In “The Landlady,” Roald Dahl provides the typical, yet effective concepts of using unfamiliar surroundings, psychic abilities, and cyanide to create suspense for the reader.
Dahl has Billy Weaver, a young 17 year-old, traveling alone and arriving in Bath, England, a city unfamiliar to him. While searching for a place to stay for the night, he passes numerous decaying streets. “But now, even in the darkness, he could see that the paint was peeling from the woodwork on their doors and windows, and that the handsome white façades were cracked and blotchy from neglect.” Billy describes these buildings in a way that makes them seem foreboding, and that feeling is increased by the fact that Billy is in completely new territory. When someone is unfamiliar …show more content…
Near the beginning of the story, Billy Weaver notices a Bed and Breakfast sign outside a house. This sign seemed to have some sort of hold on Billy Weaver. On page 1, Dahl wrote, “He was in the act of stepping back and turning away from the window when all at once his eye was caught and held in the most peculiar manner by the small notice that was there… compelling him, forcing him to stay where he was and not to walk away from that house.” This quote shows that the Landlady has some sort of power over Billy, and the next line in the story further proves that claim. “And the next thing he knew, he was actually moving across from the window to the front door of the house, climbing the steps that led up to it, and reaching for the bell.” Without having any control of his movements, Billy Weaver rung the bell of the Landlady’s bed and breakfast. Something is clearly trying to make him stay at this bed and breakfast, and the most reasonable assumption would be the Landlady. “But the trouble is that I'm inclined to be just a teeny weeny bit choosy and particular – if you see what I mean,” explains the Landlady on page 2. If she truly has a psychic ability, then she could easily choose who she wants to stay at her bed and breakfast, and eventually poison them. According to “Sensing vs. Intuiting” from Changingminds.org, intuitors, people who have a ‘sixth sense’ may be seen as impractical. When the Landlady mentions that she is very particular about her guests, it seems very odd. In the business world, especially hotels, having customers is a very important part of making money. If the Landlady is selective with her customers, that would seem impractical to most people. Because of these key pieces of evidence, the conclusion that seems most likely is that the Landlady has some sort of psychic ability, and that she has used it on Billy
Dahl has Billy Weaver, a young 17 year-old, traveling alone and arriving in Bath, England, a city unfamiliar to him. While searching for a place to stay for the night, he passes numerous decaying streets. “But now, even in the darkness, he could see that the paint was peeling from the woodwork on their doors and windows, and that the handsome white façades were cracked and blotchy from neglect.” Billy describes these buildings in a way that makes them seem foreboding, and that feeling is increased by the fact that Billy is in completely new territory. When someone is unfamiliar …show more content…
Near the beginning of the story, Billy Weaver notices a Bed and Breakfast sign outside a house. This sign seemed to have some sort of hold on Billy Weaver. On page 1, Dahl wrote, “He was in the act of stepping back and turning away from the window when all at once his eye was caught and held in the most peculiar manner by the small notice that was there… compelling him, forcing him to stay where he was and not to walk away from that house.” This quote shows that the Landlady has some sort of power over Billy, and the next line in the story further proves that claim. “And the next thing he knew, he was actually moving across from the window to the front door of the house, climbing the steps that led up to it, and reaching for the bell.” Without having any control of his movements, Billy Weaver rung the bell of the Landlady’s bed and breakfast. Something is clearly trying to make him stay at this bed and breakfast, and the most reasonable assumption would be the Landlady. “But the trouble is that I'm inclined to be just a teeny weeny bit choosy and particular – if you see what I mean,” explains the Landlady on page 2. If she truly has a psychic ability, then she could easily choose who she wants to stay at her bed and breakfast, and eventually poison them. According to “Sensing vs. Intuiting” from Changingminds.org, intuitors, people who have a ‘sixth sense’ may be seen as impractical. When the Landlady mentions that she is very particular about her guests, it seems very odd. In the business world, especially hotels, having customers is a very important part of making money. If the Landlady is selective with her customers, that would seem impractical to most people. Because of these key pieces of evidence, the conclusion that seems most likely is that the Landlady has some sort of psychic ability, and that she has used it on Billy