understanding how +oald ,ahl is able to build the tension and con:ict in
"Lamb to the Slaughter" and how the tension $alls a$terward is a great way $or
anyone to understand how to tell a better story or simply recognize the
&ualities o$ a good story(
+oald ,ahl
#he best stories are o$ten those in which we miss most o$ what the author is
doing( 6 good author is not only able to use the tric/s and tools o$ language
to tell a good story but able to hide those tools so that they don8t distract the
reader( Cet in stories li/e "Lamb to the Slaughter%" there is a great deal o$
'alue in loo/ing at and understanding what they ha'e done( #hat is why the
e<amination o$ the structure o$ a story is so use$ul( Dnderstanding the rising
and $alling action o$ "Lamb to the Slaughter" can help writers to tell a better
story and readers to understand and en-oy the s/ill o$ the author -ust as
someone might en-oy the brush stro/es o$ a master painter(
Blima<
)n order to understand what happens a$ter the clima<% one must 5rst be able
to pinpoint the point o$ ma<imum tension in the story( )n the case o$ "Lamb to
the Slaughter%" there are in some ways two clima<es( #he 5rst o$ these is at
the point in which 4ary attac/s her husband and /ills him( #his is the
culmination o$ e'erything that has happened to this point in the story( #he
story then pulls bac/ and allows the action to $all(
#he second and main clima< o$ the story occurs when the detecti'e notices
that the o'en is still on with the leg o$ lamb coo/ing( #his is the point at which
the detecti'es are closest to disco'ering the murder weapon and 4ary has to
/eep $rom being caught( #he con:ict then begins to rise again as she creates
an alibi and brings in the police to catch the murderer(
Bon:ict
Aust as there are two clima< in the story% there are two ma-or con:icts in this
story( #he 5rst o$ these con:icts is between 4ary and 1atric/ as 1atric/ tells
his pregnant wi$e that he is going to lea'e her( #his con:ict ends as 4ary hits
her husband with a $rozen leg o$ lamb and leads into the main con:ict o$ the
story( #his second con:ict is in 4ary*s attempt to a'oid being caught( She
/nows that i$ she is caught she will be e<ecuted and $ears that her unborn
child will be /illed as well( #his becomes the main con:ict o$ the story and
leads to the ultimate resolution o$ the story in which the detecti'es eat the
e'idence o$ her crime(
+ising and .alling 6ction o$ the .irst Blima<
#he action o$ the story begins to rise as 4ary waits $or her husband to return
in anticipation and continues to increase as it becomes clear that he is
preparing to tell her something( )t reaches its clima< as he e<plains that he
/nows that it is a bad time and as he turns his bac/ 4ary hits him with the
leg o$ lamb(
#he $alling action $or the 5rst o$ these clima<es is interesting because it has
to set up the action $or the second hal$ o$ the story while releasing some o$
the tension o$ the 5rst hal$ so that it can be rebuilt( #he line which carries the
load o$ this wor/ reads "6ll right% she told hersel$( So )8'e /illed him("
#his line pulls bac/ the emotions not only o$ 4ary who is telling the story% but
also the reader( )t is a well created note to the reader that the story is now
going to slow down and change( #he ne<t paragraph continues this as the
woman% who was moments ago out o$ control% begins to thin/ through the
possibilities( She /nows that the penalty $or murder is e<ecution% but $ears $or
her unborn child and decides that she must protect that child( #his then leads
into the action beginning to rise again as she $ocuses on a'oiding being
captured(
+ising and .alling 6ction o$ the Second Blima<
#he second clima< o$ "Lamb to the Slaughter" is the true clima< o$ the entire
story( 0ith action that continues to rise as 4ary tries to co'er up her crime
$rom seconds a$ter she commits it until the moment the detecti'e sees that
the o'en is still on% the tension spi/es( 6t this moment% 4ary is 'ery close to
being caught( Cet she is able to thin/ clearly and doesn8t react out o$ $ear( #he
character hersel$ creates the $alling action as she oEers the o>cers
something to drin/ and as/s them to help her get rid o$ the meal that she had
been coo/ing $or her husband(
#his leads not only into the irony o$ "Lamb to the Slaughter" as the o>cers
eat the e'idence that would ha'e li/ely put 4ary into the electric chair% but
also the $alling action( #he o>cers ha'e clearly decided that she is the 'ictim
o$ the crime and not the perpetrator as they try to console her(
#he last o$ the action disappears as the police o>cer% while eating the leg o$
lamb says o$ the murder weapon% "1robably right under our 'ery noses%" a
literal truth that ma/es it entirely clear that the police ha'e no idea what
happened and are unli/ely to disco'er the truth( )n the other room% the last
line o$ the story shows 4ary $ree o$ tension as she begins to giggle(
+esolution
Leg o$ Lamb
#he resolution o$ "Lamb to the Slaughter" is largely implied by the 5nal line(
#he assumption o$ the author and reader is that with the murder weapon
gone% 4ary will not be captured $or the crime( Cet none o$ this is actually said
in the story( #he story simple ends with the police commenting on the lac/ o$
murder weapon and 4ary giggling presumably at the irony o$ them loo/ing
$or the weapon while eating it(
"Lamb to the Slaughter" is an e<cellent e<ample o$ a story that is able to
create and release action e<pertly( )t builds up slowly% adding tension on top
o$ tension% until it reaches a crescendo and then releases that% creating a
power$ul story in the process( Dnderstanding where and how that the author
has created that rising and $alling action can help to create a greater
appreciation $or this story and the master$ul brush stro/es o$ a master artist
as he created the story(
Symbolism:
#he symbolism ,ahl uses to etch the theme o$ the story begins
most ob'iously with the title o$ the short story itsel$% ?Lamb to the Slaughter@
and the instrument used by 4ary 4aloney to /ill her husband( Lambs ha'e
been used $or thousands o$ years as a symbol o$ innocence% mee/ness% and
purity( #he phrase ?li/e a lamb to a slaughter@ represents something innocent
happily ma/ing its way towards a negati'e situation in which it will most
li/ely get hurt( Loo/ing at the story% this phrase could be rele'ant to either
character( 4ary 4aloney could represent the lamb in the sense that e'en
a$ter her husband told her some seemingly terrible news% she continued on
being a gentle and caring wi$e by trying to ma/e dinner $or him as though
nothing is wrong( She has apparently been completely blind to these e'ents
and has been being led around to this ultimate se'erance o$ her marriage li/e
a small :uEy animal to be /illed and ser'ed with mint -elly( ;a'ing the
murder weapon -ust so happen to be a leg o$ lamb% it is also a symbol o$ the
lamb retaliating against the $orce attempting to ta/e its innocent and light(
1atric/ 4aloney% howe'er% could also be recognized as being unaware% i$ not
innocent% to a demise( 6$ter telling his de'oted wi$e the bad news% he
continues on( 0hile he does 5ght her ma/ing him dinner with anger% he is still
continuing to stay and tal/ with her while she essentially goes into a $renzy
about her belo'ed husband( ;is murder was as easy as that o$ a lambs% he
was completely unaware her retaliation would be $atal( ,ahl8s symbolism is
interesting and clear and wea'es a great layer into the story(