We Are Not Who We Seem

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Tommy Ford November 4, 2013 Period 1 We Are Not Who we Seem In society women are usually seen as fragile and delightful , but that is not always the case. The short stories “The Landlady” and “Lamb to the Slaughter”, written by Roald Dahl , in the Landlady, we read about a woman who murders young men and stuffs them to preserve their bodies and keep them as her permanent guest. In the story “Lamb to the Slaughter” we learn that Mary Maloney kills her husband because he promised to leave her.They show us the importance of appearance versus reality, as they show how things can often be different to how they seem,and that we can be easily deceived if we are too reliant on looks. In both of the short stories we see how the two women / antagonist Mary Maloney and The Landlady share similar traits,yet are different because they have different motivations for what they did. One major similarity between these two characters was their ability to gain a sense of trust with the male characters and the audience through positive impressions.Mary Maloney is portrayed as the compliant and perfect housewife. So much, that her husband is confident that he can tell her devastating news and speak to her in a vile tone,trusting that her reaction will be quiet and benign. A quote to prove this trait is “ So there it is, he added.”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 have not anyway. It wouldn’t be very good for my job”.(pg.2) This quote demonstrates how Patrick wants to leave Mary, because it states that he would give her money and make sure that she is taken care of .Another quote to support this trait is “ For God’s sake,’he said, hearing her, but not turning round; Don’t
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