Sympathy for Mary Maloney
English Diagnostic: Sympathy for a Murderer
Roald Dahl makes the reader feel sympathy for Mary Maloney even though she has just murdered her own husband by skillfully developing her character and by placing Mrs. Maloney in a situation that justifies her actions. Firstly, the authour begins the short story by showing how loyal and loving Mary Maloney is towards her husband. He starts off with telling the reader how Mrs. Maloney looks forward to him coming home and pampers him after his workday with alcohol and dinner, even though she is six months pregnant. He shows the reader her deep devotion for her husband, “She loved to luxuriate in the presence of this man, and to feel-almost as a sunbather feels the sun-that warm male glow...”. As well, the author shows that Mrs. Maloney is very dependent on her husband financially and emotionally. She is unemployed and pregnant and she seems to spend her day looking forward to her husband coming home. By the time the truth comes out, she seems to be the ideal wife. When her husband finally tells his endearing wife what has put him in such a horrible mood, she is heartbroken. He is leaving her... The reader feels so sickened by this selfish man that the reader does not really blame her for killing him. Her reaction after she kills him reinforces the sympathy that the reader feels for her. The killing was quite obviously done in the heat of the moment. When Mrs. Maloney turns her mind to getting caught she is completely unselfish, in contrast to her husband. “It made no difference to her. In fact it would be a relief. On the other hand, what about the child? Did they kill them both mother and child?” Finally, Roald Dahl shows that Mrs. Maloney is very clever and this makes the reader like her even more. Her method of cooking the murder weapon for the investigating officers is so clever (“[The weapon is] Probably right under our very noses.”) that we forget about her murder and think more of her cleverness and the
Roald Dahl makes the reader feel sympathy for Mary Maloney even though she has just murdered her own husband by skillfully developing her character and by placing Mrs. Maloney in a situation that justifies her actions. Firstly, the authour begins the short story by showing how loyal and loving Mary Maloney is towards her husband. He starts off with telling the reader how Mrs. Maloney looks forward to him coming home and pampers him after his workday with alcohol and dinner, even though she is six months pregnant. He shows the reader her deep devotion for her husband, “She loved to luxuriate in the presence of this man, and to feel-almost as a sunbather feels the sun-that warm male glow...”. As well, the author shows that Mrs. Maloney is very dependent on her husband financially and emotionally. She is unemployed and pregnant and she seems to spend her day looking forward to her husband coming home. By the time the truth comes out, she seems to be the ideal wife. When her husband finally tells his endearing wife what has put him in such a horrible mood, she is heartbroken. He is leaving her... The reader feels so sickened by this selfish man that the reader does not really blame her for killing him. Her reaction after she kills him reinforces the sympathy that the reader feels for her. The killing was quite obviously done in the heat of the moment. When Mrs. Maloney turns her mind to getting caught she is completely unselfish, in contrast to her husband. “It made no difference to her. In fact it would be a relief. On the other hand, what about the child? Did they kill them both mother and child?” Finally, Roald Dahl shows that Mrs. Maloney is very clever and this makes the reader like her even more. Her method of cooking the murder weapon for the investigating officers is so clever (“[The weapon is] Probably right under our very noses.”) that we forget about her murder and think more of her cleverness and the