In class, we had a fishbowl discussion about the short story, "Lamb to the Slaughter," by Roald Dahl, about a "loving" wife, Mary Maloney, who cares for her husband, Patrick Maloney, but then kills him with a lamb leg. She plays it cool and goes to the grocer. When she got back, she acted as if she just found out that her husband is dead. She calls the detective and offers them some food. She offers them the lamb leg she used to kill her husband. THEY ATE THE EVIDENCE!!! Anyway, we had 5 questions but one of the question that I thought was the best was: was Mary's crime pre-meditated or a crime of passion? I believe that this was kind of a mixture. For example, I think it was a crime of passion, but when she saw the meat in the refrigerator, I think that she knew what she was going to do with it. Like, she knew there was meat in the fridge, so does that mean she knew that she was going to whack her husband in the head? In addition, she held the lamb leg with two hands when she was approaching. Maybe she was already thinking of hitting him. At the same time, that lamb leg could have been heavy and she might have been weak. Maybe right when he said, "I'm going out," that triggered her brain to say "I'm going to hit him now!" Also important, Mary Maloney talked all nicely about Patrick to her grocer. But Patrick wasn't there. She was alone. Why would she talk all sweetly about her dead husband. that she killed, when nobody knew was dead? She probably really does love him! But at the same time, why was she practicing and ,rehearsing what she was going to say to the grocer? Was she planning other things? Like killing her husband. (hehe... I feel like a detective!!!) I think that Mary Maloney's crime towards her husband was a passionate crime, but had little pieces of pre-meditation in it because honestly, I think she really does love her husband.