“Lamb to the Slaughter”
This is only a guide to help you
understand the story.
Who is the author?
Roald Dahl
For what else is Roald Dahl known?
James & the Giant Peach (1961)
Charlie & the Choc. Factory (1964)
Screenplay for Fleming’s James Bond
novel You Only Live Twice (1967).
What is Mary Maloney doing
when the story begins?
She is anxiously awaiting her
husband Patrick’s return home
from a day’s work as a local
police officer.
What is Patrick Maloney’s
reaction to his wife’s attentative
behavior when he gets home?
He is preoccupied and
appears to be
aggravated at
something. He responds
to her questions in an
irritated, matter-of-fact
manner.
What can we assume that Mr.
Maloney’s tells his wife?
He is leaving her.
What is her initial reaction to the
news?
She is in such disbelief
that she pretends that
he didn’t speak at all
and says that she will
start making dinner.
What does she decide to cook?
She goes to the
basement and gets
a frozen leg of
lamb to put in the
oven.
When Mrs. Maloney returns
upstairs with the frozen meat, what
does she do?
She hits her
husband over the
head and kills him.
At this point after the murder, what
is her primary concern?
She is most
concerned about
her unborn child.
How does Mrs. Maloney establish
an alibi?
 She places the meat
in a pan and puts it in
the oven.
 She then primps in
the mirror and goes to
the grocery story.
In your opinion, when Mrs. Maloney
returns home and “finds” her husband
dead on the floor, are her tears real?
 No. One might say she rehearsed the whole
act on the way home from the store.
 Yes. One might say that Dahl writes, “All the
old love and longing for him welled up inside
her, and she ran over to him, knelt down
beside him, and began to cry her heart out. It
was easy. No acting was necessary.”
How does Mrs. Maloney manipulate the
police?
 She lies about the murder.
 She pretends to be sick so she doen’t have
to get up and leave the room.
 She offers them alcohol to make them feel
relaxed.
 She uses her husband’s friendships with the
officers to her advantage.
What is the most important aspect of
Mrs. Maloney’s manipulation.
She asks the police
officers for a “favor” - she
invites them, the friends
and co-workers of
Patrick, to eat the dinner
that she was cooking –
leg of lamb!
Does Mrs. Maloney get away with
murder?
ABSOLUTELY!
The police officers eat the
only piece of evidence!