Mary Malone's character is well-described through direct characterization all throughout the story Lamb to the Slaughter.. This direct characterization occurs each time the author describes Mary physically and in detail. An example of direct characterization is.
State Fossil: Basilosaurus cetoides This fossil whale lived in the Gulf of Mexico, which during the Eocene (~ 50-40 million years ago) extended over much of the Gulf Coast region. The first Basilosaurus fossils were found along the bluffs of the Ouachita River in Alabama in 1832.
Smith had a skull of the animal in his truck. Its flat face gave it the look of a bulldog with tusks. In the first few yards of the transition zone, only one or two Lystrosaurus fossils have been found scattered among all the diverse late Permian animals.