The idiom “lamb to the slaughter” refers to someone who innocently or unsuspectingly becomes a victim. In your opinion, is Mary a symbolic “lamb” or victim for whom we should have empathy, or is she a cold-blooded, vindictive killer who gets away with murder? by Bradley Kress

bramcgonagle30 — 2025-09-09 17:41:33 UTC

Mary is definitely a victim because she loved Patrick so much. Mary is the victim because she would do anything for Patrick but when he told Mary that he wanted a divorce, the story told us that Mary was on autopilot she didn't really know what she was doing she was going through a panic attack. When Mary was told that Patrick wanted a divorce the story didn't tell us all that was going on through Mary's head she was probably going through so much that we didn't know about. This shows that Mary is in fact a victim and it wasn't her fault

2025-09-09 17:42:54 UTC

In "Lamb to the Slaughter," the idiom refers to someone who unsuspectingly becomes a victim. In my opinion, Mary is a victim that we should have empathy for. Mary was happy with Patrick at first until he asked for a divorce. Then Mary became mad that Patrick said that so hurt him. Mary knew that for killing her husband that is a detective that she would have an awful penalty of death. She didn't want her baby to die so she tried her best to not get caught. That is why Mary is a victim and not a murderer for trying to protect her baby.

2025-09-09 17:43:27 UTC

Mary is a symbolic "lamb" or victim for whom we should have empathy for. In the text, Mary gets unsuspectingly told she was getting a divorce. She loved her husband very deeply, and he tells her this shocking news. Mary did not deserve that for how he treated her, compared to how she treated him. Her husband did not put in the same loving energy Mary did. She was filled with anger as anybody would in this situation, and did one mistake. All in all, Mary is the innocent one in this situation.

2025-09-09 17:43:51 UTC

Mary cold-bloodily killed her husband because she killed him with no remorse. She killed her husband and convinced everyone that she was innocent and even planned situations to "prove" she was innocent. If she was the victim then why would she have to plan and hide the weapon. Also, even if her husband had told her something shocking she still killed him which is still murder. This shows that Mary is a cold-blooded killer.

2025-09-09 17:44:08 UTC

In lamb to the slaughter, I think that Mary is the killer who got away with murder. I think this because in the begging Mary loved her husband, but maybe Mary faked that feeling that she loved her husband and she told herself that she did. But really she hated him, and him being tired and not ably to choose what he wanted for dinner was her last straw. So she killed him with dinner. Then she remembered she had a baby and she needed to protect the child so she planned to make it look like she was the victim. In summary I think that she was the killer who got away with murder.

2025-09-09 17:44:36 UTC

I think that Mary was a cold-blooded killer because she killed her husband. After she killed her husband she barely even had remorse. Also after she killed her husband she hid the weapon, by cooking the lamb leg. Then she straight up lied to the police saying that she didn't do it, she even went as far as getting an alibi so then she didn't get caught. This shows why Mary is a cold blooded killer.

2025-09-09 17:45:15 UTC

In the story "Lamb To The Slaughter by Ronald Dahl" although many people may think Mary is the victim after killing her husband however I would say she is a cold blooded killer. Mary loved her husband and was very distraught after her husband told her something that made her very upset there is never a reason to kill another human being. Another reason we could think Mary is a cold blooded is because she did not do it with her own to hands she used a lamb leg Which was meant for dinner showing she wanted it to be over fast and make sure he had no way to fight back if she had not used a weapon the statement cold blooded would be unlikely to be used but taking the fact she had done it over the short period of time she was an instinctive killer. Overall Mary is a cold blooded killer because no matter what he said there is no reason to kill another human and in a short time with a weapon to add to the crime of her actions.

jackerry30 — 2025-09-09 17:45:23 UTC

In my opinion, Mary is a symbolic "lamb" or victim because all she wanted to do is make her husband happy. Even though Mary killed her husband, covered it up, and fed the weapon to the police, Mary is the victim because she was always really kind to her husband even though he divorced her and treated her horrible. Mary was nice to her husband all the way up to when he told her the truth and she was ecstatic to see him when he got home, But Patrick showed little to no emotion towards Mary and divorced her. Mary also covered up everything about the murder to protect her unborn child. This being said she was protecting the life of another. In summary, Mary was the victim because she was trying to protect her child and standing up for herself.

2025-09-09 17:45:33 UTC

In "Lamb to the Slaughter," by Roald Dahl, Mary is a symbolic lamb in this scenario. Mary may have murdered her husband, but she did it because she had a husband who treated her horribly and she was six months pregnant while being the more responsible adult in this relationship who still loved him. In the passage it talks about him having a heavy drink compared to her light drink, hinting towards an addiction to alcohol and bad habits. In addition to bad habits and a bad attitude, her husband told us something that we don't know but it caused her to do bad things under her own will because she had an adrenaline rush that controlled her body. Furthermore, Mary is the victim because she did truly love her husband but adrenaline took the best of her.

2025-09-09 17:46:02 UTC

Mary from the story "Lamb to the Slaughter," by Roald Dahl, is a victim because she could have been suffering from mental illness. The reader only knows how Mary killed her husband, but Mary could have been suffering internally. Moreover, Mary was clearly not in a good state of mind before and after killing Patrick. Once she did murder her husband, she was in a state of shock and was obviously overwhelmed by what she just committed. Mary could have been dealing with problems mentally, but she never spoke up about it. Furthermore, she could have been pooling in her own issues for so long that it caused her to finally snap. Ultimately, Mary might be symbolized as a killer, but she is a victim of her own crimes because her problems are unknown.

2025-09-09 17:46:09 UTC

Mary is a victim in this situation of her husband's murder. Her husband has not been that good to her while she was willing to do everything for him. Mary's husband was trying to get a divorce with her while she was pregnant with his child. Mary was in complete shock after she had got the news and that caused her to do what she did. Her husband did not show that he at all loved her and his baby on the way. All in all, Mary was the victim and Her husband had it coming.

2025-09-09 17:46:18 UTC

In my opinion Mary is for sure a cold-blooded killer. I think this because of how ruthless and careless she was to her husband when she killed him. Mary made a complete plan to murder with out sympathy just for pay back on him. Mary also came up with a mastermind plan to get away with the crime which then makes her an even worse person. No matter how nice she was or if she changed she still killed her husband ruthlessly and got away with it proving that she is a very bad person. In all, Mary is a cold-blooded killer and she is not the victim at all.

2025-09-09 17:46:51 UTC

In "Lamb To The Slaughter" I think Mary is a victim who we should have empathy for because she is pregnant and her husband wanted a divorce. First, her husband might have wanted to have kids in the first place and then he gets her pregnant and decides he's not happy that is really crappy. Next, she was happy with the marriage and wanted to do things for him to help him out since he's probably tired from work trying to be a good wife. In conclusion, Mary is the victim because her husband brought it on himself Mary was just trying to be a good wife when he asked for a divorce.

2025-09-09 17:47:10 UTC

In my opinion Mary is a victim and deserves empathy cause Mary was really nice and loved her husband. Mary is a victim because she would do anything for her husband and and would do anything for him. Patrick also didn't show the same energy she did so he was very bland. When she go the news the was very overwhelmed and wasn't thinking clearly and made one mistake. In summary Mary is a victim and deserves empathy because Mary loved her husband and he didn't have the same love and did the mistake cause she was overwhelmed.

aidharen30 — 2025-09-09 17:47:56 UTC

Mary is the victim because she had no choice ,but to kill her husband. Her husband was the one who told her to kill him. Mary would do anything for her husband so of course she listened to him. Mary did not want to kill him, but she had no other choice. Her family was struggling with fiances and she was about to have a new born baby. Mary was not even thinking when she killed her husband.

2025-09-09 17:47:57 UTC

Braxton I will have to politely disagree with you I think she is the cold blooded killer. Here's why for starters she killed her husband. but just because she was good in the first part but at the end of the day she ended killed murdered a man never to see the world again I think she should be pronounced a killer. To make matters worse she hid the evidence and as far as I can think only killers hid evidence. She is a cold blooded killer who hid the evidence and threw his life away. Plain and simple that's what killers do! That's why I think she is a cold blooded killer.