“When you are in love, love can make you do crazy things and take you on a whirlwind ride.” In the short story "Lamb to the Slaughter", Detective Patrick Maloney was murdered by his devoted wife Mary Maloney, when she was unexpectedly told that her husband was having an affair and was leaving her. Leaving Mary stunned, she acts without thinking as she impulsively kills him with a leg of lamb. Which brings me to the next question: Is Mary Maloney a sympathetic character? In the story "Lamb to the Slaughter", Mary Maloney is not a sympathetic character because she killed her husband without thinking, she laughed when the detectives ate the murder weapon, and she acted as if she had remorse. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayLack of Sympathy: The Impulsive Act and Manipulative Behavior of Mary MaloneyIn the story “Lamb to the Slaughter”, Mary Maloney wasn't a very likeable character because she killed her husband without thinking. After Patrick told his wife he was leaving, Mary "simply walked up behind him and, without any pause, swung the frozen leg of lamb high into the air and brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his head.” Mary was in shock at how her husband was cheating on her, so she had to react impulsively. This highlights the fact that Mary was not thinking logically when she decided to kill her husband. Overall, the action of killing her husband shows what an unsympathetic character Mary Maloney can be. Another reason Mary Maloney was not a likeable character was because she laughed as detectives at the murder weapon. As the investigation drew to a close, Mary offered the detectives "the lamb in the oven." As the detectives eat the lamb, they all seem to agree that the murder weapon is "probably right under our noses." This is important because it's Mary's way of getting rid of her murder weapon. After the detectives say that "in the other room, Mary starts laughing." This would suggest that Mary knew that if she made the detectives eat the lamb, her murder weapon would be gone. Mary knew that if the cops didn't find the gun, they wouldn't be able to find the killer. For this reason, it is believed that Mary was an unsympathetic character as she laughed when the detectives ate the murder weapon. There are several reasons why some may believe that Mary Maloney was a sympathetic character. First, Mary Maloney was a devoted housewife who devoted all of her time to caring for her husband. She was carrying herself and her husband's unborn child, so it was simply illegal for her husband to have an affair with her and, what's more, try to leave her. They can also say that she was sad and cried after killing her husband. However, she was not obligated to kill her husband. When Mary decided to kill her husband, she wasn't thinking about herself or her future or that of her baby. She didn't think about what might happen to the baby if she went to jail or anything. Patrick also told Mary that he would give her money that would have helped take care of her and the baby. Killing someone just because they didn't want to be with you anymore is just as illegal as cheating. In short, Mary Maloney was not a sympathetic character because she killed her husband without thinking, she laughed while the detectives ate the murder weapon, and she acted like she was remorseful. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized item now from.