In comparison in Lamb to the Slaughter the ingredient is a routine similarly in Catbird Seat there is also a routine. In this story there is no murder even though it is a crime story although in Lamb to the slaughter this is a crime story and there is a murder. The relationship between men and women is negative in both short stories as the writer depicts in contrast, Tony Kytes has a positive- sexual/emotional relationship between men and women which the writer fully depicts:
“My dear Tony!” This quote shows how Kytes women have a strong relationship with him, even though he had deceived most of them and how they love him despite his rude behaviour towards all the women he knew, which he soon enough tried to deceive
in some way to love another for his pleasure.
The themes in Lamb to the Slaughter are deceit with the police, love and commitment within the men and women and crime etc. A routine is also conveyed in the story from when Mr Maloney arrives home the routine seems unusual to Mrs Maloney but she becomes aware of that as he settles down and tries to ignore it. The routine has a main part to play in the story it is what triggers Mrs Maloney’s mind from the moment her murder arrives in a different way to the normal routine and then soon after hearing the terrible news she commits murder and gradually an incredible twist occurs. The writer depicts a non-sexual relationship between men and women and conveys crime incredibly and a weakening relationship:
“I’m afraid he is. What happened.” This shows the police at the end of the story mentioning how Mr Maloney is dead and then asking about what happened here to Mrs Maloney. Roald Dahl creates a homely atmosphere on how the women cooks at home and her husband goes out to work for money.
In Tony Kytes the themes are deceit towards women, love- sexual attraction:
“If you like, Tony. You didn’t really mean what you said to them” This quote shows how Kytes relationship with women is strong/emotional and how his women are still coming back to him after being deceived. The writer has depicted sexual relationship between men and women in this short story. Hardy has conveyed this as the content he liked themes such as love, marriage, seduction, betrayal, tensions of class and social etiquette. Which was what it was like in that century.
In Catbird Seat, it conveys deceit in employment and incredible reputation and hatred. There is no crime involved although at the beginning of the story the writer conveys the fact that a real crime such as a murder would occur despite this at the end of the story a crime is not committed although the writer depicts this, it seems to be crime but it’s an incredible action of “rubbing out’’ which gives the twist at the end.
In the short stories, Lamb to the Slaughter the relationship was strong but soon enough it weakens dramatically as soon as Mr Maloney arrives home although their
relationship is certainly not sexual or emotional as it is in Tony Kytes, in this the
relationships are strong but sexual and emotional most of the relationships are weak because Kytes has love for a lot of the women. In Catbird Seat the relationship between the two at their employment place is definitely not sexual or emotional but purely hatred no relationship is conveyed but there is a weak one between them which obviously conveys the hatred between Mr Martin and Mrs Barrows the relationship between them is extremely negative and they interact in a very rude and hatred way upon each other which does not allow the relationship to be sexual but just weak and bad unlike the other short stories which are not as well as this, the writer deliberately conveys this.
The narrative in Lamb to the Slaughter is third person. We all see the thoughts of Mary Maloney and therefore sympathise with her:
“Tired darling?” Mrs Maloney mentions this when Mr Maloney arrives home, Mrs Maloney discovers that there is something wrong and he does not look like he is in his normal routine as she realises this, she just ignores it and acts normal. We sympathise for her because of his harsh decision which has left her abandoned with a child, without a Dad. Mr Maloney’s decision reflects upon our opinions therefore we do not sympathise for him. Mrs Maloney is a caring wife to her husband and loves him a lot as the writer depicts though with Mr Maloney’s decision it has reflected upon her and now as the writer depicts towards the end of the story she commits murder to an innocent person.
In Tony Kytes the narrative is also third person. We all see the knowledge of the characters and the deceit between the characters:
“My sweet Hannah!” This shows how Kytes is lying to a women he used to love, he calls her “sweet” to cover up the fact that he has another women he loves and another under, one at the back of the wagon, the other behind the seat.
In Catbird Seat the narrative is also third person. We sympathise for Mr Martin because of Mrs Barrows traumatic behaviour towards which actually affected his employment at work. We are in Mr Martin’s mind, we know his motives for his rubbing out to Mrs Barrows and what he will exactly do for an alibi and his planning for his crime which is step by step, we know his every move and what he will be doing and what he has done in the past. This is deliberate dramatic irony. But he has a motive for the rubbing out of Mrs Barrows and her mad behaviour we therefore sympathise for Mr Martin:
“You’re as jumpy as a goat” This shows how Mrs Barrows rude behaviour reflects upon Mr Martins opinions on her and how we know he will perform a such rubbing out of her which is not a crime. But he plays along with her rudeness and becomes “unable to speak”, we then sympathise for him because of the cruelty inflicted upon him by an unusual worker- Mrs Barrows. At the end of the story Mr Martin performs the correct method of rubbing her out. As we know inside his mind he plans his motives and his alibi, when he has to be told Mrs Barrows is out of the job he lies and uses his constructed alibi to just explain himself to Mr Fitweiler and of course his alibi is believable by Mr Fitweiler because he is dedicated to his job and not like Mrs Barrows but he is not believable to Mrs Barrows:
“Afterward I walked home again” This shows how Mr Martin lies from his secret visit to Mrs Barrows home and the part of his alibi of what exactly happened on that night.
The comparison between the three stories is that they are all third person. The readers see the differences between the characters and may also sympathise for them. We additionally see how the writer’s have depicted relationships between men and women, either sexually/emotionally, conflict or just a strong/weak relationship. In Lamb to the Slaughter it is a weak, soon falling apart relationship. In Tony Kytes sexual attraction is conveyed and in Catbird Seat there is conflict between the characters- men and women. The short stories all have a particular theme.
The literary/social/historique setting in Lamb to the Slaughter is the background to the defined roles, a particular routine. Mrs Maloney stays in the house as a wife as a ‘homely character’ as depicted by the author and the man of the house goes out to work- Mr Maloney as a bread winner. Roald Dahl creates this for a homely atmosphere because he wanted to create the fact that the Maloney’s ate on Thursdays. We are encouraged to be compassionate towards Mrs Maloney and sympathise for her because of the decision that had been inflicted on her and her child which would change her life. She did love him very much but he did not upon his decision. The story’s motive was murder and the motive/deceit would lead to a death penalty to Mrs Maloney. Roald Dahl made us understand if the crime is committed- crime/deceit we would not be surprised because it was to avoid the death penalty for Mary Maloney. Although the author allows us to be encouraged for being compassionate towards Mrs Maloney because of her care towards her husband, it seems quite strange that her husband all of a sudden refuses her with his decision:
“Hullo darling,” This shows how Mrs Maloney greets her husband naturally in the routine, though Mr Maloney does not care because of his shocking revelation. But in
the beginning of the story Mr Maloney is in control but then soon enough towards the end of the story their roles reverse and Mrs Maloney is in control when she murders her husband, they reverse roles, as done by the writer.
In Tony Kytes, Hardy decides to allow Kytes to be in control because he thought men were experts and he did not like industrialisation and thought he could be in control. Hardy did not like the changes in the19th century (industrialisation), even though he depicted the relationship between men and women emotionally/sexually we are not surprised with the deceit towards the social/historique context. Kytes is the male gender looking for responsibility towards women. The society did not except women to be pushy and they did not except men/women to be promiscuous. The men were responsible for women and sometimes men would have lots of women, they initiated relationships. In Tony Kytes it clearly shows that the man is powerful and manipulative and in control. In this story there is a lot of rural bliss-historique background. Socially Kytes is a woman lover and the woman are in rivalry:
“In that case-ah-of course you must come along wi’ me,” This shows how Kytes is trying to deceive the women for his pleasure, although he gets into a mess with the women. He is calling his next victim and because she is a ladie to get up on the wagon with him as it is not polite to ask a women not to come up for a ride. But Tony Kytes understands that the women find him attractive and so uses them for his pleasure:
“you don’t suppose I could refuse ‘ee’’ Kytes says this because he cannot keep himself from lying to each of them and realises that the women find him attractive The deceit with the women and the action is inevitable. Kytes becomes full of fear and of recognition as he deceives the other characters which are women he then gradually draws himself into a mess in which he becomes incredibly nervous especially to the women in the back of the wagon as he knows they are angry because of what he has said to each of the women he has called up for a ride such as Hannah. He deceives them step by step in chronological order and finally with his first love Hannah:
“Throw over Milly-all to marry me!...” Hannah says this delightfully because Kytes wants her back, although Kytes is lying because he has caught himself up seriously which could cause commotion with him and the women as soon as they all discover what has occurred, so Kytes thinks to himself to try and get himself out of this by lying and of course deceiving his women even though he did get a second look at how pretty Hannah was looking when she sat next to him, even prettier then his engaged wife Milly.
In Catbird Seat the literary/social/historique response is that the story is a post war and above all computer work. Mr Martin and Mrs Barrows work in an office and here deceit between men and women occurs:
“I drink and smoke all the time,” This shows how Mr Martin gets into a different routine by saying something unusual to Mrs Barrows which is not in Mr Martin’s role, his background is not like that either, he is trying to trick Mrs Barrows in his alibi for rubbing her out and confusing her, he is an ordinary man who does not drink and smoke.
In Lamb to the Slaughter the writer depicts a frustrating and deceitful relationship between men and women compared with Tony Kytes, in this it is a sexual/emotional relationship but there is a lot of conflict and suspense which gradually arises. In contrast in Catbird Seat the relationship is just as similar then in Lamb to the Slaughter, it is hatred and frustrating especially towards Mrs Barrows attitude.
The tensions in Lamb to the Slaughter are that the writer has deliberately made it as though Mr Maloney did not want his wife, but she did want him. Mrs Maloney is horrified because of the father of her child is lost, the writer does this to show how they have a weak relationship between each other. Suspense arises here when Mr Maloney reveals his shocking revelation to his wife:
“This is going to be a bit of a shock to you, I’m afraid,” This quote shows how Mr Maloney bravely begins to tell his wife his revelation which then progresses the story to the point where the intriguing twist occurs- murder.
The tensions in Tony Kytes is emotional and sexual with competition occurring within the characters. Tensions are professional and the women want approval and success in what they want like Kytes, they are persuasive and extremely pushy which the society do not except:
“And-can you say I’m not pretty, Tony? Now look at me!” Unity mentions this to Kytes for approval and competition. But as Kytes is nervous and caught up in a mess he is afraid to answer correctly because of his women in the wagon. The writer puts attention to tensions in particular aspects of deceit within the women when they argue suspense arises from what will happen and also suspense arises within the characters.
The tensions in Catbird Seat are that there is competition between Mr Martin and Mrs Barrows. The tension is professional. The characters want approval/success and to regain autonomy:
“are you tearing up the pea patch?” Mrs Barrows mentions this to Mr Martin, to annoy him, her character is very monstrous and lively- she is also extremely active. They are both competing and Mr Martin is for approval/success.
The writer depicts relationships between men and women in competition similarly in Tony Kytes there is also competition between the women in contrast in Lamb to the Slaughter there is no competition but there is heavy tension between the man and woman although there was no emotional/sexual tension like in Tony Kytes and in Catbird Seat there is tension between the characters.
The language in Lamb to the Slaughter has short sentences:
“ But you must have supper...” Mrs Maloney says this to Mr Maloney with an unfinished sentence. There is a lot of pausing in the short sentences and the language used by Mr and Mrs Maloney. The short sentences are for effect and the speed of the language reflects the characters and the state of mind. The language above all is out of control:
“I don’t want it,” Mr Maloney mentions this because of his revelation, he is not in a routine and is out of control as of the revelation. He is not in the mood of eating and wants to tell his wife the news before anything else happens, he does not expect that she will kill him innocently. Mrs Maloney becomes out of control just after Mr Maloney’s revelation when she murders him:
“So I’ve killed him.” Mrs Maloney mentions this just after she murdered him, she feels very calm as she says those words, she does not panic. The language she uses is mostly confident and as if she does not care for her husband but she did before when he arrived home from work, she was worried about him, but now she thinks it does not make a difference or matter that she has killed her loving husband as we know by the author depicting it. At that moment she does it she simply does not care but she does, her mind knows it but not at that moment she has no care. When Mrs Maloney says such caring things to her husband- like getting dinner ready, getting his slippers etc. In the beginning of the story the relationship seems to be slightly strong but as Mr Maloney breaks his revelation the relationship slowly weakens gradually and then the murder in which Mrs Maloney’s reaction is extremely stable and not panike, when she should be because it is her caring husband she obviously loves as conveyed ironically and the child she is having. But when she mentions this, that she has killed him it clearly shows she does not care for him, he is not her loving husband at all but he was when he arrived home for dinner- a cosy dinner, after the decision it shows that she does not want him, he is not her husband no longer. Mrs Maloney tends to have a trembling voice just after she kills him, when she goes to get some food for dinner at the grocers, her voice trembles because she is afraid of her husband and the lack of recognition that she has within her acting not too natural as she murdered her husband just suddenly, but the people she knows must not find out and that is why the grocer becomes suspicious of Mrs Maloney when she goes to get some food for her loving husband- some potatoes etc.
The language in Tony Kytes is calm, in order:
“And I with you” This quote is calm and shows love and care, it is not showing rudeness or hatred and certainly does not let the suspense arise (rural bliss). The language used is full of nature and the characters use love and their feelings to express what they want to say especially Kytes and his women, he also shows his feelings:
“Yes-I’ve a kind of hoarseness. I said, not exactly.” This quote shows feelings and represents calm, order. This conveys Hardy’s style/characteristic use of language and how he depicts the relationships between men and women by using certain language of nature to convey this effect.
The language in Catbird Seat is lawful and uses technical vocabulary, characteristic- fantasy and powerful. Animal imagery is pictured. But the writer concentrates on Mrs Barrows to make her be lively, the brash at her and the fanatically routine of Mr Martin at the beginning of the story is quite sudden because Mr Martin has his normal routine but Mrs Barrows ruins it with her brashing, shouting, and being offensive, her rude language is what gives that characteristic feel of her and who she is, we immediately discover that she is a offensive person just when she says her first jumpy question at Mr Martin and were shouted at him randomly:
“Are you lifting the oxcart out of the ditch?” This is her first form of speech to Mr Martin in the beginning of the story which immediately triggers our mind of what she is like: “peccadillos as a personality” as Mr Martin thought, because of her two years of baiting him. Mrs Barrows language is depicted like this throughout the story which the writer intended on doing. The writer depicted the relationships between the characters within law and office type, and here is where Mr Martin and Mrs Barrows had a very weak, irritaing relationship with each other for two years and now Mr Martin is going to break their relationship by rubbing her out.
In Lamb to the Slaughter the relationship is very weak just as the relationship is weak in Catbird Seat. All the relationships in the short stories are all different and the language used to interpret the characters is not similar at all. In Lamb to the Slaughter there are short sentences used to increase the suspense, in the other short stories there are no short sentences or any dramatic techniques other then the use of language for meaning in imagery, fantasy etc. that is used like in Catbird Seat to picture Mrs Barrows and nature in Tony Kytes. Each story has a different type of theme or meaning to it. Catbird Seat is lawful, Lamb to the Slaughter is love and commitment despite this the language used is very effective, in Tony Kytes the language is emotional and caring but quite deceiving and tricking, as Kytes deceives his women he persuades them using his language and tone and feelings in forgiving him for the past and what has happened, but when the women get angry he becomes terribly nervous and his tone and voice becomes slow and weary. When a women like Hannah talks who is not her coming wife and he has not laid his eyes upon her yet and does not love her but must put responsibility on her because she is a women and treat like a women and be a man:
“What? How low you talk, Tony.” This shows Hannah asking why Kytes is talking low and not kindly as if something is troubling him and his unusual behaviour that she has noticed. Even Milly got angry with Kytes when he got twisted into a mess:
“Well, if this isn’t disgraceful!” This shows how Milly gets angry when she finds out the unfolding of his cruel deceiving which he does step by step in chronological order, she says this very angrily with a high tone.
The detail in Lamb to the Slaughter is that the story has a homely description. The writer uses onomatopoeic words to make the scene come alive in the readers mind, body crashes, twitch and a sudden weapon being used, uncomfortable sit and violence suggest that these kinds of words give a real feeling to the scene of a cosy home with a man and woman. Onomatopoeic words which make the scene come alive and give effect to the scene which the writer deliberately does it is the scene in which Mr Maloney falls to the ground when he is hit by a leg of lamb:
“Then he crashed to the carpet.” This quote has an onomatopoeic word such as
‘crashed’ which makes the scene come alive and add to the feelings and atmosphere to the room in which they were both in when Mrs Maloney suddenly hits her husband, when he is hit he crashes to the ground, the violence of the crash and noise indicated that she had hit her husband but on the other hand she was nice and considerable.
When the scene came alive we got the impression that the home was cosy and ‘warm and secure’ we know this because Mrs Maloney treated her husband with care. Also the sound of the tingling in Mr Maloney’s drink made us think he wanted to make a shocking revelation to his wife, his feelings also conveyed this. When the ice is tingling it shows silence, when it stops it shows the comfortable routine, Mrs Maloney knows her husband is tired. His footsteps are heard and as the car door slams, she knows that it is the routine, but she listens to what he does.
The writer depicts sound between Mr and Mrs Maloney to convey their relationship which isn’t right as Mrs Maloney assumes because of the break in Mr Maloney’s routine.
The detail in Tony Kytes is the deceit with the woman, it is conveyed inevitably and the violence to the end when the women are surprisingly injured and above all the fear/ recognition:
“My dear Milly-my coming wife, as I may call ‘ee,” This shows Kytes deceiving the women step by step towards the end of the story which Hardy does deliberately. The writer pays attention to the detail- notice the particular aspects of architecture-weather/colour. This shows Kytes trying to love his women such as Milly and telling her how she is engaged to him, he is trying to show his love to Milly.
The detail in Catbird Seat is in particular with Mr Martin’s routine, he is polite, goes home at the same time, arrives prompt at the same time, never smokes or drinks and is devoted to his work.
The writer concentrates on such details as ‘the pack of camels’ because the pack of camels is very important and is the non-violent approach, especially to Mr Martin he does not smoke or drink so he is an ordinary man. This reinforces his act of rubbing Mrs Barrows out as the pack of camels is very significant ‘drinking a glass of milk’ reinforces Mr Martin as he drinks two glasses of milk to celebrate instead of one, he breaks his routine here.
Mr Martin is searching for motives to rub out Mrs Barrows because of her rude, brashing behaviour although Mr Martin has a fanatical routine, he has a motive for Mrs Barrows and he visits her house for his constructed alibi:
“this is perfectly marvellous. You with a drink and a cigarette.” This shows Mrs Barrows giving her response when Mr Martin had visited her house and had broken his routine for his alibi by doing something would never do- he was normal.
By comparing it all, detail is different in all the stories, in Lamb to the Slaughter the writer depicts on sound-onomatopoeic words, in Tony Kytes it is the relationship between men and women and the deceiving, in Catbird Seat it is the routine which gives detail, but there is also a routine in Lamb to the Slaughter which makes it similar to this and gives the detail in both stories, in Catbird Seat- the pack of camels is deliberately concentrated upon for effect though such detail as this is not depicted in the other stories. It is all in deceit in love and hatred between the men and women which has been depicted in all the short stories in their different themes. Such detail is
conveyed mostly in Catbird Seat compared with the other stories.
The twist at the end of Lamb to the Slaughter for dramatic irony was when the police ate the evidence/weapon which was extremely surprising but particularly when the police were eating the evidence and were mentioning that it could be right where they are:
“Probably right under our very noses” This shows how one of the policemen eating the weapon/evidence is saying how it could be right under there noses, when it is, as they are eating it.
The twist at the end in Tony Kytes is when he ends up marrying Milly after deceiving the other woman, he is with the woman he got engaged with just to the end:
“it do seem as if fate had ordained that it should be you and I, or nobody...” This shows Kytes persuading Milly to be his as all of the other woman have left him because of his cruel deceiving to each of them. He lies to Milly and says he didn’t mean a word he was saying to them even though he was because he was nervous but he did not care what woman he ended up being with because he wanted a woman as he just loved them, he ended with Milly and married her which he would have done if it was to any woman.
The twist at the end in Catbird Seat is when Mr Martin is sitting pretty and when Mrs Barrows is erased/sacked from Mr Martin’s motives:
“Can’t you see how he has tricked us, you old fool?” This quote shows Mrs Barrows ashamed of Mr Martin’s plan/trick on her on rubbing her out- she has realised his motives and is trying to be innocent.
The writer depicts the relationships between men and women by concentrating on dramatic irony for effect, the audience know Mr Martin’s motives and Mrs Barrows realisation.
The twists in all of the stories are all different, in Lamb to the Slaughter it is when the police eat the evidence which is a surprise to the reader because it is something that does not often happen and takes us by surprise of a leg of lamb being eaten and used as a weapon which completely disguises the fact of it being used at all as it is food, something that is quickly disposed of in the policemen’s bodies the people who search for the evidence, eat it which gives an intriguing twist. In Tony Kytes something different of a twist occurs he just ends up marrying Milly which is not similar to Lamb to the Slaughter or Catbird Seat, they all have different twists. In Catbird Seat it is when Mrs Barrows is rubbed out and disappears which gives the non-murder approach to rubbing her out, instead of killing her in which Lamb to the Slaughter had a theory of.
The three short stories differ in the way that they are all in deceit. Some of the women get away with it especially in Tony Kytes, in Lamb to the Slaughter Mrs Maloney gets away with the murder, in Catbird Seat Mr Martin gets away with his rubbing out.
The similarities are that all of the stories have difficulties between the men and women due to a tension in some sort, which the writer depicts in each story. The tension is either caused by love, commitment etc. The tension occurs anywhere in a house, a place where riding- Tony Kytes and in a workplace like in Catbird Seat. In which these stories were located for the different tensions and the relationships between the men and women.
My personal response is that the writer’s have depicted the relationships between men and women in a variety of ways, love, commitment and deceit. They have deliberately caused tension for effect which is used dramatically and the characteristic use of language/choice, the author’s have used different areas for effect to make the story more interesting for the reader which adds to the relationships between the men and women in each story and their dialogue e.g.- onomatopoeic words, the stories are not just for the relationships but for effect these areas have been included to make it more interesting to understand and enjoy. These were the writer’s intentions on how they had depicted the relationships between men and women in their stories.
