LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER by ROALD DAHL

1. Students read the entire selection independently, they “read in their heads.”
2. Teacher reads the text aloud while students “read in their heads” or students take turns
reading aloud to each other. Depending on the text length and student need, the teacher
may choose to read the full text or a passage aloud. For a particularly complex text, the
teacher may choose to reverse the order of steps 1 and 2.
3. Students and teacher re-read the text while stopping to respond to and discuss the
questions, continually returning to the text. A variety of methods can be used to
structure the reading and discussion (i.e., whole class discussion, think-pair-share,
independent written response, group work, etc.)

Text Dependent Questions

Text-dependent Questions Evidence-based Answers
At the beginning of the text, how does Mary is described as a neat and seemingly
Dahl describe Mary’s characteristics? content housewife. She has a calm-
What textual evidence does the author use demeanor and is almost saint-like. Dahl
to describe Mary and her house in order to writes, “There was a slow smiling air about
achieve this effect? (Pages 317-318) her, and about everything she did. The drop
of a head as she bent over her sewing was
curiously tranquil. Her skin -for this was her
sixth month with child-had acquired a
wonderful translucent quality, the mouth
was soft, and the eyes, with their new placid
look, seemed larger darker than before.”
She is the one taking care of her husband
making him drinks and taking care of his
every need. Mary’s seeming contentment is
shown in the following passage: “She, on her
side, was content to sit quietly, enjoying his
company after the long hours alone in the
house. She loved to luxuriate in the presence
of this man, and to feel-almost as a
sunbather feels the sun-that warm male
glow that came out of him to her when they
were alone together. She loved him 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 in her,
the funny shape of the mouth, and especially
the way he remained silent about his
tiredness.”
Describe Patrick’s characteristics. What When the reader first see Patrick, he might
textual evidence does the author use to be described as in control, emotionally
describe him in order to achieve this detached and self-centered. Although he
effect? (Page 317 and 318) enters the house “punctually” as always, his
behavior shows that he is a bit nervous and
something is different this evening. He plays
with his glass filled with ice, “holding the tall
glass with both hands, rocking it so the ice
cubes tinkled against the side.” Dahl’s
continued use of the verb “said” to describe
Patrick’s dialogue rather than using
adjectives which convey emotion can add to
the sense of detachment and also provide a
sense of ambiguity about his motives. As he
prepares to give Mary the news, Dahl writes,
“He had now become absolutely motionless,
and he kept his head down so that the light
from the lamp beside him fell across the
upper part of his face, leaving the chin and
mouth in shadow. She [Mary] noticed there
was a little muscle moving near the corner of
his left eye.” The image from the light begins
to paint him as negative, in the dark. The
little muscle movement could show a little
loss of control but still overwhelmingly
emotionless. He asked not to be blamed, but
as he gives her the news, Mary watches him
“with a kind of dazed horror as he went
further and further away from her with each
word.” During this time, the author gives no
indication of the motivation for leaving,
adding to the sense of ambiguity of the
situation. Finally, although he admits it is a
“bad time” for the news (she is pregnant), he
hopes that there will be no “fuss” because it
would not be “very good” for his job. After
he tells her this, he does not turn around to
face or address her even when she
approaches him from behind with the leg of
lamb.
On page 318, Dahl describes the husband’s The ice in the glass is described at various
glass of whisky and ice several times. How times as tinkling “against the side” and
is it described? Why do you think he “falling against the bottom of the empty
focuses on this object? Cite textual glass.” In addition, “She [Mary] hears the ice
evidence to support your analysis. cubes clinking against the side of the glass.”
(318) Dahl focuses on the sound of the ice
cubes to give readers an understanding of
the atmosphere, tension, and the almost
deadly silence in the room.
On page 319, describe the ways that Patrick treats her very brusquely telling her
Patrick’s demeanor and comments change to sit down. After he has a second drink and
Mary. Why does Mary undergo these refuses dinner for a second time, he tells her
changes? Use textual evidence to prove to “sit down…just for a minute, sit down.”
the effect Patrick’s comments have on This is the first direct order he has given her,
Mary’s actions. a break from the placid personality she has
come to expect. He then tells matter-of-
factly that he is leaving her. Her actions
show her changing from adoring to horrified
to robotic (see examples above).
How does Mary’s behavior at the grocery Before going out, she rehearses her smile
shop contradict what has happened earlier and greeting, so that she will be able to smile
in the story? (Page 320) “brightly” at the man behind the counter and
have a conversation about needing potatoes
and vegetables for the dinner she wants the
clerk to think she is making since her
husband has said he was “tired and doesn’t
want to eat out tonight.” She is able to
provide a believable alibi for her time.
Although before she was “horrified”
regarding the events of the night, now she is
in control planning her alibi.
On page 321, reread the paragraph that This is where either she becomes a very
begins “And now, she told herself as she calculating murderer, planning the steps to
hurried back…” This paragraph starts off her alibi and the way she will be able to get
with a long sentence. How does the away with the murder, or the point where
structure of the sentence reflect her she breaks totally with reality. The
thinking at that moment? semicolons link like ideas so that all of the
sections of this passage are equal in value.
Using the conjunction “and” seven times in
the passage adds to the layering of pieces of
her story. She is trying to explain the events
as logically as she could. The length of the
sentence also indicates a sense of rambling
which may be caused by Mary’s
nervousness. Her mind seems to be racing
and she is frantic while trying to keep her
body as calm as can be.
The police officers do not suspect Mary for She played the role of a distraught wife. For
the murder. How does her behavior play a example, she wept hysterically when the
role in assuring this didn’t happen? (Page officers first came and later continued to sob
321-322 ) as she told her story of discovery. The
officers did not suspect she was the
murderer, they treated her kindly but they
only quickly (back in fifteen minutes)
checked out her alibi. After it was verified,
they seem to have lost interest in her as a
suspect. She continued to act innocent as
she felt she couldn’t move and didn’t feel
too good while the investigation was
happening. Finally, she could not “touch a
thing” of the meal she had prepared once it
was cooked.
What happens to the murder weapon? The police eat the lamb in the end when
How does Dahl assure his readers Mary offers to feed them. It is literally
understand the irony of this event? Cite “under their nose” when that statement is
the evidence from the story that made. Dahl foreshadows this event from the
foreshadows this event. point when Mary takes the leg of lamb,
“placed it in a pan, turned the oven on high
and shoved it inside.” The cooking meat is
again referred to during her trip to the store
as she admits to “cooking it frozen” and
“taking a chance on it this time.” The grocer
becomes an accomplice when he lets her
know he doesn’t “believe it makes any
difference” when, in fact, cooking it does
make a difference to her getting away with
the crime. Just as the detectives’ voices were
“think and sloppy because their mouths
were full of meat,” their investigation was
sloppy as well. Finally, they admit that she
wanted them to finish it as they would be
doing her a favor. While they believe that
favor was born from hospitality, when, in
fact, they did her the favor by destroying the
evidence.
Notice how the lighting changes during the At the beginning of the short text both lamps
course of the text. Cite evidence to show are “alight” in the room. At the grocery
how the lighting has changed. How does store, the lights are still on. When the
this change in imagery reflect the changing officers appear to investigate, it is dark
character of Mary? Cite textual evidence outside, and Mary notices “ the flash of a
to support your opinion. torch through a chink in the curtain.”

Mary’s character mirrors the light. She

seems content and happy at the beginning
symbolized by the lamps being alight. Her
soul begins to get dark after she kills her
husband and the final darkening of her soul
 is when she has the officers eat the murder
weapon.
Read the Quick Write on page 316 “Like lamb to slaughter” is a biblical allusion,
regarding the allusion to the phrase “going usually referring to the sacrifice of an
like a lamb to the slaughter.” Why does innocent, but here it could have many
Dahl title this story “Lamb to the interpretations:
Slaughter?” Who is the “lamb” in the  Mary the innocent lamb being
story? Who, or what, is being slaughtered by her husband’s words
“slaughtered”? and actions.
 The irony of Mary (the lamb), killing
her husband.
 The weapon, a leg of lamb, being
cooked and eaten (slaughtered) by
the officers.

Tier II/Academic Vocabulary

These words require less time to learn These words require more time to
(They are concrete or describe an learn
object/event/ (They are abstract, have multiple
process/characteristic that is familiar to meanings, are a part
students) of a word family, or are likely to appear
again in future texts)
Page 317 -placid Page 318-content
Meaning can be learned from context

Page 317- tranquil Page 322- administered

Page 318- tinkled Page 322- instrument
Page 319- bewildered
Page 321-precinct
Page 322- premises
Page 322-corpse
Page 322-“put her up for the night”
Page 323- “slipped out”
Page 323- chink
Page 323- consoling
Page 323- hospitality
Page 324- hesitating
Meaning needs to be provided Page 317-transclucent Page 318- luxuriate
Page 320- peculiar Page 321- welled
Page 322- spanner Page 321- hysterically
Page 323- trifle Page 322- exceptionally
Page 323- exasperated