In the story titled "Lamb to the Slaughter," what new ideas or insights does a reader learn from this story?

One of the things a reader might learn from "Lamb to the Slaughter" is that love can turn to hate. Unfortunately, this often happens to married people, but, fortunately, it doesn't happen as quickly as it does with Mary Maloney. A marital relationship is a sensitive one. We are told that something like fifty percent of marriages in America end in divorce. And yet most of these couples must have loved each other when they...

One of the things a reader might learn from "Lamb to the Slaughter" is that love can turn to hate. Unfortunately, this often happens to married people, but, fortunately, it doesn't happen as quickly as it does with Mary Maloney. A marital relationship is a sensitive one. We are told that something like fifty percent of marriages in America end in divorce. And yet most of these couples must have loved each other when they said their vows. I don't think the reader is entirely surprised when Mary Maloney suddenly bashes her husband over the head with a frozen leg of lamb. Maybe she loved him too much. Maybe she expected too much of him. Maybe she thought he loved her as much as she loved him and then came to realize that he really didn't love her at all. This would be a crushing realization and could lead to the sudden impulse to kill.

Another thing a reader might learn from "Lamb to the Slaughter" is that, as the old saying has it, "Still waters run deep." This is the same as saying that people who appear to be meek and mild may be like dormant volcanoes and may be capable of suddenly erupting without warning. That seems to be a good description of Mary Maloney. When she becomes a different person after her eruption, it may be that her new character traits were always there but needed that eruption in order to set themselves free. She exhibits cunning, foresight, duplicity, and a secret sense of humor.

The most impressive thing about Roald Dahl's story is the dramatic change in Mary Maloney's character. Patrick Maloney seems to have been doing her a favor in telling her he is leaving her. She becomes multifaceted and much more interesting after her impulsive act. She seems to become liberated. The reader must sense that Mary will be a different person for the rest of her life.

Mary Maloney might be compared with Mrs. Foster in Roald Dahl's story "The Way Up to Heaven." Mrs. Foster experiences a similar character change when she is responsible for the death of her husband.