Comparative Essay Example: Lamb to the Slaughter and Ruthless

📌Category: Literature
📌Words: 685
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 17 April 2022

Numerous people do bad things, we all wonder who they are, but the real question is what motivates them? In “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl, Mary, is willing to go to any length to ensure that her husband, Patrick, is pleased. That bliss comes to an end when he tells her he's leaving her. That causes her to murder him shortly after their conversation. In “Ruthless” by William DeMille, Judson discovers that his whiskey was taken without his consent. He poisons the bottle of whiskey with rodenticide as a form of vengeance, causing anyone who tries to drink it to become extremely ill and die. Both texts reveal that people can be motivated to do the wrong thing because of love and vengeance. 

Love can motivate people to do the wrong thing. In “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl, Mary, is willing to go to any length to ensure that her husband, Patrick, is pleased. Every day Mary would wait for Patrick to come home and she would glance at the clock “without anxiety” telling herself each second passing by means that her husband will be home sooner. Mary even memorized his routine. “When the clock said ten minutes to five, she began to listen, and a few moments later, punctually as always, she heard the tires on the gravel outside, and the car door slamming, the footsteps passing the window, the key turning in the lock.” -Narrator (p.11-13). Her bliss doesn’t last for long after she and her husband Patrick had a conversation. In their conversation, her husband, Patrick tells her that he is leaving her even though she is pregnant with their child. “And I know it’s kind of a bad time to be telling you, but there simply wasn’t any other way. Of course I’ll give you money and see you’re looked after. But there needn’t really be any fuss. I hope not anyway. It wouldn’t be very good for my job.” -Patrick (p.35). Shortly after their conversation, “At that point, Mary Maloney simply walked up behind him and without any pause she swung the big frozen leg of lamb high in the air and brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his head.” -Narrator (p.42) Resulting her to kill Patrick, “All right, she told herself. So I’ve killed him.”-Mary (p.46). Later on, an investigation started at her house. Mary’s love for Patrick got out of hand which motivated her actions.

Revenge can motivate people to do the wrong thing. In William DeMille's "Ruthless," Judson realizes that his whiskey was taken without his acknowledgment. “Whoever broke into my closet last Winter and stole my liquor will probably try it again once we are out of here, -only this time he’ll wish he hadn’t.” (p.11). As a form of vengeance, he poisons the bottle of whiskey with rodenticide, causing anyone who tries to drink it to become extremely sick and die. “-he dropped the tablets into the bottle and held it up to watch them dissolve.” -Narrator (p.12). Even after his wife told him to not do it he chooses not to listen and instead decided to poison the whiskey and even tried to defend his actions. “Probably some boys off on a lark. They didn’t do any real damage.” -Mrs. Webb (p.20). “The law doesn’t call it murder if I shoot a thief who is entering my house by force. Also, the use of rat poison is quite legal. The only way any rat can get into this closet is to break in. What happens then is his affair, not mine.” -Judson (p.17). “And don’t worry about your poor, abused little burglar. No one is going to get hurt who hasn’t got it coming to him.” -Judson (p.25). Even though, after Patrick falls on his porch, his neighbor accidentally gives him the poisoned whiskey which resulted in his death. Patrick chose to get his vengeance on the thief which motivated his wrong actions.

Love and Revenge are strong influences on motivations to our wrong actions. In “Lamb to the Slaughter,” Mary’s love for her husband got out of hand which is why she murdered him. In “Ruthless,” Judson valued himself and his possessions over others which is why he decided to poison the thief. Love is hard to handle sometimes so is vengeance but they are not the solution to your problems, it will always end badly for you.

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