The poem above was created with the words of Roald Dahl, found in pages 3 and 4 of “Lamb to the Slaughter”. In this suspenseful story, one of the prime external conflicts is between our protagonist, Mary, and the antagonist, Patrick, who also happens to be her husband. Patrick tells his pregnant wife that he is going to leave her, which initiates the rising action of the story. The rising action shows how Mary was stunned and dazed, almost not believing the words that came out of Patrick’s mouth. Dahl writes, “Her first instinct was not to believe any of it, to reject it all.”

An important quote that shows the main man versus man conflict is when Patrick says, “And I know it’s kind of a bad time to be telling you, but there simply wasn’t any other way. Of course I’ll give you money and see you’re looked after. But there needn’t really be any fuss. I hope not anyway. It wouldn’t be very good for my job” (Dahl 3). This shows and contributes to the conflict as it shows what Patrick said to Mary that made her unwell. It explains and gives context as to why Mary decided to do what she did as a solution to Patrick leaving her. Another crucial quote that demonstrates the conflict in the short story is when Dahl writes, “At that point, Mary Maloney simply walked up behind him and without any pause she swung the big frozen leg of lamb high in the air and brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his head.” This demonstrates the conflict as it shows the extreme measures Mary is willing to go to in order to stay with her husband, in which she ends up killing him with a piece of meat, which evidently becomes the solution for Mary’s conflict with Patrick. In the end, things worked out for Mary, despite being lost in her actions.

Another conflict that can be recognised in “Lamb to the Slaughter” is how Mary is internally conflicted. After killing her husband, Mary is yet faced with another conflict. “It was extraordinary, now, how clear her mind became all of a sudden. She began thinking very fast. As the wife of a detective, she knew quite well what the penalty would be. That was fine. It made no difference to her. In fact, it would be a relief. On the other hand, what about the child? What were the laws about murderers with unborn children? Did they kill them both — mother and child? Or did the wait until the tenth month? What did they do?” (Dahl 4). This passage shows how Mary faced internal struggles as she thought about the penalty to her crimes, and what would happen to her unborn child if she was to be found guilty.

Paragraph 49 shows how Mary truly regretted what she had done to her husband, as Dahl writes, “She carried the meat into the kitchen, placed it in a pan, turned the oven on high, and shoved it inside. Then she washed her hands and ran upstairs to the bedroom. She sat down before the mirror, tidied her hair, touched up her lips and face. She tried a smile. It came out rather peculiar. She tried again.” This passage is significant as it shows how unnatural and nervous she was after murdering her husband, as she had to practise in front of the mirror before talking to anyone.

“Lamb to the Slaughter” also demonstrates dramatic irony, as Dahl writes, “Please,” she begged. “Please eat it. Personally I couldn’t touch a thing, certainly not what’s been in the house when he was here. But it’s all right for you. It’d be a favor to me if you’d eat it up. Then you can go on with your work again afterwards.” This is ironic to the story as it shows how Mary disclosed the evidence by literally feeding it to the people investigating Patrick Maloney’s death. This is also proven in paragraph 129, as Dahl writes, “’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.”

My found poem demonstrates Mary’s external conflict as it shows how it was initiated, and the extremities that Mary took in order to find a solution. The artwork in my poem showcases a lamb and a butcher knife, which echoes the saying, “like a lamb to the slaughter.” The common saying means to walk into something without knowing what will happen, which is precisely what Mary Maloney had done. It shows the extreme penalties, the crimes committed, and her hasty decisions. “Lamb to the Slaughter” is a truly captivating story, showing the true colours of humanity. Being selfish to bring benefits and prosperity to oneself can often result poorly, and that one does truly shape who they aspire to be.