Lamb to the Slaughter written by Roald Dahl

In this essay I am going to compare two short stories called 'Lamb to the Slaughter' written by Roald Dahl in 1950. The second one is called 'The adventure of the Speckled band' written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1892. Both of these stories belong to the genre of murder mystery. 'The adventure of the speckled band' is a traditional, archetypal murder mystery; it is also easier for the reader to predict the ending of the story. 'Lamb to the slaughter' is also in the genre of murder mystery, but it has been modernized, and by this Rolad Dahl has subverted the conventions.

This makes 'Lamb to the Slaughter' very different.The adventure of the speckled band' is set in a 1880s home. It is a deserted, big mansion in the middle of the country. With a Gothic setting it is also a very large and dilapidated. "Few acres of ground, and two hundred year old house" This quote then shows that the house is very old and ancient, so this is then where we would expect a murder mystery story to be set in.

'Lamb to the slaughter' is set in a suburban, ordinary, calm, normal, domestic 1950s home, this is then another one of the ways Roald Dahl broke the conventions because we do not expect a murder mystery story to be set in a normal house.The opening of 'The adventure of the speckled band' starts in a very controlled atmosphere, it Is very calm. This happens until s women, Helen Stoner who was a potential victim comes in and changes the mood of the story, begins to build up excitement, which is a stereotypical opening of a murder mystery opening. The opening to 'Lamb to the slaughter' was also very stereotypical it started of very calm as well.

"The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn, the two table lamps alight hers and the one by the empty chair opposite" This quote then shows that the beginning of the story is also calm and peaceful.In the conventional murder mystery the victim is usually portrayed to be weak, helpless, vulnerable and is usually seen to be female. In 'The adventure of speckled band' there were two victims one, which was Julia Stoner who was a victim and Helen Stoner who was a potential victim. Helen is seen as being weak, passive, frail and helpless. "Oh sir, do you not think that you could help me, too, and at least throw a little light through the dense darkness which surrounds me? " In this quote she is very melodramatic, and also very archetypal like a typical 'damsel in distress', which then for fills the stereotype of a victim.I also believe that she was very passive, had no control.

But this then dates back to the era that it was written in which was the Victorian period. In Victorian England this is what we expect women to be like, frail and weak, this is a patriarchal society. In ' Lamb to the Slaughter' Roald Dahl broke the conventions of the genre by having the victim Patrick Malone to be male. Also because we found out that he is a detective we expect him to be smart, intelligent, wise and not to be outwitted by a woman."'I think it's a shame' she said that 'that when a policeman gets to be as senior as you they ke- p him walking about on his feet'" This then proves that he was a senior police officer that then proves that he has worked in the force for a significant period of time, because he is a 'senior detective'. As he is a detective and male he then doesn't fit the portrayal of a murder mystery victim, which then breaks the conventions of the genre.

Also he appears to be in control of things and doesn't care to much about Mary Malone. "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"This quote then shows that he doesn't care about her feelings that much because he doesn't want what he told her to interfere with his work that made him seem pushy.

The conventions of a murderer in a murder mystery are that the murderer is usually portrayed as being male, evil, strong, cunning and very suspicious. Arthur Conan Doyle has portrayed Dr Roylett as a vicious, evil, murder suspect and violent. He is an archetypal murder suspect. "We heard the horse roar of the doctors voice and saw the furry with which he shock his cl- enched fist" This brings out more of his character showing that he is seen as being violent and filled with rage.

This then shows that Dr Roylott is the conventional murderer for a murder mystery. In 'Lamb to the slaughter' Roald Dahl has once again broke the conventions of the genre by having a female character as the murder Mary Malone. She was first seen to be angelic, domestic, feminine, stereotypical house wife. "To please herself with the thought that each minute gone by made it nearer the time he would come" This shows she started of by being the stereotypical housewife of the 50's. While she sat there awaiting her husbands arrival. She is also seen to be reliant on him, even maybe defined by him.

She sat down before the mirror tidied her her face, touched up her lips and face.She tried to smile, it came out rather pe- Culiar" This shows after she had murdered her husband. She acted very calm, yet still a bit shaken up. Also she was then seen to be claver, by the end of the story. This is because Mary managed to murder her husband who is a detective and managed to manipulate him. Yet at the beginning of the story she wasn't seen as being to cleaver but when she murdered her husband then the reader begins to see that she is.

"As a wife of the detective, she knew quite ell what the penalty would be.That was fine" Yet this quote shows that she is quite smart because she knew still what the consequences are for the crime that she committed. So Mary Malone is seen as a non-conventional murderer. In a conventional murder mystery the audience doesn't usually witness the crime it self. The crime taken place in 'Speckled Band' was a conventional crime. The reader did not witness the crime, but was then told about it in detail about the crime and the characters.

"I could not sleep that night. A vague feeling of impending misfortune impressed me"In this quote she is beginning to tell Sherlock Holmes about the crime it self (what she recounted). She explains it in such detail that it begins to give away clues and red herrings such as the 'whistling gypsies'. The murder it self was seen as very melodramatic and Gothic "her face blanches with terror", this begins to add tension. This crime is also seen and taken more seriously. In 'Lamb to the Slaughter' he readers witness the whole event of the crime.

There was no mystery seen in the story, and no build up, it was done very quickly with quick short sentences to build more tension towards the crime.Also it's seen as very ironic using a leg of lamb to murder Patrick Malone with. At first she was seen as an archetypal house, and she ended up killing him as an archetypal housewife, with his dinner. It is also done in a factual pragmatic tone, has been used in odd events, such as the tone its been written in "he gently swaying" and "the funny thing was" Roald Dahl portrayed the murder in a more comical way to bring humour to the story. Mary Malone was also seen as being spontaneous, because she didn't expect to kill him, very impulsive.In 'Lamb to the slaughter' in this way the murder mystery conventions have been turned around.

In a conventional murder mystery the detectives are usually seen to be strong, dominant, male characters who always end up solving the crime. In 'The adventure of the speckled band' the detective is Sherlock Holmes who has a accomplish Dr. Watson. Sherlock Holmes, who has a very intelligent, determined, chivalrous, and gallant. This was also to do with the era that it was written in, Victorian times again men were seen to respect women.

'There is no mystery, my dear madam' he said smiling" This then shows that he knew maybe who the murderer is that he believes that there is no mystery about it. Also it shows that e treated her with respect. He was also seen as intelligent and dominant, he is then seen as an archetypal detective. The end of the story he solved the crime. In 'Lamb to the slaughter' the main detective is Jack Noonan.

He was seen as being incompetent and gullible. He is not seen as an archetypal detective because usually the detective always solves the mystery, but he doesn't.Also they don't treat Mary Malone as an equal they treat her as if they owe her something, they are seen to be very sympathetic and patronizing, this is a patriarchal society, because of the time that it was written in. "Jack Noonan asked is she wouldn't rather go somewhere else, to her sister's house perhaps or to his own wife who would take care of her and put her up for the night" This quote then shows he believes that she is not able to take care of her self.

Jack Noonan is also seen as being very careless and not very perceptive and inept because the clues were given to him throughout the story and he didn't get them.Yet he was seen as being a bit more realistic by having human desires, such as the food. But for a murder mystery he is seen as a non-conventional detective. 'The adventure of the speckled band' is structured as a classic, traditional 'whodunit? ' format.

It is also structured with flashbacks and clues. The structure of the story starts of normal and calm then the murder, which we get told about, then the clues and then the resolution, by the sequence of events, this is what makes it exciting for the reader begins to build up tension and suspense. Doyle also built the story in a serious tone.Throguhout the story I believe the reader is encouraged to support Julia and Helen Stoner because they have been portrayed as the victims and this then makes the reader sypathize with them more. The reader is then encouraged to dislike Dr.

Roylott because he is seen to be evil and cunning. "In this way I am no doubt indirectly responsible for Dr. Grimesby Roylott's death, and I cannot say it is likely to weight very heavily upon my c- onscience" This shows that Sherlock Holmes is seen to be a bit arrogant and inconsiderate. Because even though it was his fault that Dr.Roylott died he doesn't want to see to be blamed for it.

'Lamb to the Slaughter' was structured as a humorous story. It was seen as a non-traditional, and lacking in morality. Also there was no real resolution because the end of the story the detectives didn't solve the mystery. Its subversion of a conventional ending, we didn't expect it to happen.

"And in the other room Mary Malone began to giggle" The readers then don't expect it to end like this unresolved of what happens to Mary Malone. There was also a lack of build up of tension because we witnessed the whole event take place.It is also structured to be light hearted and have a comical tone. Through out the story I believe as a female reader that I sympathize.

With Mary Malone more then Patrick Malone. I believe this because he didn't seem to be very considerate of her feelings. "'For God's sake' he said hearing her but not turning round, 'Don't make supper for me. I am going out'" This quote is taken straighter after he told her the news, this then shows he doesn't care about her very much.

So I sympathize with Mary Malone more. From all of this I can conclude that ' The Adventure of the Speckled Band' is a traditional, archetypal murder mystery.Lamb to the Slaughter' is seen as a non-conventional murder mystery, which breaks the conventions of the genre. This was also to do with the period each story was written in. Such as 'The Adventure of the Speckled band' was written in Victorian times were women were seen as to be frail and weak. 'Lamb to the Slaughter' was set in the 1950's where women began to gain more power.

Both of these stories also reflect the societies beliefs at the time. Yet between the two different era's as the story got more modernized it began to break the conventions of the murder mystery genre.