Lamb to the Slaughter Film vs. Story Kyomi Newhouse
The movie Lamb to the Slaughter directed by Alfred Hitchcock is based on the story of the same title by Roald Dahl. The main plot begins with a pregnant housewife, Mary, waiting with anticipation for her husband Patrick to come home. When he arrives she dotes on him happily, but it’s obvious something’s on his mind and he announces that he’s leaving her. Mary acts as if nothing has happened and goes to prepare dinner by getting a leg of lamb from the freezer. Something suddenly comes over her and she hits Patrick over the head with the lamb and quickly thinks of how she can create an alibi for herself. When the police come she insists they eat the lamb, and they do, thus destroying …show more content…
For example, Mary and Patrick’s relationship doesn’t change, their roles and characteristics are the same, and the murder and its aftermath occur in the same way with the same results. Firstly, Patrick’s tone and demeanor towards Mary is cold and sharp. He doesn’t say much except to tell her that he’s leaving. He doesn’t seem to notice how hard she’s trying or how kind she’s being, and certainly doesn’t reciprocate her love. Mary is needy, always seeking Patrick’s validation. She tries hard to make him happy despite the way he pushes her away. Mary loves to dote on Patrick and be a good wife, she’s very happy in their marriage; but Patrick is obviously unhappy since he seems uninterested and leaves her. Secondly, Patrick is a cop and drinks in both scenarios, and Mary is a housewife who’s pregnant. Patrick’s job is important because it gives Mary an advantage, making her less of a suspect because she’s a cop’s wife and known by the police. “As the wife of a detective, she knew quite well what the penalty would be” (Dahl 13) and knows that she needs a solid alibi if she’s going to get away with murder. Had she not had a cop for a husband she might not have known as much and perhaps would’ve been caught. The motive for murder from an outsider also becomes more probable because of Patrick’s profession. There might be other people who hold a grudge against him, thus creating more suspects. …show more content…
The story leaves more to the imagination, whereas the film fills in the blanks; Mary seems more innocent in the story, contrary to the movie where she seems crueler; and the cops don’t ask many questions, never suspecting Mary in the text, versus in the film where they play a larger role and wonder if Mary could be the killer. First of all, in the story, Patrick’s reason for leaving is left to be imagined, whereas in the movie it’s said that he’s leaving for another woman. When the reason for his desertion isn’t disclosed, the reader can imagine different scenarios; however, not giving a definitive reason leaves them unsure of how to judge Patrick. If Patrick was leaving for another reason, the reader might feel more sympathetic towards him and find Mary cruel for killing him. In the movie, it’s clear that Patrick is a cheater since he’s in love with someone else and has been known to fool around (Hitchcock), painting him as a consistently disloyal man. This makes his murder seem more justified because he’s been disloyal to his pregnant wife who is nothing but loving towards him. Perhaps Hitchcock wanted to have this effect on his audience, rather than leaving it open-ended. Secondly, in the story, Mary is in a daze after Patrick tells her his news and doesn’t say anything to him except that she’ll get his supper. She takes what he’s said and doesn’t contradict it, just pretends it
The movie Lamb to the Slaughter directed by Alfred Hitchcock is based on the story of the same title by Roald Dahl. The main plot begins with a pregnant housewife, Mary, waiting with anticipation for her husband Patrick to come home. When he arrives she dotes on him happily, but it’s obvious something’s on his mind and he announces that he’s leaving her. Mary acts as if nothing has happened and goes to prepare dinner by getting a leg of lamb from the freezer. Something suddenly comes over her and she hits Patrick over the head with the lamb and quickly thinks of how she can create an alibi for herself. When the police come she insists they eat the lamb, and they do, thus destroying …show more content…
For example, Mary and Patrick’s relationship doesn’t change, their roles and characteristics are the same, and the murder and its aftermath occur in the same way with the same results. Firstly, Patrick’s tone and demeanor towards Mary is cold and sharp. He doesn’t say much except to tell her that he’s leaving. He doesn’t seem to notice how hard she’s trying or how kind she’s being, and certainly doesn’t reciprocate her love. Mary is needy, always seeking Patrick’s validation. She tries hard to make him happy despite the way he pushes her away. Mary loves to dote on Patrick and be a good wife, she’s very happy in their marriage; but Patrick is obviously unhappy since he seems uninterested and leaves her. Secondly, Patrick is a cop and drinks in both scenarios, and Mary is a housewife who’s pregnant. Patrick’s job is important because it gives Mary an advantage, making her less of a suspect because she’s a cop’s wife and known by the police. “As the wife of a detective, she knew quite well what the penalty would be” (Dahl 13) and knows that she needs a solid alibi if she’s going to get away with murder. Had she not had a cop for a husband she might not have known as much and perhaps would’ve been caught. The motive for murder from an outsider also becomes more probable because of Patrick’s profession. There might be other people who hold a grudge against him, thus creating more suspects. …show more content…
The story leaves more to the imagination, whereas the film fills in the blanks; Mary seems more innocent in the story, contrary to the movie where she seems crueler; and the cops don’t ask many questions, never suspecting Mary in the text, versus in the film where they play a larger role and wonder if Mary could be the killer. First of all, in the story, Patrick’s reason for leaving is left to be imagined, whereas in the movie it’s said that he’s leaving for another woman. When the reason for his desertion isn’t disclosed, the reader can imagine different scenarios; however, not giving a definitive reason leaves them unsure of how to judge Patrick. If Patrick was leaving for another reason, the reader might feel more sympathetic towards him and find Mary cruel for killing him. In the movie, it’s clear that Patrick is a cheater since he’s in love with someone else and has been known to fool around (Hitchcock), painting him as a consistently disloyal man. This makes his murder seem more justified because he’s been disloyal to his pregnant wife who is nothing but loving towards him. Perhaps Hitchcock wanted to have this effect on his audience, rather than leaving it open-ended. Secondly, in the story, Mary is in a daze after Patrick tells her his news and doesn’t say anything to him except that she’ll get his supper. She takes what he’s said and doesn’t contradict it, just pretends it