Crime in Literature

When crime features in literature, there are often many ways it is dealt with. In “Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes, Mrs. Jones was almost robbed by a boy named Roger. Instead of calling the cops Mrs. Jones took the boy home to her house, washed, fed and gave him money to buy the sneakers that he had wanted to steal the money for. In contrast, in Roald Dahl’s “Lambs to the Slaughter”, Mary kills her husband, Patrick Maloney, after he told her he is going to leave her. After killing her husband, she tricks the police that she found him dead when she came home and also tricked them into eating the leg of lamb that she killed him with.

While the lesson that is taught in each literature work are far different from each other, both show that crime is treated differently in many cases. However, were as Hughes illustrates the lesson that is being taught about theft, dhal demonstrates the unexpected turn in a common crime. In both works of literature works, “Thank You Ma’am” and “Lambs to the Slaughter”, crime is a common theme. Though in both literature works crime is conveyed differently. In “Thank You Ma’am” Mrs. Jones is almost robbed by a young boy Roger. But instead of calling the cops, Mrs.

Jones catches him and takes him home where she taught him that stealing may not be the solution to his problems. In contrast, in “Lambs to the Slaughter”, Mary Maloney kills her husband, Patrick Maloney. But instead of getting caught, she finds a way to cover her tracks. Though both themes were crime, it’s shown in different ways. In “Thank You Ma’am” the theme can portrayed as crime is solved by forgiveness. Mrs. Jones shows roger forgiveness which made the reader believe that roger will change his ways. In “Lambs to the Slaughter” the theme shows that crime can be solved by lying.

Mary will not go to jail because she covered her tracks and the cops can’t trace her to her husband’s murder. Another example of how the theme is different by the ending of each story. In the end of “Thank You Ma’am” roger leaves Mrs. Jones house changed, speechless of what just happened to him. However, in “Lambs to the Slaughter” Mary giggles at the end of the story. This can show that both works of literature were conveyed differently throughout each story. Therefore, this shows how he crime is common in both works of literature through to theme is different. These two examples show how the themes are different.

In both works of literature, “Tank You Ma’am” and “Lambs to the Slaughter”, characterization is a common influence on how each story plays out. However in each works of literature characters influence in different ways. In “Thank You Ma’am” Mrs. Jones helps roger realize what his wrong doing was. Therefore, Mrs. Jones influences roger to realize what he has been doing wrong. In contrast, in “Lambs to the Slaughter” Mary tricks to police into eating the lamb, the weapon in Patrick murder case. This shows that Mary influence the police to believe that she did not kill her husband.

In “Thank You Ma’am” Mrs. Jones could be characterized as kind. It was kindness that Mrs. Jones showed Roger for him to realize his wrong doings. And yet, in “Lambs to the Slaughter” Mary can be characterized as manipulative. In addition, the characterization could change the seriousness of a crime. In “Thank You Ma’am” Roger is characterized as a minor. He was just a young boy who had potential of changing his ways. In “Lambs to the Slaughter” marry could be characterized, in this case, as a consequential adult. Mary was dealing with a serious crime that she had committed.

This shows that even though both works of literature consist of crime, the authors illustrates a different kind of crime in each by using the characterization of each character. Roger was a kid with a chance of change, who as just committed a robbery, but in Mary’s case she as an adult that had committed a murder. Through characterization, these stories consist of a common trait, but are conveyed differently. These two examples show how the two text are different. In conclusion, throughout both works of literature, there were common traits that consist in the story that is told by convey themselves differently.

In both “Thank You Ma’am” and “Lambs to the Slaughter” consist of crime, but in each work they convey itself differently than the others. ” In “Thank You Ma’am” crime was resolved by forgiveness. In “Lambs to the Slaughter” crime was solved by lying. Both works also consist of characterization that play out the story, but is used differently in each one. In “Thank You Ma’am” Mrs. Jones characterization help roger for the better. In “Lambs to the Slaughter” Mary’s characterization helped her for the bad. There were common trait but all was conveyed differently to create a different reaction of each literature works.