In ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ there are two detectives, Jack Noonan and Charlie. Charlie is not mentioned as much as Jack is. However, there are some evidence of what their character is like through their actions and from what they say. From what is written Jack Noonan and Charlie are quite laid back and not too bright. For example, in the story they both eat the piece of lamb which is the murder weapon and have a glass of whisky. They eat because Mary has told them to do so and without thinking they do it. Both Jack and Charlie feel sympathy for Mary. In the story it says that “sometimes Jack Noonan spoke to her gently as he passed by”. Their motivations are not very clear but I think they want to catch the killer but eventually and gradually. Thus the portrayal of the detectives is very different.
The villain in the ‘Speckled Band’ is clearly a villain. The villain is the stepfather of the victim, Julia Stoner. Dr Grimesby Roylott is often violent and short tempered. We know this from what he does and from what Helen said about him. For example, Helen Stoner says what his character is generally like, that is, that he is violent and then she gives an example’s of the violent things which he has done, such as beating to death his Bengali butler. We also see more evidence of Dr Roylott being violent in person when he threatens to beat Sherlock Holmes with a poker. However, Dr Grimesby Roylott is also a worthy opponent for the detective. He is brilliant and uses his knowledge about Indian snakes to plan and commit the crime. Nevertheless the villain is punished for his crime while trying to commit it again.
The villain in ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ is not clearly a villain. The villain is the wife of the victim, Patrick Maloney. During the story Mary Maloney changes her character completely. Firstly, a housewife who cares for her husband and loves him and then secondly a murderer who is trying to escape punishment. We know this from what she does, but we also see her point of view and we know what she thinks, as if we had access to her mind. Mary Maloney seems to act without thinking and then responses to the shock. For example, without thinking Mary Maloney kills Patrick with the piece of lamb and then thinks afterwards, what she has done. However, she think very clearly afterwards. It is not very clear why she kills Patrick since in the story it says, “And he told her. It did not take long, four or five minutes at most, and she sat very still through it all, watching him with a kind of dazed horror as he went further and further away from her with each word”, it does not say what Patrick tells Mary but we can clearly tell that it is bad and shocking since it says that Mary was “watching him with a kind of dazed horror”. Mary does not have a clear plan but she thinks very quickly of what to do next. However, she is brilliant and her brilliance is displayed in the way she conceals the plan. For example, after she kills Patrick, Mary invents an alibi and evades a capital sentence. Mar Maloney’s motivation is to escape punishment and to protect her child. Thus the villains are actually very different.
The victim in the ‘Speckled band’ is the stepdaughter of the villain, Dr Grimesby Roylott. Julia does not come from a normal family and there are a lot of tragedies in her life. From what Helen says about her sister, they had a miserable and strict life. An example of this was that they hardly ever go out of the house and spend most of their time in their rooms. We feel sympathy for Julia since she was engaged and was due to be married pretty soon which she never did due to her death. Her death is not very common and typical but unexpected.
The victim in ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ is the husband of the villain, Mary Maloney. At first we do not feel sympathetic towards Patrick since he wanted to leave Mary. We can guess this even though we are not told directly when we find out afterwards, after Patrick says, “Of course I’ll give you money and see you’re looked after”. We are also sympathetic to Mary because she is six months pregnant and we see almost entirely through the consciousness of Mary Maloney. Patrick’s death is also not very common but unexpected.
However, after Mary Maloney kills Patrick and changes her character completely then we feel sympathy for Patrick and think of Mary as two-faced. Mary’s character is firstly, a housewife who cares for her husband and loves him and then secondly a murderer who is trying to escape punishment. Thus the portrayal of the victim does differ from one another.
In the ‘Speckled band’ we know how Doctor Grimesby Roylott went about killing Julia in the middle of the story and at the end of the story. We know this from the clues no one except Holmes observes and picks up which in the end works what they mean and how they are linked to the murder. For example, he realises the importance of the whistle in the night. Similarly, he knows that there is an explanation for the small bowl of milk and the small leash. We get the whole picture of how Dr Roylott went about killing Julia when Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson stay for night in Julia’s room. Dr Grimesby Roylott repeated the method of killing Julia on Helen (Julia’s twin-sister) and is punished whilst doing so. Dr Grimesby Roylott’s motivation is to kill his target and not get caught.
In ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ Mary Maloney, who is the villain, intentions are unclear. She did not plan Patrick’s death but it came out from the blue and without thinking or having any doubts she does it. For example, Mary goes to the kitchen and gets a piece of lamb out of all the weapons, and smashes it into Patrick’s head. Probably Mary did not have the intension to kill Patrick. Mary Maloney’s motivation is to escape punishment and to protect her child. Thus the plot of the stories is different.
The ‘Speckled band’ is set in a very old mansion. This brings out some suspense and tension as it makes it feel as though the building is immense and dark, bringing out the daunting mood. The description of the house in the story makes the mansion feel chilly and abandoned. This is what was written,
“The building was grey, lichen-blotched stone, with a high central portion, and two curving wings, like claws of a crab, thrown out on each side. In one of these wings the windows were broken, and blocked with wooden boards, while the roof was partly caved in, a picture of ruin. The central proportion was in little better repair, but the right-hand block was comparatively modern, and the blinds in the windows, with the smoke curling up chimneys, showed that this was where the family resided some scaffolding had been broken into, but there were no signs of any workmen at the moment of our visit. Holmes walked slowly up and down the ill-trimmed lawn, and examined with deep attention the outsides of the window.”
The bit that says “the windows were broken, and blocked with wooden boards” as well as “the ill-trimmed lawn” makes the mansion feel abandoned and empty. This makes the old mansion a very good place for a murder scene.
‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ on the other hand is set in a house. The description of the inside of the house makes the house feel warm, inviting and pleasant. It says “The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn, the two table lamps alight – hers and the one by the empty chair opposite”. Although it might be pleasant and warm it does feel a bit like a murder scene since the two table lamps which are the only source of light in the sitting room make the scene feel dark, lonely and look consciously to what will come out of the dark. Thus the setting of the murder is dissimilar.
In the ‘Speckled Band’ the Roylott’s are from an aristocratic family. The Roylott family are very strict and have not much contact with the outside world. According to what Helen says, their lives were miserable and lonely. Probably their family abide the rules of their family traditions.
The Maloney family are like typical, normal family. They are a working family. What I mean by a normal family is that they are like every one else, not too poor and not too rich just average. However, it is unusual for a pregnant woman to kill her husband with a piece of lamb. Normally the woman cries and tries to talk and sort things out but Mary Maloney kills her husband and thinks very clearly afterwards. Thus the Social and Cultural context is different.
The Language used in the ‘Speckled Band’ is not quick and easy but hard and riddled. The language is not very readable either and is not much like a conversation, it is more like a scientific explanation. The language used is what I will call ‘posh’ or ‘upper class’ language. The way Sherlock Holmes speaks he makes himself sound important and clever. An example of this is when Dr Watson asks him a question; Holmes does not give a direct answer. The language is Victorian and the story has a lot of complicated and difficult words like disposition, jutted and gables which makes the story less understandable.
In ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ the language is quick, easy and more like a conversation. Unlike the ‘Speckled band’, ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ is more readable and there aren’t any long and difficult words. The language is modern and understandable. Thus the language is which the story is written differ from one another.
Through out this coursework I have observed stories, ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘lamb to the Slaughter’. In which I have observed several aspects which will help me come to a conclusion, these are, the portrayal of the detectives, the portrayal of the villain, the portrayal of the victim, the plot of the story, the setting, the social and cultural context and the language. However, to see which detective story fulfils my expectations as a classical detective story we must first understand what a classical detective story is and what it consists of. According to Hutchinson Encyclopaedia the classical formula for a detective story starts with a seemingly difficult mystery, typically a murder, lead of clues, provoked expectations and suspicions, a wrongly accused suspect whom the circumstantial evidence points and concludes with a startling or unexpected outcome, during which the detective explains how he or she arrived at the mystery’s solution.
‘Lamb o the Slaughter’ mainly concentrates on the plot rather than the actual investigation. The detectives in the story are mentioned nevertheless it does not mention how they carried out the investigation. In addition, in ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ they do not catch the villain.
The ‘Speckled band’ is more concentrated on the investigation of how Sherlock Holmes solves the mystery. It has almost all the formulas for a classical detective story. There are suspects, clues and Sherlock Holmes also gives his conclusion during which he explains how he arrived at the mystery’s solution. In addition to the ‘Speckled band’, it has more suspense and tension. When Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson stay for the night in Julia’s room, the atmosphere is very intense. In the story the author creates a tense and suspense atmosphere by describing the feelings of Dr Watson, the choice of words and the description of what he is hearing. For example, when Holmes and Dr Watson sit in the dark, Dr Watson describes the outside noises of the birds and the whining of the cheetah. Furthermore the choice of words used to describe the suspense and tension makes the scene unexpected, tense and suspense.
In conclusion, I think the ‘Speckled Band’ fulfils my expectations as of a classical detective story.
