Description
This character analysis graphic organizer for Roald Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter” explores direct and indirect characterization. Examine the characterization of Mary Maloney, Patrick Maloney, Jack Noonan, and Sam with this literary analysis activity. Includes digital worksheets for Google Classroom®!
Included with this Characters in Lamb to the Slaughter:
- Direct and Indirect Characterization Informational Handout – Digital & Print
- Character Analysis Graphic Organizer – Digital & Print
- Detailed Answer Key with Character Analysis for Mary, Patrick, Jack Noonan, and Sam
- Teacher Instructions for using this resource
How to use these Characters in Lamb to the Slaughter:
Roald Dahl’s Lamb to the Slaughter is a short story that examines identity, preconceived notions, marriage, and betrayal. Through its dark humor and unexpected plot twists, the story challenges readers to reevaluate traditional roles and moral perspectives. Support students in exploring this 20th-century text using this character analysis activity, which encourages critical thinking and textual evidence-based discussions. By analyzing the Characters in Lamb to the Slaughter, students will gain a deeper understanding of characterization techniques, narrative structure, and the complex motivations behind each character’s actions.
You can begin this activity with the Direct and Indirect Characterization Informational Handout. This foundational resource clearly defines characterization and differentiates between direct characterization, where the author explicitly describes a character’s traits, and indirect characterization, where a character’s personality is revealed through their actions, thoughts, speech, and interactions. The handout provides examples and explanations to help students distinguish between the two techniques. Once students have grasped these concepts, they will be prompted to locate textual evidence in Lamb to the Slaughter to characterize Mary Maloney, Patrick Maloney, Jack Noonan, and Sam. This close-reading task allows students to actively engage with the text, strengthening their analytical skills while deepening their understanding of the Characters in Lamb to the Slaughter.
Students can then organize their textual evidence using the Character Analysis Graphic Organizer. This structured worksheet provides space for students to categorize character traits, ensuring that they identify both direct and indirect characterization. The organizer also prompts students to classify characterization into specific categories, such as appearance, thoughts, speech, and interactions with other characters. By systematically breaking down each character’s traits, students can better understand their motivations, relationships, and development throughout the story. As they analyze Characters in Lamb to the Slaughter, students will be encouraged to draw inferences about each character’s role in the narrative, particularly in relation to themes of deception, justice, and power dynamics.
To consolidate this lesson, an answer key has been included. This teacher resource features a completed Character Analysis Graphic Organizer for Mary, Patrick, Jack Noonan, and Sam, providing text-based examples of characterization. The answer key allows for efficient grading and discussion facilitation, as students can compare their findings with model responses. Additionally, it helps guide class discussions about the Characters in Lamb to the Slaughter, ensuring that students develop well-supported interpretations of the text. Teachers can also use this answer key to highlight how Dahl’s use of characterization contributes to the story’s suspenseful and ironic tone.
✨ Kindly note that due to copyright restrictions, this resource is not editable. This is a common practice within the online marketplace in order to protect the clipartists and software providers that have authorized their intellectual property for the development of this resource.
See what other teachers are saying about this Characters in Lamb to the Slaughter:
“Love – love – love this!! Not only did it save me a lot of time, but it was also very well-made. My students were engaged the entire time. I highly recommend this!”
– Randi G.
⭒ For classrooms utilizing Google Classroom® ⭒
To access the digital version of these worksheets, simply follow the instructions within the resource to copy the files directly to your Google Drive®.
