Looking at two short stories you have studied from mystery genres and discussing the similarities and differences between them
I am studying Lamb To The Slaughter by Roald Dahl and The Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Both of these short stories are from the mystery genre. The stories are similar in that they have murders in both of them the murders or deaths are both mysteries. There are people trying to find out who did the murder or how the death happened, such as detectives or police. They both have victims in, the ones that get killed. There is also a killer or murderer. The differences between the stories are that in The Speckled Band the mystery was solved, however in Lamb To The Slaughter the mystery remained unsolved at the end and looked as if it was going to stay that way considering that the police/detectives consumed the weapon involved in the murder. These stories were written by different authors from different centuries, which makes quite a lot of difference as to the way people act and kill and the way they live.
The general rules of the mystery genre are that there is always a killer/murderer. There is a detective or someone trying to find out who the killer is. There is the victim(s) who is or are killed by the killer. The murder is a mystery to people in the story or even in some cases both the audience and characters. There is also a weapon usually involved used by the killer to commit the crime. There is also a plan that the killer uses to try and not get caught or to do the killing. The stories of the mystery genre use many of the conventions, which I have stated above. Both have a killer in Lamb To The Slaughter the killer is the victim’s wife Mary Maloney, in The Speckled Band the killer was the doctor, Dr Grimesby Roylott. In Lamb To The Slaughter the people trying to find out who committed the crime are the police friends of the inspector Mr Maloney, the effect of this on the reader is that it is not mysterious for them but they see how the police have mystery and are failing. In The Speckled Band the person trying to find out who committed the crime is a detective Sherlock Holmes, the effect of this is that not only is Sherlock Holmes trying to find out who did the murder but also the reader. The victim of Lamb To The Slaughter is Patrick Maloney, which is very peculiar to the reader considering how Mrs Maloney looking forward to his arrival. Her eagerness was not originally for murder but because she seemed to enjoy his company and loved him. The victim of The Speckled Band is Julia Stoner and Helen Stoner is a future planned victim of the killer. The weapon used by Mary Maloney in Lamb To The Slaughter is a piece of lamb meat; the weapon used in The Speckled Band by Grimesby Roylott is a snake. Mary Maloney’s plan is to be at the grocers at the time she kills her husband and then she makes the police eat the weapon involved. Grimesby Roylott’s plan is to use the snake to kill the girls so he can have their money. The method used to scare the reader in Lamb To The Slaughter is to make the character mean and commanding, in this case Patrick Maloney it makes you think that he is the one who is going to kill. In The Speckled Band there is the dark surroundings and the feel of fear or danger that Sherlock Holmes can sense, the effect of this on the reader is suspense. These stories do differ because of the difference in centuries. In Lamb To The Slaughter there are more modern methods of writing used and more modern characters. In The Speckled Band there are old methods of writing and older characters and the way the building has ventilators through rooms.
