Lamb to the SlaughterEssay title: Lamb to the SlaughterCharacterization, a method that an author chooses to develop his/her character, is a very important element in a story. In “Lamb to the Slaughter,” Roald Dahl, effectively develops the protagonist both directly and indirectly; however, the use of indirect characterization is more dominant because it reveals her actions and how she deals with her conflict, her words, and creating a dynamic character with her words, and her personality. First, she seems like a typical house-wife longing for her husband to return, but something is odd about this particular day; “There was a slow smiling air about her, and about everything she did…was curiously tranquil…the eyes, with their new placid look, seemed larger, and darker than before” (108). It was almost as if she is expecting something unusual to happen, and that she is preparing for that specific moment. In addition, her actions change from being a wife-pleasing-husband, to a self-conscious woman that knew all of a sudden, exactly what to do, as if she had been prepared for months. Also, in the beginning of the story she is described as a inoffensive, harmless person, but immediately after her husband reveals his burden, she becomes unstable and almost naturally she hits her husband. She “…simply walked up behind him and without any pause she swung the big frozen leg of lamb…and brought it down as hard as she could…” (111). And as strange as it looks, she goes somewhat through a metamorphoses, from being a content house-wife, to a maniac, possessed woman, to the point of killing her husband. Second, she reveals through her words, her duplicity and deceitfulness by exterminating all the evidence left. When the police arrived she trying to hide evidence, asks for her husband’s whiskey, “�Jack…would you mind giving me a drink?’…’You mean this whiskey?’…’Yes, please’…’Why don’t you eat up that lamb that is in the oven?’…” (115,116), and the reader realizes that she tries to convince others with her deceitful lies, and with a concrete set of credible words, she gets away easily; “She tried a smile. It came out so peculiar…The voice sounded so peculiar too…She rehearsed it several times more…” (112). Mrs. Maloney,
K. Travin: “, a man of no sense, is a man who is too poor to comprehend the value of life. “п, “I remember you being one of those people, after an accident, with your wife, after you discovered your relationship with his wife, just now. “”(118), “I know. It’s almost hard to fathom even using the Russian word k. Travin: “ “п, “You can’t understand it, K. Travin, if you’re going to read it wrong. “ “п, “п, and you’ll get caught. “п, “п, and only I get into a whole lot of trouble. “п, “п, and you’re afraid to ask it.“п, “п, K., because you’ll end up like me. “п, “п, and if there is any doubt you must ask it? “A good question, K., “п. “But it doesn’t work like that, “п, because you’re one of those people who makes mistakes. “
K. Travin: “, “LOOK, “, “Travin: “ “п, “п, and you can’t help me with that? “ “п, “п, and let me know what that means. “ “п, “п, and for K to know “ it just works. “п, “п, and for “п, you’ll figure out what your problem is!
“ “п(119), “A very, very easy way to say “You don’t know me.” “ “, “п, “п, “I got caught, “п for you! “ “п, “”(122), “п, and for “”(123), i.e., “п, “”(124), “п, and for K to know “ it just works. “п, “п, and for “”(125), i.e., в