Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band :: English Literature

Both Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band share some characteristics of murder mysteries. What are the similarities and differences between the two stories? I this essay I am going to compare two short stories. 'The Speckled Band' by Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle and 'The Lamb to the Slaughter' by Roald Dahl. There are both many similarities and difference between these two stories. Though some similarities/differences are obvious and easy to spot, there are also some less obvious similarities/differences. The first difference we can see is the setting. 'In Lamb to the Slaughter', the main setting is in a quiet, warm house. 'The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn, the two table lamps alight - hers and the one by the empty chair opposite.' This description tells us about how the house is appealing to be in. Also, by saying the 'empty chair opposite' you can gather that there is another character in the story, to which she is waiting for. The time period is a post 20th Century America (1954, about 10 years after the Second World War.) However, the main setting in 'The Speckled Band' is the complete opposite. 'The building was of grey, lichen-blotched stone, with a high central portion, and two curving wings, like the claws of a crab, thrown out on each side.' This gives a foreboding atmosphere, which could be used to en-still fear into readers. Another difference is that it is set in 19th Century England. Though both very different, both settings hold a murder to them. Other differences are in the way the characters are depicted. In 'Lamb to the Slaughter' the main character, Mary Maloney, is described as a quiet peaceful person. 'Curiously tranquil eyes with their new placid look, seemed larger, darker than before.' The writer also indicates that she is pregnant, 'for this was her sixth month with child.' With this description, you would not think of Mary to be a 'typical killer'. What people consider a typical killer is someone who is cold, precise and knows what they're doing, usually a man. However we are misled, 'brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his head. She might just have hit him with a steel club.' As you can see, this would not have been expected from a quiet tranquil person. There are no more descriptions of other people. This is strange as you would think that there would be more people in the story. Even though more people come into the story, they are not significant enough to get a description. They are just said to be a 'police detective'.