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

Both Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band sh be somecharacteristics of murder mysteries. What ar the similarities anddifferences between the twain stories?I this essay I am going to compare two short stories. The SpeckledBand by Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle and The Lamb to the Slaughter byRoald Dahl.There are some(prenominal) many similarities and difference between these twostories. Though some similarities/differences are taken for granted(predicate) and easy tospot, there are also some less obvious similarities/differences.The first difference we can see is the setting. In Lamb to theSlaughter, the briny setting is in a quiet, warm house. The room waswarm and clean, the curtains drawn, the two table lamps ignite - hersand the one by the empty chair opposite. This description tells usabout how the house is appealing to be in. Also, by saying the emptychair opposite you can hoard that there is a nonher character in thestory, to which she is waiting for. The time period is a p ost 20thCentury America (1954, about 10 years after the Second World War.)However, the main setting in The Speckled Band is the completeopposite. The building was of grey, lichen-blotched stone, with ahigh central portion, and two curving wings, handle the claws of a crab,thrown out on each side. This gives a foreboding atmosphere, whichcould be used to en-still fear into readers. Another difference isthat it is set in nineteenth Century England.Though both very different, both settings hold a murder to them.Other differences are in the way the characters are depicted. In Lambto the Slaughter the main character, Mary Maloney, is described as aquiet peaceful person. Curiously tranquil eyes with their new placidlook, seemed larger, darker than before. The writer also indicatesthat she is pregnant, for this was her sixth month with child. Withthis description, you would not think of Mary to be a typicalkiller. What people consider a typical killer is someone who is cold,precise and k nows what theyre doing, usually a man. However we aremisled, brought it down as hard as she could on the back of hishead. 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. Thereare no more descriptions of other people. This is strange as you wouldthink that there would be more people in the story. Even though morepeople come into the story, they are not significant enough to get adescription. They are just said to be a police detective.