A Comparison of Mary Maloney in Lamb to the Slaughter and Mr. Herbert White in Monkey’s Paw

In the story” Lamb to the Slaughter”; the character Mary Maloney, a good

housewife is expecting her husband to return home from his job as a local policeman ,but when he return home he was very down and told Mary that he was leaving her, without asking why? She strikes her husband in the back of the head with the frozen lamb leg, killing him instantly. In the story “Monkey’s Paw”; the character, Mr. White was somewhat like the character Mary Maloney from “Lamb to the Slaughter,” because they both did not have any hard emotion with the death of their loved ones. Mr. White was a good man but was selfish he wished he had worked for the money instead of wishing it. Whereas Mrs. Maloney should have just stayed calm and talk things through with her husband rather than killing him instantly on the spot.

Mr. White could have wished for anything in the world, but him wishing for money was selfish because he could of wish for his family’s happiness.

Herbert White’s death was showing the father that money come with a price and hearing that Herbert was dead which was quoted in the story as Mr. White was shocked “He was caught in the machinery,” said the visitor at length in a low voice. “Caught in the machinery,” repeated Mr. White, in a dazed fashion, “yes.” This showed the reader that the reaction of death is not expressed with Mr. White character as too Mrs. White.

Unlike Mr. White, Mrs. Maloney was not shocked or hurt when she killed

her husband. But if she just stayed calm and did not overreact she could have talk to her husband and understood what was going on. This is believed because Mary was kind of crazy by the end of the story they quoted that they think the weapon was under their noses after feeding them the evidence,she began to

giggle showing that she was cold-hearted “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.

Therefore, Mr. White and Mrs. Maloney are similar in the aspect of both being cold-hearted; they both did not accept the fact that it was their fault that their loved were dead. These are two examples of characters and how their reactions of death are similar but also different.