The Lamb to the slaughter - Roald Dahl

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Roald Dahl

The Lamb to the slaughter story is about a couple who seemingly had a happy marriage. Until one day her husband comes home and discovers that the marriage is over. Incensed, she hits him over the head with a frozen leg of lamb! She is particularly concerned about the consequences if she is found out and she is worried about her unborn child so she proceeds to go shopping as normal. She comes home to find the dead husband. She calls the police and she pretends to be devastated. She then persuades the offices to stay and eat dinner the evidence! The landlady story is about Billy he comes from London to find lodgings Billy can’t decide between the pub “The Bell and Dragon” and the “Bed and Breakfast”. Billy seems to be ‘drawn’ to the “Bed and Breakfast” holding him, forcing him and compelling him to stay. The Bed and Breakfast was extremely cheap. There is the mystery of the only two previous guests. Billy think he recognize the names. She refers to them as a famous duo, company them to ‘Dempsey and Tunney’, ‘Churchill and Roosevelt’… famous boxers and politicians respectively. Billy notices the stuffed animals and he starts to think the worst for the pervious guests. “There wasn’t a blemish on his body” were they murdered? She even says there are “on the 3rd floor”.

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Initially the theme of lamb to the slaughter is rejection because the husband tells her marriage is over. We never know exactly why. It then became revenge when she kills her husband she then becomes scared and her character changes. She is concerned with survival for her unborn child. She change from a loving house wife to someone quite clever and scheming in order to survive. Dahl uses the whisky drinking scene to set the tone as building up to something “oily swirls”. The theme is quite light hearted in the end as she allows herself a giggle when ...

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