The characters in ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ are not traditional. We know this because the obvious murderer(the domineering husband) is betrayed by the pregnant housewife. She is expected to be the victim but becomes the murderer. Her character transforms but it is believable because she is protecting the unborn child. The murder victim is her complacent husband who happens to be a respected local police officer. He treats his wife unkindly; this is illustrated by his blunt and unexpected admission of betrayal to his wife. Therefore, there is little sympathy for him when he becomes the murder victim. The police are gullible because they allow themselves to be conned by eating the murder weapon. Mary Maloney then laughs when the murder weapon has been eaten this shows me that Mary Maloney is quite sadistic.
The setting of ‘The Speckled Band’ is a place called Stoke Moran, which is described to be a place of unhappiness and misery. The house is a big family house, which has been home to the family for more than 200 years, although only one wing of the house is actually inhabited, giving the air of a run-down, cold and isolated place. There is a sense of danger added because certain exotic elements such as the wild animals, add tension.
The setting for ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ is a more domestic set in a small family house within a close neighbourhood and a local community. The scene of a happy domestic situation is set by the author when he says ‘The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn, the two lamps alight – hers and the one by the empty chair opposite. On the sideboard behind her, two tall glasses, soda water, whisky. Fresh ice cubes in the Thermos bucket. Mary Maloney was waiting for her husband to come home from work.’ This is an unexpected place for a murder to happen because the people are so close and the environment seems peaceful and contented.
‘The Speckled Band’ is set in a Victorian society, which is illustrated, by the obvious class structure and the relationship between the sexes. The women are subservient to the men and are treated either with extreme courtesy, or brutality, but never as equals. Helen Stoner has no money or independence and is entirely dependent on the men around her. The other indications that it is a Victorian society are the clothes, means of transport, (because they travel by horse and cart), their manners, their social expectations and the existence of servants and housekeepers.
‘Lamb To The Slaughter’ is set in the 1950’s; we know this because there are some forms of modern technology, such as a freezer and the existence of motorcars. There are traditional male and female roles. It takes place in a small community where everyone is known to each other. They are less formal than the Victorians but, similar to ‘The Speckled Band’, the story is still focused in a small community.
‘The Speckled Band’ has an intriguing title and is not clear what is meant by it. It is part of the mystery and is revealed only at the end. ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ is saying that Lamb is used to Slaughter the husband, which is clever. Its normal meaning is that of an innocent person walking into a lethal situation and ending up as the victim.
The two writers use language and structure to create effects in their murder mysteries. ‘The Speckled Band’ was written in an elaborate style with long complex sentences. Watson’s language is quite old fashioned in certain places such as, when he is setting the scene, he says of Helen Stoner ‘ She died just two years ago, and it is of her death that I wish to speak to you’. The general dialogue also reflects the Victorian society e.g. words such as ‘metropolis’ and ‘vagabonds’ are used, which are in common usage anymore. The story has a logical structure and there is one flashback when Helen Stoner talks about her sister’s death. This is the only part of the story that Dr. Watson doesn’t narrate. Watson generally narrates and explains how Holmes solved the crime.
In ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ there is a third person narrator. The language used is much more simple than ‘The Speckled Band’ and is more direct and to the point which makes it easy to follow. The narrator moves straight into the story rather than spending time setting the scene, although he does give brief descriptions of the characters such as saying ‘there was a slow smiling air about her, and about everything she did.’ This description lends sympathy to Mary Maloney. The unexpected twists in the story shocks the reader and, because of the twists, the reader’s expectations are raised and the structure is enlivened.
The main differences between ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ are that one story is modern and the other is traditional. The thing both stories have in common are that they are both of the murder mystery genre. I prefer ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ because it has a more complex storyline filled with twists and moments of suspense. Also it is more modern and simpler language is used so I can understand and relate to it more easily.
