Mahek Patel 1
Mahek Patel
Ms.Komow
ENG1D1-04
2017-09-29
Mysteries of Mary Maloney
In the short story, “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl, the protagonist Mary Maloney
proves that people shouldn't judge someone due to their physical appearances because looks can
be deceiving. To begin, Mary’s persuasive appearance and personality allow her to create fake
grief and innocence. As a result, she persuades the detectives into complying whatever she wants
them to do, which availed her to get away with murder. Mary does this by, creating the character
of a sweet, pregnant wife whose husband has just been murdered; “Please, she begged. Please
eat it. Personally, I couldn’t touch a thing certainly after what's been in the house when he was
here. But it’s all right for you. It’d be a favour to me if you’d eat it up. Then go with your work
again.” (Dahl, 8) When reading this text, one can conclude that Mary persuades her husband’s
colleagues to eat up the murder weapon (the lamb) under the pretext it will make her feel better.
This shows her intelligence because she uses the situation of events to get herself out of trouble.
In addition, Mary is a very sneaky protagonist, who kn...
