lysa Din
Ms.Strauss
ENG1D1
2014-10-24
Character Sketch: Mary Melony

A loving, caring, gentle housewife could never be suspected for murder. Roald Dahl's “Lamb to the Slaughter” says otherwise. In the short story, Daul portrays Mary to have an unpredictable personality.In the beginning of the story, Mary was thought to be the typical pregnant housewife, who’s only job isto make her husband satisfied and happy. Unfortunately , Mary’s spouse, Patrick, is not thankful nor shows any liking for her in the story, and shortly is asking for a divorce. Enraged and in shock by his proposal of a divorce, Mary kills her husband with a leg of lamb, as readers would have never expect her to do so, making her …show more content…
“.....he got up slowly to fetch another.I’ll get it!’ She cried, jumping up.” (Daul 11.) Mary truly cares for Patrick, because she strives so hard to make him satisfied and happy. When he proposed a divorce, she had felt almost betrayed- after all she had done for him, he wants to leave her, which certainly throws Mary off. She cares very much for him, and displays it to him many times. By that, she had no intention to kill him, it was just the moment of it all- all the no’s he has thrown at her, and all the hardwork and dedication to please him has been done for nothing. As stated in the short story: “She laid her sewing, stood up, and went forward to kiss him as he came in.” (Daul 11.) In the beginning, Mary was seen as the typical warm, gentle and loving housewife, but later on in the story her actions seem to say otherwise, however her actions towards her husband before show that she did not kill him because she wanted to, or planned it before hand. This makes her very unpredictable because she had acted in the moment, and she herself didn’t know what happens next. Overall, Mary Melony is presented to be a very caring person, regardless of her actions towards …show more content…
After she killed her husband, she immediately started thinking very clearly and shortly coming up with a plan, developing it as she goes. Also we cannot forget when she lured the police into eating the lamb leg, which happens to be the murder weapon. After that, we can conclude that she has successfully gotten away with her murder. As stated in the story: “ And now, she told herself,as she hurried back, all she was doing now, she was returning home to her husband.” (Daul 14.) As no one could ever predict such a sweet and caring pregnant housewife to think so clearly after a murder, much like a experienced and sophisticated criminal. We would have expected to mourn, cry, beg for him to open his eyes, yet seconds after she is playing out her devious, yet intelligent plan, which makes her very unpredictable on what she will do next. Mary had also done a very clever action by luring the officers to eat up the lamb, which is the murder weapon that killed Patrick. After that, she had gotten away with her murder, which no one can suspect of her, not even the police, which states in the story: “...... God bless his soul if I allowed you to remain in his house without offering you decent hospitality. Why dont you eat up that lamb that’s in the oven? It’ll be cooked up just by now.” (Daul 17.) Which Mary knew she would most likely get away with her murder if