How Is Mary Maloney Portrayed In The Lamb To The Slaughter

Saige Christen

9/29/16

Gifted English Period 3

Misunderstood Characters

Try to think about a women who only want to be admired. She knows she is beautiful but only wants to have the things a beautiful person “deserves”. Then, imagine dealing with the consequences of murder while pregnant. Madame Loisel and Mary Maloney deal with these conflicts in Maupassant’ “The Necklace” and Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter”. Many people wonder what make others tick. Why do they commit murder? Why do people feel entitled? Both stories give the reader a chance to see from the perspective of a “demented” person. In Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter”, Mary’s reason for committing and covering the crime is to protect her unborn baby. But, Maupassant’s “The Necklace” explains how Madame Loisel wants to have expensive accessories with her

Mary Maloney’s reasoning for covering the murder is quite easy to fathom. Given the traits of being a mom, her main focus is on her fetus and what will happen to it if the crime is discovered. She already knew what was coming because “As the wife of a detective, she knew what the punishment would be. It made no difference to her. In fact, it would be a relief. On the other hand, what about the baby?”(Dahl 2) To add on, Mary carefully plans her cover up so no one will guess she is guilty of the crime. Mrs. Maloney tries everything possible to make sure everyone thinks she is innocent. For instance, as she practiced what she would say so people thought she was shopping during the murder. “The smile was rather peculiar. She tried again. ‘Hello, Sam.’ She said brightly, aloud. The voice sounded peculiar too…She practiced them several times more.”(Dahl 2) Ultimately, Mary Maloney accomplishes an absurd crime and although she doesn’t care about her consequences, she follows her instinct to protect her