In "Lamb to the Slaughter," the characters are a collection of stereotypes and cliches who behave more like puppets than real human beings. Mary is the "little woman," Patrick is the "cheating husband," and the police are the "blundering detectives." List the ways in which the stereotypes are developed through the actions and the comments of the characters. Discuss how Mary uses her "little woman" image as a protective covering after the murder.

The characters of Roald Dahl’s dark 1953 short story “Lamb to the Slaughter” can be seen as somewhat flat, stereotyped caricatures rather than round, fully developed characters.
Mary, for example, plays the part of the bored, doting Eisenhower era housewife. She eagerly awaits her husband Patrick’s return home from work, putting aside her sewing and greeting him with a kiss and a drink. She’s quick to wait on him, offering to make him another drink, fetch his slippers, and make him dinner. Mary also provides a clichéd image of the glowing pregnant mother.
Patrick seems to be a stereotypical cheating husband. He acts surly, downing whiskey as he works up the nerve to admit his affair to his pregnant wife. Patrick is matter of fact and shows little guilt, saying, “I hope you won’t blame me too much.” Mary acts as if she's in shock, not believing her husband’s words and offering to start making dinner. Ironically, she does not seem angry even as “without any pause she swung the big frozen leg of lamb,” shattering her husband’s skull and killing him.
The police who respond to Mary’s call serve as caricatures of blundering detectives. While they question Mary, they always treat their murdered coworker’s wife kindly, delicately. Mary uses the detectives’ belief in gender stereotypes against them in concealing her crime. A detective comments, “Get the weapon, and you’ve got the man,” revealing an underlying bias that the murderer is likely male. Mary uses her housewife role to con the detectives into destroying the murder weapon—the very leg of lamb on which they dine. The story ends with Mary giggling to herself, literally getting the last laugh.