Lamb To The Slaughter Mary Maloney Insane

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The main character from “Lamb to the Slaughter”, Mary Maloney, is a pregnant house wife who kills her husband, leaving the readers to question her sanity. While reading the story, the reader can pick up a few reasons as to why Mary Maloney is insane. Firstly, Mary Maloney was very clingy towards her husband. While waiting for her husband to come home, Mary would look “up at the clock… [just] to please herself with the thought that each minute… [passing] by made it nearer [to] the time… [of her husband’s arrival]” This shows how Mary Maloney is addicted to his presence, and cannot wait to see him again. A sane person is not so clingy/addicted to their lover, they love them and show their affection towards their lover, but do not obsess over …show more content…
Furthermore, no sane person gets mad and kills someone, they evaluate the situation and choose what to do next because a sane person has control over their behavior. This proving that Mary Maloney is insane because she has no control over her behavior. Lastly, Mary Maloney is insane because she does not regret being the murder of her husband. When one of the officers suggests that the murder weapon could be “right under… [their]… noses” while eating the lamb she used to murder husband “Mary Maloney …[begins] to giggle”. This shows the lack of guilt Mary feels towards the crime committed, and that she is rather happy that she gets away with murder. A sane person feels guilt if they know they committed such a grave crime and will not be happy with their actions. This shows that Mary Maloney is insane because she lacks guilt for her crime and is quite happy with the outcomes. In conclusion, Mary Maloney is insane due to the fact that she is very obsessive towards her husband, she suddenly gets mad at her husband and in outrage kills him, and in the end does not feel guilt towards her actions and is rather amused by the
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