1. Theme
1.1. People are Not Always Who they Seem to Be
1.2. Mystery
2. Setting
2.1. The story takes place in the home of Patrick and Mary Maloney. Most of the story progresses through this home
2.2. In one scene, Mary goes to the grocery store right after killing her husband as she goes out to buy potatoes and carrots.
3. Plot
3.1. Introduction
3.1.1. Mary Maloney is sewing, waiting for her husband to return home. It is also specified that she is six months pregnant.
3.2. Rising Action
3.2.1. Patrick Maloney returns home from work and she sees that her husband is acting odd. He later says something which is not specified in the story but it is assumed he plans on leaving her.
3.3. Climax
3.3.1. After hearing the bad news, Mary Maloney proceeds to kill her husband with the leg of a lamb. She then starts plotting how to get away with it
3.4. Falling Action
3.4.1. The police come over and start trying to find the murder weapon as they suspect Patrick was hit by a large blunt object {leg of the lamb}.
3.5. Conclusion
3.5.1. Mary provides dinner for the detectives for their hard day of work. She serves them a nice cooked, lamb. While eating, the police officers do not realize they are eating the murder weapon.
4. Characters
4.1. Mary Maloney
4.1.1. The wife of Patrick Maloney. She is the one who murders her husband and then hides the evidence.
4.2. Patrick Maloney
4.2.1. Married to Mary Maloney, Patrick is the man who is killed in the story by his very own wife.
4.3. The Detectives
4.3.1. There are several who are never given names but it is specified they are all friends of Patrick who was the head detective. They search the crime scene and evidently eat the murder weapon.
5. Literary Devices
5.1. Irony
5.1.1. The detectives in the final paragraphs, are eating the Lamb which was used to kill Patrick. One of the detectives says he feels as if the murder weapon is right under their noses as he takes a large bite of the leg.
5.1.1.1. "Personally, I think it's [the murder weapon] right here on the premises." "Probably right under our very noses. What do you think, Jack?"
5.2. Symbolism
5.2.1. The lamb symbols the fact that not everything is used for its intended purpose. As shown in the story when Mary uses the lamb to murder her husband.
5.2.2. The lamb could also symbolize murder as in some cultures, lambs were viewed as sacrificial and viewed as the devil.
5.3. Allusion
5.3.1. The lamb represents a biblical reference to a lamb and its shepherd who leads the lamb unknowingly to its death
5.3.1.1. "A leg of lamb...then he crashed to the carpet."
6. Plot
6.1. Introduction
6.1.1. A boy in school is sitting in class doing algebra. He has not experienced anything yet and the day is normal
6.2. Rising Action
6.2.1. Sirens go off and now the whole class is watching as smoke rises from a nearby lake. It seemed a plane had crashed there.
6.3. Climax
6.3.1. Another plane arrives and also crashes down. Some kids start to freak out as their fathers work at a nearby air base.
6.4. Falling Action
6.4.1. The story skips to the present where the boy is now grown up. He speaks with an old lady who mentions her nineteen year old son who died in a plane crash many years back.
6.5. Conclusion
6.5.1. The man stands there saying he knows the incident as he was traumatized by it. That is where the story ends.
7. Characters
7.1. The Man / boy
7.1.1. The Man who recollects his childhood from the plane crash
7.2. The elderly woman
7.2.1. The lady who reminds the man about the events
8. Theme
8.1. Coming of Age
8.2. Dramatization from Childhood
9. Setting
9.1. School of the Man when he was in Grade 3 algebra class
9.2. The Bus Stop where he meets the old lady
10. Literary Devices
10.1. Imagery
10.1.1. The author went into great detail throughout the story. He described the airplane crash as well as even what type of plane it was. He expressed children crying in fear. He described the smoke and sirens coming up and dying down. All that provided great visuals for the reader.
10.1.1.1. "It was a dull day with solid cloud cover. White ice, white clouds, with a narrow band of sunlight."
10.2. Repitition
10.2.1. Referencing the wintery weather
10.2.1.1. "The curve of frozen sand, the kilometers of ice" "White ice, white clouds..."