Manipulation through Gender Roles Many literary works, including even the world's most primitive texts, portray women as decision makers and critical thinkers. These characteristics allow them to be empathetic, detail-oriented, and one step ahead – the perfect recipe for potential manipulation. Typically, these stories juxtapose men's and women's reports of the same event. The short stories "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl and "A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell both incorporate this portrayal of women by telling the story of a wife who kills her husband and how women use their gender roles to manipulate the justice system, which is predominantly controlled by men. The protagonist of "Lamb to the Slaughter", Mary Maloney, is a pregnant housewife who seemingly embraces and appreciates her subordinate role to her husband, who ironically is a senior policeman. Dahl elaborates on her feelings by writing, “She loved to bask in this man's presence and feel—almost as a bather feels the sum—that warm masculine glow that came out of him when they were alone together” (Dahl 58). When Mr. Maloney arrives home, Mary wants nothing more than to please him by offering to make him dinner. He refuses, announces his desire to leave her, and she ironically kills him with the frozen leg of lamb, the same dinner she recently offered him. Dahl strategically develops Mary's role with men throughout the story, which is a key to the theme. Mary decides to take a trip to the market immediately after the murder, and she does so for the sole purpose of creating an alibi. She manipulates the store clerk, Sam, by acting as if she is buying groceries to please her husband. He falls for it and gives the......middle of paper......ul characterization of the female character to build this argument. Both Mary and Minnie cultivate their potential flaws as women and use them to their advantage to outsmart the male-dominated justice system. These stories demonstrate that despite misconceptions that women are too emotional to handle themselves under pressure, women are just as capable of manipulating men through the very characteristics that make them women. Work cited Dahl, Roald. “Lamb to the slaughter”. The best short stories in the world: anthology and criticism.Vol. 5: Mystery and discovery. Great Neck, NY: Roth Publishing, Inc., 1991. 58. The Best Series in the World. LitFinder. Network. December 6, 2013Glaspell, Susan. "A jury of his peers." The Best Stories of 1917 and the Yearbook of the American Short Story. Ed. Edward J. O'Brien Boston: Piccolo, Maynard & Company, 1918. 256. LitFinder. Network. December 6. 2013.