In my opinion, Mary Maloney has lost control.
She has killed her husband, Patrick Maloney without knowing the true facts which proves she has lost control. This is shown from the beginning when Patrick Maloney told Mary Maloney something that would change their lives forever. “Her first instinct was not to believe any of it, or reject it all. It occurred to her that perhaps he hadn’t even spoken that she herself had imagined the whole thing” (63).This quote shows how Mary Maloney pretended that nothing happened and went on with her day and started cooking. This proves that she was in denial.
Later on in the story, Mary Maloney went to get supper made for her husband and herself. She stopped and looked at her husband who was facing the window with his back facing her. “For goodness sake,” he said, hearing her, but not turning around. “Don’t make supper for me.
I’m going out. ” “At that point, Mary Maloney simply walked up behind him and without any pause she swung the big frozen leg of lamb high in the air and brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his head” (63). This quote proves that she killed him without even asking him anything. Also, Mary Maloney didn’t cool down and didn’t think about the consequences that would not only affect herself but her unborn child.Lastly, at one point in the story, Mary Maloney had fed the leg of lamb to the police men and they didn’t even know that this leg of lamb was the cause of Patrick Maloney’s death. “And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to giggle” (68).
This quote proves that she had lost control because she had just fed the policemen the weapon and then she goes off to boast about it by herself. In conclusion, I feel Mary Maloney has lost control because despite the fact that she killed her husband, she didn’t even care what was going to happen t herself and her unborn child.
