1) Mary Maloney, six months pregnant, waits for her policeman husband Patrick Maloney to come home from

work. The scene emphasizes domesticity: The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn. Matching chairs, lamps, glasses, and whisky, soda, and ice cubes await. Mary watches the clock, smiling quietly to herself as each minute brings her husband closer to home. When he arrives, she takes his coat and hangs it in the closet. The couple sits and drinks in silenceMary comfortable with the knowledge that Patrick does not like to talk much until after the first drink. So by deliberate design, everything seems normal until Mary notices that Patrick drains most of his drink in a single swallow, and then pours himself another, very strong drink. Mary offers to fix dinner and serve it to him so that he does not have to leave his chair, although they usually dine out on Thursdays. She also offers to prepare a snack. Patrick declines all her offers of food. The reader becomes aware of a tension which escapes Marys full notice. Patrick confronts Mary and makes a speech, only the upshot of which is given explicitly: So there it is. . . . And I know its a kind of bad time to be telling you, but there simply wasnt any other way. Of course, Ill give you money and see youre looked after. But there neednt really be any fuss. For reasons which Dahl does not make explicit, Patrick has decided to leave his pregnant wife. Mary fetches a large leg of lamb from the deep-freeze in the cellar to cook for their dinner, apparently trying to restore a sense of normality. Then Patrick angrily tells Mary not to make him any dinner, as he is going out. She then strikes Patrick in the back of the head with the frozen lamb leg, killing him. Mary realized that she had killed Patrick, and she was willing to accept the penalty. However, she was scared for her baby and is not sure whether it would live. She prepares the leg of lamb and places it in the oven. After practicing a cheerful routine to show to the grocer, she heads out to the store to buy some vegetables for her roast from the grocer so she can form an alibi for the crime. Upon returning, she enters the room with her dead husband lying on the floor and calls the police. She then attempts to fake as if she did not know that her husband was dead. When the police arrive, they ask Mary information and look at the scene. The police, lacking any reason to be suspicious of Mary because Mr. Maloney was actually a policeman too, come to the conclusion that Mary's husband was killed with a large blunt object, likely made of metal. They then search the house and surrounding area for the murderer's weapon. After a fruitless search, the police realize that no one has turned off the oven. Mary offers all the policemen the cooked leg as a thank-you, which the policemen kindly accept. When the lamb is nearly finished, the police facetiously discuss the possibility of the murder weapon's location. One officer says, "Probably right under our very noses". The story ends with Mary overhearing their conversation in another room, smiling because she managed to conceal her crime (and probably at the irony of the officers' words).

2) Mary Maloney, the storys protagonist, is six months pregnant and satisfied with her (from an external perspective) rather banal life with her policemanhusband Patrick, whom she adores. She had a slow smiling air about her and was curiously tranquil. Mary keeps a neat home, and busies herself with preparations for the baby. When Patrick unexpectedly announces that he is ending their marriage, Mary enters a state of shock.

3) In the short story "Lamb to the Slaughter" I think that the open plays an

important part in describing the normality and lifestyle that Mary Maloney has. "The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn, the two table lamps alight-hers and the one by the empty chair opposite. On the sideboard behind her, two tall glasses, soda water, whiskey. Fresh ice cubes in the thermos bucket." this small paragraph describes the household in which Mary and her husband live in. the lay out appears to be fairly normal although maybe slightly old fashioned which gives the reader an idea of the time in which it is set. "Warm" and "clean" make it seem as if the house is quite a pleasant environment and also subtly lift the mood of the story. "Curtains drawn" tells us that it is probably set in the evening, also "lamps alight-hers" backs up this idea. "Fresh ice cubes in the thermos bucket." suggests that Mary has prepared for he husband to come home as if she is excited and looking forward to it. So the opening in this particular short story is very important as it sets the scene and mood of the entire story and adds to the shock when all the happiness deteriorates later on in the story.