Roald Dahl's Lamb To The Slaughter

Lamb To The Slaughter

I believe that Roald Dahl wants us to think Mrs. Maloney is a victim. I think this because in the story Mrs. Maloney looks to be a nice, kindhearted woman who is devoted to her husband, even though he would ignore her presence when she was speaking to him. "I think it's a shame," she said, "that when someone's been a policeman as long as you have, he still has to walk around all day long." He didn't answer. Although Mr. Maloney ignored his wife and was not interested in what Mrs. Maloney had to say she still continued to speak to him a respectful manner. When Mr. Maloney decided to tell Mary that he was leaving her for another woman she tried to deny his words in her mind. “And he told her. It didn't take long, four or five minutes at most, and she sat still through it all, watching
She went into the living room, saw him standing by the window with his back to her, and stopped. "I've already told you," he said. "Don't make supper for me. I'm going out." At that point, Mary Maloney simply walked up behind him and without any pause, she swung the big frozen leg of lamb high in the air and brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his head. She might as well have hit him with a steel bar.” People may tend to underestimate the power of those who seem to be week. Mrs. Maloney may have seemed to be a very nice gentle woman that looks week compared to her husband but then ends up killing him. Women are typically, smaller and may not appear as strong as men so, being able to knock a man in the head with the force of a steel bar is astonishing. She was then able to come up with a plan to make it appear as if she had no idea what had happened to look innocent. This goes to show not to under estimate the week. Thereby, I think Roald Dhal wanted us to think that Mrs. Maloney was a victim in the story because she was devoted and respected her husband unlike him, and even though she may seem week she covered up her