Her repetition of hard ‘b’s suggests she is confident after the murder, ‘better’, ‘both’, ‘back’. These illustrate her villainous qualities. Her unstableness is expressed when Mary Maloney just swings the lamb chop from nowhere. The reader experiences this when the state of her mind is reflected as she walks down to the cellar showing there was no thought of murder and that her actions were unintended. Her repetitive use of ‘f’s, ‘feel’, ‘feet’, ‘floor’ (p.141) reinforces her tender state of mind and results in the reader sympathizing tentatively.
Lamb to the Slaughter’s sharp change in atmosphere gives the impression to the reader that it is quite spooky because of the contrasts. It is quite ambiguous in the sense that a lot of the story could be interpreted in different ways. Mrs. Maloney is described as having a ‘slow smiling air around her’. Although the reader symphathizes with her, mainly because the story is described throughout the story, we begin to have a more suspicious attitude towards her and her change in character. Although, perhaps the author is indecisive about this character which is why he shows her good and bad sides to give the reader a fair chance to decide what their opinion is towards her although he is probably more for than against her which is shown by the way he lets her get away with the murder and show that she almost has an excuse for her actions.
This is also shown in The Speckled Band where Dr. Roylett, as the villain, has a history of violence. There are several examples to show this,
‘he hurled the local blacksmith over a parapet into a stream’.
However, in general, Dr. Roylett is a most typical Victorian villain with his aggression and violence, just as Miss Stoner is the typical victim that we would expect. This is shown in his appearance,
‘A large face, seared with a thousand wrinkles...fierce old bird of prey’.
It is suggested to the reader that he is quite low-down, and therefore a likely villain, and fierce by his comparison to an animal. This is also sketched in all his actions such as threatening Holmes and showing his strength by bending a hot poker. His degree as a doctor also provides him with an advantage of knowledge and his expertise and experience with wild animals that he gained in India permits him to commit a clever and ruthless murder. The murder was cold-blooded for the reason that he killed for money. It is not possible to sympathize with him because the reader only sees him when he’s in a bad mood and also cannot relate to the event as it does not occur in the actual story and his consequences were of greed and selfishness. So it is quite satisfying to the reader, and also quite traditional of a horror story, when he dies of his own medicine although the reader’s first expectation would be that he is caught. The reader finds it quite intriguing, however, how he kills Julia Stoner and then tries to murder Helen Stoner. Dr. Roylett uses quite a few question marks and exclamation marks, which displays his frustration and his attempts at winding Holmes up by using derogatory language,
‘Holmes the Scotland Yard jack-in-office’,
only result in Holmes feeling more interested and excited about his case while he also talks ‘imperturbably’ and calmly to him. Dr. Roylett’s use of dialogue portrays him as the author wishes us to see him, as a cruel and aggressive villain.
The detectives in Lamb to the Slaughter contrast to Sherlock Holmes in The Speckled Band greatly. They are a lot more laid-back,
‘It’s not strictly allowed, but I might take just a drop to keep me going’.
Their lack of professionalism is clearly shown when they eat the main piece of evidence,
‘they were persuaded to go to the kitchen and help themselves’.
This is also described in the type of words used, ‘belched’, ‘thick’ and ‘sloppy’. It is therefore very ironic when they say,
‘Get the weapon and you’ve got the man’.
They are personally involved in the crime because not only do they know the murderer but they are good friends with her and this affects the ability of making of a fair judgement and collecting accurate evidence, especially as they believe everything she tells them and have no notion that there is even a remote possibility that she is connected to the murder on the simple basis that she is their friend. They are uncouth, ignorant and sexist in the way they refer to the murderer as ‘he’ instead of, for example, ‘the murderer’ when they have no proof at all who the murderer is. The end comment,
‘probably right under our noses’,
Is ironic and sarcastic, portraying their stupidity and ignorance. However their intentions are good, for example when she is offered, by Noonan, to go with ‘his own wife who would take care of her’. Holmes is caring as he uses reassuring words to Miss Stoner,
‘soothingly, bending forward and patting her forearm’.
Holmes also appears as a quick worker, described by his companion to be
‘as swift as intuitions, and yet always founded on a logical basis’.
His terms of address that he uses such as ‘sir’ and ‘madam’ are polite and formal. He is observant and confident,
‘There is no mystery...left-hand side of the driver’.
This introduces us to how clever and cunning Holmes is. He makes a judgement of the situation and obtains a result at the end. He has a logical approach and is an observes the evidence extremely accurately proved by the quote above. He is a typical horror story detective in this sense and because he is very paternal, he creates a comfortable and trusting atmosphere with his clients but remains authoritative and resolves all their problems so that there is always a closed ending.
A stereotypical setting for a horror story is usually described as eerie, dark and usually set in an isolated, old mansion far from towns and cities. This is shown in The Speckled Band,
‘A heavily timbered...very old mansion’ (p.167).
It is quite a leafy, hidden, stately home but not completely stereotypical because it isn’t domineering. It is isolated which creates the typical spooky atmosphere and there is not much furniture which emphasizes the loneliness and isolation of the house. In addition, everything in Julia Stoner’s room, the setting of the murder, acts as a weapon of the murder e.g. the bell-rope, ventilator and the bed which was posted to the ground and also the corridor which accessed all three rooms i.e. they all act as part of the murder and give us suspense and gives us a determination to sort the clues out before Holmes does . All of the rooms were connected which led to accessibility to the rooms and the ventilator provided the easiest and most discreet access to the murder room. The dummy bell-rope was for discreet access to the victim. The settings give us a feeling of the type of murder, for example, violent, discreet, that will happen and how it will happen. As The Speckled Band is mostly linked with a lonely, isolated setting, it is quite a quiet, discreet murder which corresponds with the setting.
Lamb to the Slaughter, however, completely suggests the opposite. It is based around someone’s house which symbolizes the domesticity. It is also set in a small, normal village, no signs of isolation, where it appears the detective and his wife are part of the community. A village gives the impression that everything is home-like. The opening paragraph appears like the beginning of a romance story which emphasizes this. The settings here however do not correspond with the type of murder as The Speckled Band does. It is quite a violent murder but as the settings are home-like and friendly, it appears strange for a violent murder to take place but it is also exciting for the reader because they don’t expect it. However this idea of the murder being violent is broken gently to the reader as little hints are given for example in the title and also it is expected that Mary Maloney is the one who will be ‘slaughtered’ because of her un-villainous attitude but as her character develops we see her as the true villain so the reader is not too shocked by the outcome.
The setting determines this for example, it is set in the early evening, presumably as the sun is going down, which is quite a suitable time for murder, as it turns dark and could also be interpreted as a connotation for the detective’s life being taken, as the sun goes down too, as sun is usually interpreted as a symbol of light and life. This is emphasized when phrases connected to light and warmth such as, ‘warm male glow’, ‘sunbather feels the sun’, ‘light from the lamp’, are used to show that the murder is not cold-blooded and also perhaps that a life has been taken as after the murder, such phrases linked to warmth and light are not used to show how serious and cold the atmosphere has become.
In conclusion, it is perceived that The Speckled Band is generally the typical horror/ murder mystery story whereas Lamb to the Slaughter starts off more like a romance novel and does not suggest anything to prove it is a horror story. We can see this by the way it is structured. In a stereotypical murder mystery, the story starts with an introduction to the case for the detective to decide on his actions, then an investigation, then setting a trap and a final summing up of the case. This is found in The Speckled Band but Lamb to the Slaughter starts as a romance novel. The speech used is slightly sarcastic which slows down the story so that it concentrates more on emotions and relationships which draws in the reader and exempts it from a typical horror story as there is no introduction to the case, no effective investigating, no setting of the trap and no end summary explanation. The peak of drama in Lamb to the Slaughter is in the body of the story whereas in The Speckled Band, it is at the end, which emphasizes its typical horror theme, because it builds up the suspense during the story.
However, there are ways in the which both stories are linked, for example, they both mention words objects related with coldness and horror which suits the theme, ‘built of solid iron ’ (TSB), ‘hit him with a steel club’ (LTTS). In accretion to this, both victims were murdered with an animal and their titles relate to this. The Speckled Band refers to the snake which again reminds the reader of horror because snakes are generally thought to be unpleasant and vicious. Lamb to the Slaughter, which refers to the lamb, suggests something of soft horror because lambs are stereotyped to be soft, friendly animals and this emphasizes the suggestion of the start being a romance novel type story. It does also give us, however, a false impression of the heart of the story where it is really vicious and cold.
The Speckled Band has a closed ending which also closes the suspense of the story. Lamb to the Slaughter has an open ending which should leave the reader in suspense but the added humour at the end,
“probably right under our noses”,
gives the reader a satisfying ending and eliminates the suspense. Mrs. Maloney’s giggling at the end and as ‘one of them belched’ also gives the reader a more comfortable and comical atmosphere. Both stories however add this light touch of comical humour, such as in The Speckled Band,
“I cannot say that it is likely to weigh very heavily upon my conscience”,
when referring to Dr. Roylett’s death. This makes sure the reader does not take the story too heavily and relieves them of holding any tension at the end.
The structure of events in The Speckled Band would classify in being a typical horror story and so many of the things that happen are how we expect and the reader is not shocked by what happens. This would be enjoyable as a classic horror story and still creates a mystical and suspending atmosphere for the readers. On the other hand, Lamb to the Slaughter has a twist in events and a lot of the story does not happen as the reader would expect which creates a lot of suspense but this is relieved by the comic at the end.
Overall, by studying all the different factors, it is evident that although The Speckled Band follows the typical horror genre the most with its vicious and violent tone, Lamb to the Slaughter still draws in the audience in its own way but suggests that the author was perhaps trying to get across some feminist views, emphasized in the detectives assuming the villain is a man, that he may possess which explains the non-typical horror structure of the story. It does use words which are related to horror, such as, ‘hit’, ‘club’, ‘crashed’, ‘violence’, ‘body’, ‘crash’, which retains the murder mystery atmosphere despite how it appears at first.
The end of Lamb to the Slaughter is very entertaining to the reader where there is a slight but clever twist where the detectives eat the crucial piece of evidence. The reader does not expect this ending at all and what appears to the reader at first does not support the rest of the sequence in the story at all. A lot of events may come as a shock to the reader although there are small hints to suggest what will happen, such as the title, Lamb to the Slaughter, suggests the murder will consist of a lamb, perhaps used as a weapon and acts as an instrument of the murder. So when Mary Maloney mentioned ‘a leg of lamb’, it was quite clearly suggested that the murder would soon take place.
The Speckled Band is very intriguing in the way Dr. Roylett sets out his murder plans. The reader expects him to be caught and locked up for his crime at first but to be killed by his own weapon creates an even more satisfying feeling for the reader. The words used in this story are archaic as they are not used in everyday modern life. The sentences tend to be longer than in Lamb to the Slaughter and are broken up by semi-colons. The language is old-fashioned which reflects the time in which it was written as well. The language is also quite formal whereas in Lamb to the Slaughter, it is more informal, ‘For God’s sake..’. This reflects the also informal and comfortable atmosphere Lamb to the Slaughter sketches which creates an uncertainty, about what is going to happen, with the reader. The Speckled Band’s formal language creates a more sinister atmosphere and the many clues, and also red herrings to fool the reader, intrigues the reader to follow Holmes’ case and attempt to solve it by themselves as well.
