32 pages 1 hour read

Roald Dahl

Lamb To The Slaughter

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1953

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Background

Authorial Context: Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl was born in Wales in 1916 to Norwegian parents. When he was three years old, his father and older sister died, leaving his mother to raise three children alone. From age 13, he attended Repton, an English boarding school in Derbyshire.

Dahl’s life and career were varied. As well as being a writer, he served as a fighter pilot and intelligence officer in World War II and later became an assistant air attaché in Washington, DC. For 30 years, he was married to American actress Patricia Neal. Together, they had five children. Dahl died at age 74 in 1990, having published 19 novels and 13 short story collections in his lifetime. He also produced several screenplays, including “You Only Live Twice” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” adapted from the novels by his friend Ian Fleming. Over time, Dahl’s popularity as a children’s author has overshadowed his earlier fiction for adults.

Dahl’s early life experiences shaped the themes of his work. In his autobiography, Boy: Tales of Childhood (1984), the author described how teachers at Repton boarding school savagely beat their pupils. Dahl was traumatized by his time at the school, and his fiction frequently critiques the abuse of power over the young, weak, or helpless.

Related Titles

By Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

Beware of the Dog

Roald Dahl

Beware of the Dog

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

Billy and the Minpins

Roald Dahl

Billy and the Minpins

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

Boy: Tales of Childhood

Roald Dahl

Boy: Tales of Childhood

Roald Dahl

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

Roald Dahl

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

Danny, the Champion of the World

Roald Dahl

Danny, the Champion of the World

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

Esio Trot

Roald Dahl

Esio Trot

Roald Dahl

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

Fantastic Mr Fox

Roald Dahl

Fantastic Mr Fox

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

George's Marvelous Medicine

Roald Dahl

George's Marvelous Medicine

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

Going Solo

Roald Dahl

Going Solo

Roald Dahl

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

James And The Giant Peach

Roald Dahl

James And The Giant Peach

Roald Dahl

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

Matilda

Roald Dahl

Matilda

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

Skin

Roald Dahl

Skin

Roald Dahl

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

The BFG

Roald Dahl

The BFG

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me

Roald Dahl, Illustr. Quentin Blake

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me

Roald Dahl, Illustr. Quentin Blake

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

The Landlady

Roald Dahl

The Landlady

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

The Magic Finger

Roald Dahl, Illustr. Quentin Blake

The Magic Finger

Roald Dahl, Illustr. Quentin Blake

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

The Twits

Roald Dahl

The Twits

Roald Dahl

Study Guide
logo

The Way Up To Heaven

Roald Dahl

The Way Up To Heaven

Roald Dahl

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

The Witches

Roald Dahl

The Witches

Roald Dahl