Even the title of this short story is ironic. Literally,
a leg of lamb is used as a murder weapon, one the police eventually consume, creating
dramatic irony, while jesting that the weapon is probably "right under [their]
noses," which, of course, is verbal irony. What might be overlooked, however, is that
the title is also a Biblical allusion. The Bible refers to Christ as being led "like a
Lamb to the slaughter." This allusion sets up even more irony, this time situational.
Mary's name is an allusion to the Biblical Mary, but she is nothing like the the Virgin
Mother. Once scorned, she sets in motion a premeditated course of action to kill her
husband--a husband who is himself a detective, which is yet another case of situational
irony.
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