The Landlady Setting

Roald Dahl, a British novelist, develops the short story, “The Landlady,” with a buildup to an electrifying, cliffhanger ending through his use of the characters and the setting. The author uses evocative and vivid description throughout the story, which helps develop the scenes that paint a picture of the two characters Billy Weaver, seventeen-year-old, who has a business person mindset and the kind, generous, but dotty landlady. Dahl expertly sets up the scene for his audience, where Billy Weaver is searching for a place to stay the night. Billy Weaver notices this BED AND BREAKFAST sign, which causes him to take a peek through a house’s window to view a room with a fire burning in the hearth that appears comfortable with an equipped piano, plump armchairs, and …show more content…
This leaves no doubt that she is a harmless old woman, therefore the landlady was successful in inviting Billy Weaver into her home. The author personifies the landlady as smart and polite because she was ready with keeping her place tidy, in the hopes of an arrival of a guest. The landlady’s preparation of following hotel policies can display the entries in the book, which has the names of the two earlier guests that stayed there. This event is also important to take note of because it portrays Billy Weaver as observant and informative of the two familiar sounding names that he notices in the book as he writes his name to follow hotel guest policies. The landlady shows her gratitude by offering Billy Weaver tea, while he was trying to recall the names, Christopher Mulholland and Gregory W. Temple. Billy Weaver and the landlady discussed the two young gentlemen who stayed before, which revealed that they still live there together on the fourth floor. The conversation changes to discuss the parrot and the dachshund, which the landlady openly admits to