Lamb to the Slaughter

Book written by: Roald DahlRe-rewritten by: SangYoon Choi

“The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn…Marry Maloney was waiting for her husband to come from his work” (Dahl 1).

Marry Maloney had six month old child in her stomach, her mouth was soft, she was calmly waiting for her husband, Patrick Maloney to come home.

She heard the car door slamming, the key turning in the lock so she immediately stopped what she was doing and kissed him as he came in the house. She loved Patrick and made drinks for each of them.

However, unlike other days, today Patrick acted gloomy. When Marry Maloney asked him if he wanted anything with full of love, he replied in short answers.

Patrick was keep refusing to Marrys offer, and Marry became extremely worried.

Patrick, who is very selfish, said let’s divorce to Marry. “Of course I'll give you money and see you're looked after. But there needn't really be any fuss. I hope not anyway. It wouldn't be very good for my job.” (Dahl 1).

Marry was shocked. She said she will give him dinner and went down to the kitchen. She grabbed on to the first thing she saw, which was a leg of Lamb. She climbed up the stairs to where Patrick was.

Patrick was looking out the window, so Marry Maloney went behind her and swung the frozen leg of lamb. Patrick crashed down on the floor.

As much as she loved Patrick, she admitted herself and thought about going to prison, but she remembered the six months old baby in her womb. She decided to make an alibi.

She went to the grocery store, and acted all normal to Sam, the grocery man, as if nothing happened. She went back to her house, she began cooking the leg of lamb, and crying, she called the police. She was planning for a perfect crime.

Doctors, detectives, man who knows about fingerprints all came to her house to investigate what had had happened to Patrick. Marry Maloney acted very natural, and was also questioned a lot by the detectives.

They knew it was a weapon of sort that was used to hit Patrick’s head, but they simply couldn’t find any weapon. Then, still sobbing, Marry Maloney told them to eat the cooked leg of lamb for her before it was all burnt.

Feeling sorry for Marry Maloney, it was impossible for the detectives to decline her offer. Marry left them eating the leg of lamb, and went in to her room to rest.

When they were nearly done with the food and kept discussing about the crime, one of the detectives said, “Probably right under our very noses. What you think, Jack?” (Dahl 1). And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to giggle.

Lamb is also called a baby sheep. Lamb is known to be vulnerable and weak. Also, it is so weak that it can’t even protect itself. However, the book title is lamb to the slaughter, and slaughter means killing. Then, how can a lamb kill another thing when it is so weak? Therefore, I believe the theme of this book is: Although something or somebody might be weak, do not ever underestimate them. The weak can have more power than it seems to have. The weak might be pathetic, but don’t forget they have the potential power inside them.