Both stories contain complex and detailed words and sentences they have different target audiences. The Speckled Band is more serious than Lamb to the Slaughter and is aimed adults whereas Lamb to the Slaughter creates a humorous approach to murder which broadens its audience to teenagers and adults.
The motive of the two stories, are also different. Lamb to the Slaughter shows a humorous approach to murder whereas The Speckled Band creates tension and atmosphere. You are made to think more whilst reading The Speckled Band due to the complex and logical way in which Sherlock Holmes thinks.
In the opening paragraph of Lamb to the Slaughter the setting is far from that which you would expect in a murder story. The introduction is calm and the language is soft and gentle, “the room was warm and clean”. Although the introduction is soft, there are small hints that give the impression that something terrible is about to happen like a premonition, “the eyes, with their new placid look, seemed larger, darker than before”. The word “always” also gives the feeling that something is about to happen, as it is used several times to describe how things always were, giving the impression that they’re not going to stay that way for long. The word “always” is used before or after a word in the past tense again creating the feeling that things are different or about to change. This creates tension for the reader, who knows something terrible is about to happen.
The introduction in The Speckled Band doesn’t start in the same way that Lamb to the Slaughter does. You are already told that the inspector in the story only investigated unusual and mysterious cases. The case that the story concerns is quoted. The story is in first person narrative, so a lot more information is disclosed about the murder case before the murder story is told properly. The sentences, “he refused to associate himself with any investigation which did not tend towards the unusual” and “but a promise of secrecy was made at the time” create a lot of tension and excitement for the reader. You begin to wonder what the investigation might concern and why these cases were so secret.
Tension is created throughout the entire of Lamb to the slaughter by sentences like, “and as he spoke, he did an unusual thing”, the repetition of the word “no” by Patrick Maloney, the constant reminder of Mary Maloney’s “large bewildered eyes”. This has the effect of tension because it is clear that Patrick is not warm towards her yet we don’t know why. Her large eyes and their constant reference give the impression that she may not be herself.
More tension is created in The Speckled Band due to the fact that there is a more serious and complex tone and use of language throughout. This perhaps is a more typical murder genre than Lamb to the Slaughter. Language used such as “fear” and “terror” instantly create a deeper, darker and more sinister tone to the reader. A true murder mystery does perhaps hold these qualities.
The murder investigator, Sherlock Holmes from The Speckled Band is portrayed as a sophisticated man who solves crime with logic and knowledge, “and yet always founded on a logical basis”.
This isn’t the case for the detectives from Lamb to the Slaughter. Instead they come across as foolish and easily persuaded. This is shown in the following lines, “that’s why it ought to be easy to find”, personally, I think it’s right here on the premises”, “probably right under our very noses”. These lines are also ironic, as the murder weapon was still on the premises and right under their noses, but they weren’t to know, they were too foolish to see it.
In conclusion, of the two stories The Speckled Band was more formal and typical to the murder genre than Lamb to the Slaughter which seemed more comical. The Speckled Band is targeted mainly at adults due to its complexity and Lamb to the Slaughter at adults and children due to its humorous and easier language. The motive of The Speckled Band is to provide suspicion and make the reader think more whereas Lamb to the Slaughter motive is to provide a humorous take to murder. Both are told in two different narratives, The Speckled Band in first person and Lamb to the Slaughter in third person. Tension was created in both, but more so in The Speckled Band due to its complexity.
Personally I preferred Lamb to the Slaughter because of its humour. In truth it wasn’t typical to the murder mystery genre but none the less was fun to read.
