Both stories start in the classic detective story way. The scene is set and some of the characters are introduced. As the story continues “The Speckled Band” follows the usual whodunit path with being explained more and more as the story unfolds and clues being given throughout.
“The windows of the three rooms open onto the lawn. That fatal night Dr Roylett had gone to his room early, though we knew he had not retired to rest for my sister was troubled by the smell of the strong Indian cigars which it was his custom to smoke, she left her room, therefore came into mine where she sat for some time, chatting about the approaching wedding. At eleven o’ clock she rose to leave but pushed the door and looked back and said ‘tell me Helen, have you ever heard anyone whistle in the dead of night?’”
Its style is dramatic and very conventional.
On the other hand “lamb to the Slaughter” is a very untypical murder mystery. The setting is a loving, homely and a very domestic background compared to the old, cryptic manor house in “The Speckled Band”. The first few paragraphs show that the story is unconventional, quotes like
“’Hullo darling’
‘Hullo’ he answered.
She took his coat and hung it in the closet, then she walked over to make the drinks, a strongish one for him and a weaker one for herself”.
This shows and displays a gentle atmosphere which is very unconventional for a murder mystery setting
The characters in both stories are different as well. In the “The Speckled Band” the detective, Holmes is very intelligent and interesting, which is another typical theme in the murder mystery genre. The victims in the story are also very stereotypical of the genre, Miss Stoner is very timid and is frightened easily which is now expected for a victim in murder mysteries. Holmes’ wit is shown early on in the story when he says
“…You have come by train this morning I see” and Miss Stoner proclaims
“You know me then?” and Holmes replies
“No, but I observe the second half of a return ticket in your left glove. You must have started early, yet you had a good drive in a dog cart, along heavy roads before you reached the station.”
After hearing this Miss Stoner looks at Holmes in bewilderment.
This displays his extraordinary intelligence for attention to detail and immediately gives the reader the impression that Holmes is a very skilled detective.
The actions by Miss Stoner from the scene she enters in and onwards are uneasy and wary of her surroundings and the people she talks to.
“It is not cold that makes me shiver Mr Holmes, it is fear…”
This is also very predictable in victims and people in need of help in murder mysteries.
Another character in the story is Dr Watson, Watson is the sidekick of Holmes, this is now almost necessary in a murder mystery to escalate the intelligence of the main detective. His status as a doctor makes the reader think of him as very intelligent but when compared to Holmes he seems to be of standard intelligence and this increases Holmes’ reputation of being smart. The final character in this mystery is Dr Roylett. Dr Roylett is another typical character in the murder mystery genre – the villain.
He is pictured by the reader as a violent, ill-tempered man from the moment he enters the story, calling Holmes a “Busy-body”, “Meddler” and “Scotland yard jack-in-office”. He then proceeds to bend a solid iron poker, showing his ferocity and strength. He is an easily dislikeable character, matching the post of villain well.
In the story “Lamb to the Slaughter” the beginning is unconventional for a murder mystery as are the characters. Almost opposite to the two detectives in
“The Speckled Band” the detectives in “Lamb to the Slaughter” are pictured as unintelligent and lacking in real skills to figure a mystery out. This is very unconventional for a murder mystery and one of the main quotes shows their lack of intelligence is “Probably right under our noses”. This is a figure of speech but unknowingly to the detectives the truth. They also act unprofessionally and do not take proper action, this is the opposite of Holmes and Watson in “The Speckled Band” and the usual murder mystery genre. The other two characters in “Lamb to the Slaughter” are Mr and Mrs Maloney. Mr Maloney is an unusual victim when compared to Helen Stoner in “The Speckled Band” because he is strong and confident and a detective himself. A quote like “No” or “Sit down” shows that he is more connected to the villain in a usual murder story than a victim. Mrs Maloney is not the average murderer in a murder mystery, she is loving and eager to please her husband, by wanting to do everything and for him to rest. A quote like
“Darling, would you like me to get some cheese?” or
“I think it’s a shame, that when a policeman gets to be as senior as you, they keep him walking about on his feet all day long.”
This shows she has a strong affection for him and is in no way a suspect until the moment she kills her husband. This is another moment untypical of the murder mystery genre. The excitement in “Lamb to the Slaughter” is not, who has committed the murder but how Mrs Maloney will try to get away with murder. For these reasons “Lamb to the Slaughter” is not really a murder mystery or whodunit but more of an adventure with lots of drama and suspense in it. “Lamb to the Slaughter” is very untypical of a murder mystery when compared to “The Speckled Band”.
“The Speckled Band” is a very typical whodunit with an evil villain, a helpless victim and a clever detective with his sidekick. The setting and involvement of false and real clues helps the reader guess for themselves who the real killer is. The false clues really help the reader try to work out who has committed the murder and even how the murder was carried out.
I preferred “Lamb to the Slaughter” to “The Speckled Band” because it was unconventional when compared to the usual murder mystery storyline. Although Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created the image of the murder mystery with his Holmes and Watson books, his storyline was appealing but not quite as much as Roald Dahl’s because of the complexity of the clues and the way Holmes and Watson think. The Archaic language also made it harder to understand and much harder to read than “Lamb to the Slaughter” because having to find out what a dog cart was or what certain phrases meant slowed the flow of reading down.
The ending in “Lamb to the Slaughter” was unexpected and what I thought was the opposite of what actually happened. I thought Mrs Maloney would have broken under the pressure of the detectives because she killed her husband, who at the start of the story she had great affection for.
“Lamb to the slaughter” was satisfying to read and put a smile on my face when I read the ending. “The Speckled Band” was Satisfying to read because of the suspense involved but less satisfying because of its length for a short story.
