CW: "Lamb to the Slaughter" Irony Paragraph Week 16 12/13

In "Lamb to the Slaughter," Roald Dahl uses irony to make the story realistic. For example, while the detectives are eating the leg of lamb one says, "Probably right under our very nose. What you think, Jack?" and in the other room, Mary Maloney began to giggle (p.324 ). The readers knows that the detectives are eating the evidence, which is why Mary giggles. Since the readers know and the characters do not, this is dramatic irony. In this situation, the readers feel like yelling at the detectives because the evidence is "right under our very noses." In addition, the cashier ask if she wanted to buy meat but she said "No, I've got meat thanks. I got a nice piece of lamb, from the freezer." It's ironic because the lamb isn't in the freezer like she says. In fact it has already been used as a murder weapon instead of food. This surprises the reader because Mary is able to think of an alibi immediately after she murdered her husband.