The text examines whether the seriousness of a murder can be influenced by one’s mental state, focusing on Lawrence Block’s “If this be Madness” and Roald Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter.” Both stories feature protagonists who kill their spouses but possess contrasting mental conditions. In “If this be Madness,” the murderer is an unnamed narrator known as Boris. Conversely, in Dahl’s story, Mary Maloney is the central character responsible for the crime. The circumstances surrounding her actions offer justification for her behavior.
The worse murderer between the two, Boris, is morally egregious for various reasons. Firstly, he kills his own wife solely to save money. Secondly, his actions after the murder also contribute to his moral depravity. Lastly, he has a cunning long-term plan for murder. Every murderer has a motive for their actions, as murder is not committed without reason unless one is mentally unstable. Both Boris and Mary Maloney have motives for their respective murders. Boris’s motive is a combination of hatred and frugality. In the middle of “If this be Madness,” after Boris is sent to St. Anthony’s, he expresses his satisfaction about not having to see his wife Mary, stating “. . . her companionship has grown less tolerable over the years” (Block 3). This demonstrates his intense hatred towards his once-loving wife. But why doesn’t he simply divorce her? The answer lies in Boris’s exploration of divorce as an option, revealing that “The cost would have been exorbitant . . . she would have wound up with the house and car . . . plus monthly alimony . . . ” (Block 3). This evidence portrays him as a corrupt character lacking morality.
Despite being sent to a mental institution and verbally abusing her, Boris cannot stand having a supportive wife who stands by him. Shockingly, he decides to end her life when he realizes that divorcing her would result in a significant loss of money. This demonstrates the extent of his depravity. In contrast, Mary is an affectionate wife who does not receive love from her husband, Patrick, despite their impoverished state. After anxiously waiting by Mary’s side, Patrick reveals something that deeply shocks her. Unfortunately, the specifics of his revelation are not provided. However, he assures Mary that he will provide her with money and ensure she is taken care of.
Mary is shocked, possibly because Patrick has told her something terrible. She becomes irrational and murders him. However, Boris’ motive is even more unethical, exposing his repugnant nature. All murderers must establish an alibi after committing the act, unless they want to face the repercussions. If a murderer lacks remorse for their sinful deed, it demonstrates their moral weakness. Therefore, Boris is clearly morally inferior to Mary Maloney since he feigns insanity to escape punishment and shows no regret. This pretense is evident at the party prior to the murder.
He reveals his plan to feign madness in order to plea temporary insanity and then be committed to St. Anthony’s until he is healed, which he believes will only take a year. This way, he can avoid facing the actual consequences of committing murder. However, Mary is prepared to face the punishment once she regains her sanity, but she becomes concerned about the wellbeing of her unborn child. She later experiences remorse for her actions. Following Patrick’s murder and her subsequent realization of the act she has committed, she contemplates the penalty for homicide.
Despite her indifference to her own fate, she begins to ponder the future of her unborn child. She questions whether murderers would eliminate both mother and child, or if they would wait until the final stages of pregnancy. Her resolve is firm in safeguarding her child and preventing them from growing up without a mother. To guarantee this, she devises an excuse. Subsequently, upon coming back from the grocery store, she sets down her package on the table. Nevertheless, when she notices Patrick sprawled out on the floor, she hastily rushes over to his side. Kneeling beside him and overcome with grief, tears stream down uncontrollably.
According to Dahl (15), Mary does not have to act when she cries for her husband’s death, proving that she genuinely regrets killing him. In contrast, Boris creates an alibi to escape punishment for his true crime and feels no remorse for murdering his spouse. It is important to note that insanity refers to a psychological state where a person loses touch with reality. In the state of temporary insanity, Mary Maloney commits an unplanned murder.
On the other hand, Boris carefully plans his murder while pretending to be insane, making him worse than Mary. This description shows that Mary definitely becomes temporarily insane. Prior to murdering Patrick, she is able to murmur to him that she will prepare supper. As she descends to the cellar, she loses sensation in her feet and feels only nausea, and then “Everything was automatic now . . .” (Dahl 13) until she realizes she has taken his life.
During this time, Mary is disconnected from reality and unaware of her actions, resulting in her inability to feel anything. Consequently, Mary does not premeditate the murder. Conversely, Boris strategically plans his murder in great detail. His plan includes feigning insanity, as evidenced by his erratic behavior such as engaging in affairs with ten-dollar bills, hurling his typewriter out the window, simulating suicide attempts, and assaulting his coworkers. All of these actions are part of his meticulously calculated plan, which he executes about a week prior to the actual murder.
These incidents occurred within the span of two years to a few months ago. Shortly before committing murder, the individual meticulously strategizes his actions at the party, including minimal conversation, selecting a seating position, determining the number of drinks to consume, practicing myopic disregard when conversing with others, and anticipating involuntary facial movements and nervous twitches. Subsequently, in a frenzy, he abruptly rises from his seat, hurls his glass against the mirror, and brutally strikes his wife’s head with a weighty iron poker.
Later, towards the end of the text, the speaker states that there will be no discussion about a trial because when the murderer has a history of psychic instability, pleading temporary insanity should not be difficult (Block 4). The murderer meticulously plans the crime nearly two years in advance and executes the plan with great cunning. The purpose of this elaborate scheme is to be able to claim temporary insanity and establish his innocence. By doing so, he would be sent to St. Anthony’s for approximately a year, until he can feign recovery and regain freedom. In comparison, Mary’s approach to murder is not as sophisticated as Boris’. She does not make any plans at all. Boris surpasses Mary in terms of the extensive, intricate, and well-thought-out nature of his murder plot.
It is now clear that Boris lacks morals as he commits a heinous crime of murder. What sets his act apart from Mary’s is its severity and motive – not only does he kill his wife, but he does so for financial gain. He shows no remorse and carefully plans the murder, while Mary’s actions are impulsive and lack premeditation. Although she escapes the consequences initially for her child’s sake, she feels remorse afterward. Her decision to end Patrick’s life is triggered by her husband’s shocking revelation, in contrast to Boris who cold-heartedly plans his crime. Is a murder committed by a mentally stable person worse than one committed by an insane individual? The answer is undoubtedly clear.
