Jia 1 Qinfan. Jia Mr. Bono Eng4U 4 Oct 2022 Mary can't get away with the crime Mary Maloney is the protagonist of the short story about crime "lamb to the slaughter" by Roald Dahl. In the short story, Mary Maloney kills her husband, Patrick Maloney, with a frozen leg of lamb. She uses her refined acting skills to create an alibi for herself while luring the detective who comes to investigate the case to eat the leg of lamb that has been cooked. It seems that she has been completely cleared of suspicion, but, no matter what, she does not have a chance to escape being punished. These socalled disguises will only last for a short time, after which Mary will be tried for murder and receive the punishment she deserves. I will analyze why Mary Maloney is considered guilty in terms of the motive, the suspect's mental state, and her behavior after the crime in this blog. Mary Maloney killed her husband, which is undoubtedly a crime of murder, but whether Mary committed premeditated murder, First/Second-degree murder, manslaughter, or a crime of incapacity is a point that will be discussed. (Hg.org) In the short story, the author does not describe much about the specific reason why Mary killed her husband, the only way to determine the reason is by a conversation between Patrick Maloney and Mary something which include promised to give money to Mary. Jia 2 "Of course, I'll give you money and see you're looked after. hope not anyway. it wouldn't be very good for my job." (Dahl, Lamb to the slaughter). According to the speculation made in the original text, there is a high probability that Patrick was derailed on Mary and wanted to divorce with her, which is why he needed to give her alimony. Mary, a housewife who thinks her husband is the bright sunshine, who thinks the moment he comes home is the best time of the day, who thinks her husband is her everything, is coldly told that she and her baby will be abandoned by the person she loves most when she is already six months pregnant, this is enough motive for Mary to kill her husband. Based on this , it is reasonable to conclude the motive for this murder came after Patrick Maloney talked to Mary Maloney. Mary's attitude toward Patrick indicated that she had no intention of committing the murder before this conversation. Mary also realizes that the lag of lamb can be a murder weapon only when she heads to the kitchen after the conversation. Mary's use of the leg of lamb as the murder weapon can only be seen as opportunistic, and if the refrigerator was anything else, it would not have had an impact on Mary's murder. Therefore, premeditated murder did not fit the case. On the other hand, Mary could not have been exonerated by identifying her mental state at the time she committed the crime. The use of mental illness as an excuse to escape justice is not uncommon throughout history. John Hinckley Jr, who attempted to assassinate President Reagan, relied on a psychiatric evaluation to avoid punishment. (Salinger, John Hinckley Jr. recalls his life in Colorado before Reagan assassination attempt) Regardless, Mary's sentence would not have been similar to Jia 3 John Hinckley Jr.'s because Mary was conscious at the time she committed the murder, even though it was an impulsive crime, this could have been aware of the possible consequences of her actions. "She couldn't feel anything at all - except slight nausea and a desire to vomit." (Dahl, Lamb to the slaughter) "feeling cold and surprised," (Dahl, Lamb to the slaughter) are two of the descriptions in the original text that describe Mary before and after she committed the murder. It can be seen that although Mary did show some abnormalities in her mind and actions during this period, these abnormalities can only be regarded as normal reactions before and after the first murder, according to the Psychology of homicide crime. This is not enough to prove that Mary was mentally ill, also not able to get her off the hook. What Mary did reinforce that she was not criminally incompetent to commit a crime. She staged her scene and got an alibi for it. She pretended she was the poor victim and guided the agents to eat the murder weapon. There is no doubt that she is a brilliant criminal, and her mind is much clearer than the agents who came to work on the case, so there is no evidence to prove that she is not responsible for her actions. Personally, Mary will be charged with second-degree murder based on the fact that her husband abandoned her first and that she killed without premeditation but on impulse. The sentence may be further reduced because she is pregnant, so 20 to 25 years in prison is the likely outcome. Those are based on the latest criminal law in the United States. (§22–2104. penalty for murder in first and second degrees.) But the fact is that Mary is British, and she does not live in the 21st century, so the exact Jia 4 sentence will vary. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the international treaty that completely banned the death penalty for pregnant women, came into force in 1976, (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights)and Roald Dahl wrote the book in 1953, so Mary could still receive the death penalty. The law is sacred and inviolable, in modern society, murder is a red line that cannot be crossed. Mary must be punished. However, this short story is a complete tragedy, and Mary is not the villain, she is more of a rebel. “A wife had to live by her husband.” Patrick’s machismo concept makes it logical for him to assume that Mary will accept his unreasonable, cold conditions. Mary did not choose to remain silent; she killed Patrick. The moment she lifts the leg of lamb, she transforms from a puppet attached to a real woman. She is a martyr, just like the woman who rushed to the forefront of the French Revolution and waved the tricolor flag, Mary raised the banner representing the new era of female autonomy. Mary is a serious offender, but also a hero. Mary on the court Jia 5 How polices arrested Mary Jia 6 Reference Page “Lamb to the Slaughter--Roald Dahl (1916-1990).” Classic Short Stories, https://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lamb.html. Hg.org, https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/what-are-the-differenttypes-of-criminal-homicide-30970. Sallinger, Rick. “Free after Four Decades of Confinement, John Hinckley Jr. Recalls His Life in Colorado before Reagan Assassination Attempt.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 14 Sept. 2022, https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/john-hinckley-jrmental-illness-freedom-assassination-attempt-ronald-reagancolorado/. Israr-, ByZeeshan Ismail, et al. “How Do Murderers Feel after Killing?” Webnews21, 13 June 2022, https://webnews21.com/howdo-murderers-feel-after-killing/. “International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.” OHCHR, https://www.ohchr.org/en/instrumentsmechanisms/instruments/international-covenant-civil-andpolitical-rights. “§ 22–2104. Penalty for Murder in First and Second Degrees.” D.C. Law Library, https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/22-2104.
