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Definition of Irony
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this seems like a loose definition... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how... read full definition
Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Patrick’s Murder:
The situational irony at the heart of “Lamb to the Slaughter” is the fact that Mary, a docile housewife who loves her husband Patrick deeply, brutally kills him in a fit of rage. Readers do not see this coming, especially after passages like the following from the beginning of the story:
[Mary] loved [Patrick] for the way he sat loosely in a chair, for the way he came in a door, or moved slowly across the room with long strides. She loved the intent, far look in his eyes when they rested on her, the funny shape of the mouth, and especially the way he remained silent about his tiredness, sitting still with himself until the whiskey had taken some of it away.
This passage clearly communicates how loving Mary is and how much her life centers around Patrick. Even after years of marriage, she loves the simple and mundane things that Patrick does, such as “[sitting] loosely in a chair” and “mov[ing] slowly across the room with long strides.” She also loves “the funny shape” of his mouth and how quiet he is when he comes home from work. None of these descriptions point to underlying resentment or violent impulses on Mary’s part.
The ironic twist of Mary killing Patrick in a fit of rage after he announces he is leaving her conveys to readers that a large betrayal can trigger violent impulses in anyone, and that viewing women as only loving actually reinforces sexist gender expectations.
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Explanation and Analysis—Conversing with Sam:
The second half of the story—which comes after Mary kills her husband Patrick in a fit of rage—is full of dramatic irony, as readers and Mary know that Patrick is dead but the other characters do not. One of the scenes that best captures the dramatic irony in the story is when Mary goes to the grocery store and has a conversation with Sam, the grocer, about what she plans to make for Patrick for dinner that night, acting as if Patrick is still alive.
Readers know, but Sam does not, that Mary spent a large chunk of time preparing at home for this seemingly casual conversation (so that she can have an alibi), as seen in the following passage:
She sat down before the mirror, tidied her hair, touched up her lops and face. She tried a smile. It came out rather peculiar. She tried again.
"Hullo Sam," she said brightly, aloud.
The voice sounded peculiar too.
"I want some potatoes please, Sam. Yes, and I think a can of peas."
That was better. Both the smile and the voice were coming out better now. She rehearsed it several times more. Then she ran downstairs, took her coat, went out the back door, down the garden, into the street.
Here, Mary intentionally sits in front of her mirror, fixes her hair and make-up, and practices acting nonchalant as she tries out the sorts of things she will say to Sam at the store, such as “Hullo Sam” and “I want some potatoes please.” As the narrator notes, she “rehearses” the same lines many times until “the smile and the voice were coming out better.” Readers knowing how calculated Mary’s performance is adds to the dramatic irony of the scene with Sam at the store.
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Explanation and Analysis—Right Under Their Noses:
A key example of dramatic irony in “Lamb to the Slaughter” is the fact that Mary feeds her murder weapon (a previously frozen leg of lamb) to the detectives who are at her house looking for the weapon that killed Patrick. This is an example of dramatic irony because readers and Mary know that she is literally feeding the detectives evidence, but they are none the wiser, partially because Mary has concocted a strong alibi, and partially because they underestimate her based on sexist expectations.
The final lines of the story—which feature Mary listening in on the detectives as they discuss the case and eat the lamb—capture the dramatic irony (and black comedy) of the story:
"Whoever done it, they're not going to be carrying a thing like that around with them longer than they need."
One of them belched.
"Personally, I think it's right here on the premises."
"Probably right under our very noses. What you think, Jack?"
And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to giggle.
Here, the detectives ironically have a very good analysis of the situation—they discuss how the killer is “not going to be carrying a thing like that around with them longer than they need” and how the weapon is “right under [their] very noses.” Mary, aware that they are eating the weapon (that is indeed under their noses) “giggle[s],” while readers are left to experience both the humor and horror in this moment.
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