Sarah Bear
Mrs. Gahagan
English 8 honors
10/16/14
Johnathan Anthony Burkett once said, “You know my name, not my story”. Throughout life, one would encounter many perplexing people, that put up a convincing act, but are they promoting the truth? Would one really know the accuracy of the identity they display? In “The Landlady” a story by Roald Dahl, about a bright young man, who gets drawn to a Bed and Breakfast run by a sweet, harm-free old women, or thats what he thinks... The reader discovers later in the book that, she is plotting to kill him! Similarly in another story by Dahl, “The Hitchhiker”, a short story in which, a driver picks up a mysterious hitchhiker, who is planning to attend the races, but little does the driver kniow that …show more content…
In "The Hitchhiker" when the driver questions the hitchhiker's trip to the races, "his face went absolutely blank, and he sat there staring straight ahead at the road saying nothing" (Dahl 1). As a reader, one would recognize the foreshadowing that there is something odd about him- he isn't plainly going to watch horses at the race. Due to the hitchhiker’s mysterious nature, it sets a cryptic, puzzling mood. similarly in “The Landlady”, when Billy and the landlady are exchanging in conversation about her past visitors, she states “there was not a blemish on his body” (Dahl 69). The quote suggests that she has seen her past visitors full bodies, and foreshadows that she will see Billy’s, generating a disturbing knowledge, from the possibility that Billy as well would have his full body seen by the landlady. Finally, in “The Landlady”, As Billy discovers the past “visitors” names that had stayed at the same house in the newspaper, he comprehends, “as though they were both famous for the same sort of thing, if you see what I mean” (Dahl 66). One would be exposed to the foreshadowing that they had been in the newspaper for something of the same, possibly missing;making a baffling exposition due to the confusion of why the names were so familiar. These examples of foreshadowing, creates successful stories by making them mysterious, disturbing, and puzzling …show more content…
In “The Hitchhiker”, while the narrator describes the hitchhikers appearance, he conveys,“His eyes were dark and quick and clever, like rat’s eyes” (Dahl 1). The comparison between the hitchhikers eyes and a rats, foreshadows his mischievous plans Due to the rat like features he has, it signals that he has other “rat like” features, like being sneaky or mysterious, leaving the readers captivated by the hitchhikers future plans. correspondingly, in “The Landlady”, when Billy arrives at the landlady’s house, and rings the doorbell, “[she] was like a jack-in-the-box. He pressed the bell—and out she popped!” (Dahl 2). The comparison between the landlady, and a jack-in-the-box, creates a disturbing mood. The landlady’s fast ability of opening the door as if she was a “jack-in-the-box”, makes the reader very alarmed, in which creating a disturbing mood. conclusively, in “The Hitchhiker” the narrator states that “his [the hitchhiker] voice was soft and oily as hair cream” (Dahl 2). The simile involved in the quote comparing his voice to hair cream, characterizes the hitchhiker. The description of his voice, nourishes how he is, and how he talks. This improves the readers knowledge on the hitchhiker, making the story more clear. These similes help convey descriptive, graspable, and well done short
Mrs. Gahagan
English 8 honors
10/16/14
Johnathan Anthony Burkett once said, “You know my name, not my story”. Throughout life, one would encounter many perplexing people, that put up a convincing act, but are they promoting the truth? Would one really know the accuracy of the identity they display? In “The Landlady” a story by Roald Dahl, about a bright young man, who gets drawn to a Bed and Breakfast run by a sweet, harm-free old women, or thats what he thinks... The reader discovers later in the book that, she is plotting to kill him! Similarly in another story by Dahl, “The Hitchhiker”, a short story in which, a driver picks up a mysterious hitchhiker, who is planning to attend the races, but little does the driver kniow that …show more content…
In "The Hitchhiker" when the driver questions the hitchhiker's trip to the races, "his face went absolutely blank, and he sat there staring straight ahead at the road saying nothing" (Dahl 1). As a reader, one would recognize the foreshadowing that there is something odd about him- he isn't plainly going to watch horses at the race. Due to the hitchhiker’s mysterious nature, it sets a cryptic, puzzling mood. similarly in “The Landlady”, when Billy and the landlady are exchanging in conversation about her past visitors, she states “there was not a blemish on his body” (Dahl 69). The quote suggests that she has seen her past visitors full bodies, and foreshadows that she will see Billy’s, generating a disturbing knowledge, from the possibility that Billy as well would have his full body seen by the landlady. Finally, in “The Landlady”, As Billy discovers the past “visitors” names that had stayed at the same house in the newspaper, he comprehends, “as though they were both famous for the same sort of thing, if you see what I mean” (Dahl 66). One would be exposed to the foreshadowing that they had been in the newspaper for something of the same, possibly missing;making a baffling exposition due to the confusion of why the names were so familiar. These examples of foreshadowing, creates successful stories by making them mysterious, disturbing, and puzzling …show more content…
In “The Hitchhiker”, while the narrator describes the hitchhikers appearance, he conveys,“His eyes were dark and quick and clever, like rat’s eyes” (Dahl 1). The comparison between the hitchhikers eyes and a rats, foreshadows his mischievous plans Due to the rat like features he has, it signals that he has other “rat like” features, like being sneaky or mysterious, leaving the readers captivated by the hitchhikers future plans. correspondingly, in “The Landlady”, when Billy arrives at the landlady’s house, and rings the doorbell, “[she] was like a jack-in-the-box. He pressed the bell—and out she popped!” (Dahl 2). The comparison between the landlady, and a jack-in-the-box, creates a disturbing mood. The landlady’s fast ability of opening the door as if she was a “jack-in-the-box”, makes the reader very alarmed, in which creating a disturbing mood. conclusively, in “The Hitchhiker” the narrator states that “his [the hitchhiker] voice was soft and oily as hair cream” (Dahl 2). The simile involved in the quote comparing his voice to hair cream, characterizes the hitchhiker. The description of his voice, nourishes how he is, and how he talks. This improves the readers knowledge on the hitchhiker, making the story more clear. These similes help convey descriptive, graspable, and well done short