Explain the main similarities and differences between the two murder mystery stories "Lamb to the Slaughter" and "The Speckled Band".

Authors Avatar

By Simon Harrison

Explain the main similarities and differences between the two murder mystery stories “Lamb to the Slaughter” and “The Speckled Band”.

In this essay I will be discussing the similarities and differences in the stories. The stories are different due to the times they were in and obviously the authors. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the Speckled Band in 1892 and Roald Dahl, who is commonly known for his children books, wrote The Lamb to the Slaughter in 1954. The stories mirror these times in use of language and plot. A desperate woman, who is 6 months pregnant, tries to keep her husband from undertaking a decision that will affect her deeply in the modern Lamb to the Slaughter.  Whereas a more traditional detective plot is adopted where the classic Sherlock Holmes pieces the clues together to catch the villain.

The story openings prepare you for the plot usually, but this isn’t the case for Lamb to the Slaughter. The mood of Lamb to the Slaughter is strangely warm and calm and introduces Mrs Maloney as a loving and caring wife, waiting for her husband to come home. This seems like a strange start to a murder story because of the atmosphere and makes you feel that you are safe. Phrases such as “the room was warm and clean” and “curtains drawn” give us the impression that it’s a happy and safe home and the wife is portrayed with phrases like “slow smiling air about her”. The opening of this side tracks you off the true story. The house seems too normal for such a terrible thing to occur and you expect that the murder will be accidental.

In contrast to Lamb to the Slaughter’s calming mood, the mood in The Speckled Band is exciting and full of confusion. Sherlock Holmes wakes our narrator up, because a distressed lady would like to see them in the sitting room. You feel confused because the narrator is slightly confused and put it across in his story. The grim tone is set by the phrase “It is not cold which makes me shiver.” Even at the start clues are given and Sherlock Holmes starts to analyse the woman’s actions “it is fear…it is terror.” This introduction prepares you for the rest of the stories seemingly dark plot and follows the same clues format that is set in motion at the start.

The Speckled Band is more appealing because it throws you right into the action, whereas the Lamb to the Slaughter has quite a slow start but has the eye-catching title. But once the murder has been committed Lamb to the Slaughter’s mood and plot changes drastically. Being witness to the murder adds the need to read on to see if she will get caught, whereas The Speckled Band’s picking up of clues adds more complexity.

Mary Maloney is the murderer in the Lamb to the Slaughter, but is the complete opposite of who you’d expect to commit such a terrible deed. She seems very loving and warm like the atmosphere of her house. She is six months pregnant and is quite placid. She acts completely normally until the murder. She is then depicted as a very unhinged woman as she smacks her husband with a leg of lamb. Even though she has just killed her husband she cleans herself up and prepares herself to act normally. She does so and goes to the shop as if nothing has happened to create her alibi. She seems to be very manipulative or quite schizophrenic in the way she acts. The only reason we are given for the outburst on Mary’s part is the prospect of him leaving, but we don’t actually hear that part of the conversation “This is going to be a bit of a shock to you, I’m afraid.” She has little time to process the seemingly devastating information and thoughtlessly hits her husband over the head with a leg of lamb. She has no time to plan it and it is done on impulse. Even though she hadn’t planned to kill him she quickly thinks up a plan to clear her of the blame and is successful. She gets away with it because there is no evidence to prove that she killed him due to the police eating the murder weapon.

Join now!

In contrast to how Mary acts Dr Roylott, who is the murderer in The Speckled Band, is a huge, ferocious man. He is very intimidating and carries a hunting crop that frightens people. He’s very tall with a large face and “bile shot eyes.” He is a selfish and vicious person, who scares the town’s people with his creatures and even his temper. His stepdaughters are even scared of the vicious man. This makes you suspect him of being the murderer as soon as you hear about him. His motives were money based and he kills his stepdaughter so that ...

This is a preview of the whole essay