Because 'Lamb to the Slaughter' is written in the third person the reader is part of all the story as it develops. This type of narration does not capture much of the characters feelings and thoughts, and so we are a lot less involved in the story compared to 'The Speckled Band' where we share the role of detective. We to have Holmes’ “desire to know…a thousand details” about the mystery. The story mainly follows the character of Mrs Maloney, and how she ends up fooling the police. This limits how much of the detectives we see in the story, unlike in 'The Speckled Band' where the story is told from the point of view of Watson, the detectives side-kick. Because of the first person narration in 'The Speckled Band', the clues which the detectives receive, are also seen by the audience. This is an effective method used by Doyle, because most of the clues in Sherlock Holmes mysteries are either unusual, very subtle and involve the reader in working out who the murderer might be, how the murder was committed, and how the strange clues may be related to the mystery.
The way in which the stories are told, and the order in which they are told, helps to add to their effectiveness as murder mysteries.
The climax in 'The Speckled Band' is at the very end, when the murderer is finally revealed. This climax builds up slowly throughout, as Doyle creates a great deal of anticipation by leaving small clues along the way. Because 'The Speckled Band' follows the pattern of a typical murder mystery, Doyle involves the reader as much as possible. He achieves this by leaving hints as to who the murderer may be. This allows the reader to try to work out who the murderer is, before it is revealed at the very end. Revealing the murderer at the beginning would eliminate the possibility of creating this high level of anticipation. Doyle also uses ‘red-herrings’ effectively – Helen’s idea that the “speckled band” might relate to a “band of people” or “the spotted handkerchiefs” worn by the gypsies - distracts the reader from the true suspect, and adds more possibilities and mystery to the tale. In 'Lamb to the Slaughter' the climax comes in the middle of the story, at the point where Mrs Maloney “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 (her husband’s) head”. Because we see the murder take place, we already know who the murderer is, and so part of the anticipation is created by making us wait until the end to find out if she will get away with the murder. This is an effective method used by Dahl to keep the story equally as enjoyable as Doyle’s mystery.
The settings of the two stories have important roles in making them effective detective stories. 'The Speckled Band' takes a very typical Victorian setting, with a large family house, with a very mysterious and sinister feel, created by the building of “grey, lichen blotched stone…and two wings, like the claws of a crap”. The fact that gypsies, a baboon and a cheetah live in the grounds of the house adds further mystery to the tale, and makes the reader wonder how they are involved. These unexpected creatures also reflect the general atmosphere of this story - strange and mysterious. Obscure, unnecessary repairs taking place in the bedrooms of the house and effective description of strange noises heard, such as the “nocturnal whistles”, again add to the already puzzling setting.
This setting contrasts to that of Sherlock Holmes’ home. His house has a warm welcoming and calming atmosphere, which is complimented by the personality of detective. This feeling of warmth is contrasted by the presence of Dr Grimesby Roylott, whose personality is a lot colder and violent.
'Lamb to the Slaughter' yet again moves away from the typical setting of murder mysteries. The scene here is quiet, peaceful and intimate, indicated by the “warm, clean” room, and “the two table lamps alight – hers and the one behinds the chair opposite…two tall glasses of soda water”, and gives no indication as to what happens later. There is a great sense of normality and routine in the house, “a few moments later, punctually as always, she heard the tyres on the gravel outside”. The characters reflect this setting, and are portrayed as quiet people, who conform to this set routine and live together peacefully. Because of this the murder comes as even more of an unpredictable surprise.
When considering the characters in the two stories, it is important to remember the different aims of the two writers. They both create their characters to suit the purposes they need to fulfil, so the detectives in the two stories are very different from each other. Doyle follows the pattern of many typical detective stories. To many readers his detectives already have profiles and the reader therefore already has expectations of them to solve the crime. Holmes always solves the mystery, and reveals the murderer. Doyle does this on purpose because of the Victorian views on crime as mentioned above. Holmes always remains calm and is very precise with his investigations. When searching for clues he notices and takes into account every small detail, however unlikely or bizarre it may seem for example ‘the bed bolted to the floor’.
This style of description and the success and efficiency of Holmes would have appealed to Victorian readers who lived in a time of mechanical precision and efficiency. Holmes takes his work seriously. He chooses to take on cases and so he sees it as his personal goal to solve them.
“I can only say, madam, that I shall be happy to devote the same care to your case”
Holmes is very polite, and again I think this makes the story successful because of the time the story was written in, and the attitudes of the people it was written for.
In Dahl’s 'Lamb to the Slaughter' the detective characters are being used for the first time so there is no set expectations of them like with Doyle’s detectives. We do have expectations of them though, because they are detectives and are there to solve crimes. In 'Lamb to the Slaughter' the detectives are the opposite of Holmes and Watson. They are comparatively unprofessional in their sloppy approach. From the moment they arrive they don’t seem to take their jobs very seriously. They appear to be ‘thick’ in their thinking and ‘sloppy’ in their overall approach, just like their “thick, sloppy voices”.
Unlike Doyle’s detectives, they see their job as just another boring, routine investigation they are obliged to attend to. Their boredom is relieved by drinking the whiskey and eating the lamb (The vital evidence). But I believe this was intended by Dahl as part of his mockery of the detectives, they don’t pick up any clues. The detectives don’t pick up any clues throughout the story and appear to the reader as hopeless at what they do.
In both of the stories, the murderers are related to the victims. Dr Grimesby Roylott in 'The Speckled Band' makes the reader feel immediately suspicious towards him, after he reveals his violent temper to Holmes. Doyle uses a clever method by raising suspicions near the beginning when Roylott reveals his violent temper but does not reveal the actual murderer until the end. It creates anticipation for the reader, as the tension builds up, until finally the murderer is revealed. After he kills his stepdaughter, he plans to kill the other, because of his pure greed for the money left to them, but in the end, like in many traditional murder stories he suffers the same fate as his victims did.
Mary Maloney in 'Lamb to the Slaughter' is very different to Grimesby Roylott. She feels very close to the victim (her husband); it is obvious from the beginning that she loves him a lot. At the beginning she is portrayed as an innocent, loving wife and the audience would find it hard to believe that she would end up killing her husband because of the threats he makes to leave her. It is not actually revealed to us in the story why he plans to leave, and this creates more mystery, making the reader think about what his reason may be, why it is so bad, and why it makes Mrs Maloney want to kill the man she obviously loved. However, as the story progresses, more about her character is unveiled. Her determination is shown - she tries hard to, and succeeds in covering up her crime. She is also portrayed as very clever - she uses the fact that the detectives were friends with her husband to manipulate them, and eventually tricks them into eating the evidence. Straight after the murder the audience may think that Mrs Maloney would certainly be caught, because of her weak, gentle character but this sudden change in her personality make a successful cover up seem more realistic.
The women in 'The Speckled Band' are typical of those in the Victorian era. They are respectful, quiet and vulnerable, and these stereotypical views make them effective victims in most murder mysteries. The woman in 'Lamb to the Slaughter' however takes a very different role, she is the murderer. She is a strong, clever and quick thinking character, who uses the stereotypical views of women to her advantage; to portray herself as innocent.
Helen Stoner, the potential victim in 'The Speckled Band', like the rest of Doyle’s characters, conforms with the typical vulnerable, helpless and scared young woman. Helen is haunted by what her sister Julia’s mysterious death before her wedding. She is convinced her sister died from pure fear, and is completely oblivious to the fact that her stepfather is involved. She protects her stepfather from Holmes by not talking much about him – (page 161). I think this reflects the time in which the story was written, when women were less independent.
Patrick Maloney in 'Lamb to the Slaughter' is not a typical victim so when he disrupts the normality, he still expects things to continue as normal and because of this the reader experiences even more surprise at his murder. No one expected his wife to suddenly change from being quiet and fussy into a cold-blooded murderer.
Both stories in my opinion are effective as murder mysteries. Although Dahl’s 'Lamb to the Slaughter' reverses most typical factors of a murder mystery, it still contains the traditional key elements of anticipation and unpredictable surprise which we find in 'The Speckled Band'. Effective use of characters, settings, structures and narration, make both stories enjoyable and exciting to read. Having an understanding of the social, historical and cultural contexts the stories were written in helps the reader to enjoy and appreciate both stories whilst accepting their very different styles and aims.
