Landlady_Roald Dahl

When Billy is in the living room, what first alerts the reader that something may be wrong?

Billy signs the guest book and sees two names he recognizes, maybe from newspaper headlines. He is almost positive he has heard of them before. There is no evidence in the house of other occupants. The reader wonders, where they are and where they have gone.

What inference does Billy make about the Bed and Breakfast based on these observations?

"All in all, it looked to him as though it would be a pretty decent house to stay in. Certainly it would be more comfortable than The Bell and Dragon."

13-Powerfully crafting this story, Dahl through his intentional use of description, interesting language, and plot development compel the reader to interact with his story on an emotional level which heightens the reader's experience and creates tension in the reader's mind.

Dahl leaves the reader with the feeling that one should always beware of daunting, old boarding houses and sinister old ladies.

that begins, "Please come in." What words or phrases does the author use to describe what happens next and how Billy feels about the situation?

"Billy found himself automatically starting forward. The compulsion or, more accurately, the desire to follow after her into that house was extraordinarily strong."

"Suddenly, in a downstairs window..." and continue rereading through the next few paragraphs. What words and phrases does the author use to describe the Bed and Breakfast?

"beautiful, wonderful chrysanthemums," "bright burning fire in the hearth," "pretty little dachshund curled up," "pleasant furniture," "plump armchairs," "animals were usually a good sign in a place like this"

9-Additionally, the statement, "Everyone has to do that because it's the law of the land and we don't want to go breaking any laws at this stage in the proceedings do we?" suggests that the Landlady has broken the law before.

10-Finally, the way in which the plot is structured builds tension for the reader as he gets deeper into the story.

11-Billy, curiously being drawn to the boarding house, the absences of other's belongings such as hats, coats, and umbrellas in the front receiving room, only two names in the guest registry that seem somehow familiar, and the discovery that the charming pets are not live creatures,

12-but stuffed representations of their former selves, are allways Dahl leads the reader through the story to the conclusion that everything is not as it first appeared, and Billy should definitely be concerned for his life. The odd smell of the tea is Dahl's final gift to the reader.

7-Furthermore, Dahl intentionally uses descriptive language throughout the story to also create tension in the reader's mind. As he begins the story he states, "The air was deadly cold and the wind like a flat blade of ice against his cheeks." Deadly cold and flat blade cleverly implies death has either happened or will soon occur.

8-Another example, "You see, it isn't very often that I have the pleasure of taking a visitor into my little nest." The words "little nest" compare her to an insect, a wasp, or spider awaiting her next victim.

How does the author's use of irony when describing the landlady make the reader question her?

He uses phrases such as terribly nice, the old girl is slightly dotty, inclined to be a teeny weeny tiny bit particular, slightly of her rocker.

No other coats or hats in the hall...

No evidence of any other living person around.

What other evidence from the story suggests a possible, fatal demise for Billy?

Some possible examples would be the "stuffed" animals in the living room, the suspicious smell of the tea the landlady served, etc.

A queer thing happened. "Each word was like a large, black eye staring at him through the glass, ... holding him, compelling him, forcing him..."

Something about this sign is ominous. "Forcing him," alludes to the fact that he doesn't seem to have a choice, but is being driven to the house.

Billy turns to go, "and now a queer thing happened to him." Summarize what happens in this scene.

The author says that "...his eye was caught and held in the most peculiar manner by the small notice. BED AND BREAKFAST in capital letters was repeated four times." "Each word was like a large black eye staring at him through the glass holding him, compelling him, forcing him to stay...and not to walk away from the house..."

why does the author include the line, "There were no other hats or coats in the hall. There were no umbrellas, no walking sticks-nothing."?

The author supplies the reader with information to hint at why there are no other guests.

"You see, it isn't very often that I have the pleasure of taking a visitor into my little nest.

The words, little nest, compare her to an insect, a wasp or spider.

Why is he debating between staying at pub instead of a boardinghouse?

This boardinghouse had pleasant furniture, and animals which were usually a good sign and he thought it would be a pretty decent house to stay in.

"Everyone has to do that because it's the law of the land and we don't want to go breaking any laws at this stage in the proceedings do we?"

This quote suggests that she will be breaking the law at some point.

Should he have been suspicious at this point in the story?

This strong desire to follow her into "that" house should have alerted him that something might not be quite right. Especially since moments before the sign compelled him to stay. It was also strange that she answered the door before he even took his finger off of the bell, even though he heard the bell ringing far away in a back room.

What does this information lead the reader to believe concerning Billy's possible fate?

Will you have another cup of tea?" The landlady also "looked up at him out of the corner of her eyes and gave him another gentle little smile" when she said her only other guests were Billy.

1-In the short story, The Landlady, Roald Dahl creates a masterful example of how to create a story which is filled with suspense and foreboding. At every turn, Dahl places clues which lead the reader further on the path of his twisted tale to the conclusion that the landlady is someone who should not be trusted.

2-His adept descriptions of his characters and setting, his use of language and a well-structured plot all help lead the reader to an unsettling conclusion.

3-Dahl opens the story with the description of the young, idyllic Billy, traveling to Bath for work. At the onset, he describes Billy as wanting to do everything briskly, like all successful business men. He places us in Billy's mind as he considers where to take lodgings, a congenial pub or a boarding house that would potentially have peculiar smells.

4-Naïve Billy ignores his intuition and investigates the boarding house, seemingly drawn there. Similarly, Dahl gives clues to the reader about his landlady character as he describes her as "slightly dotty" and states that she springs to open the door when the bell has rung like a "jack in the box." She is ready to pounce on her victim.

5-Equally, Dahl creates suspense as he describes the boarding house in various parts of the story. He begins with describing the sign in the window that compels Billy forward towards the house, "Each word was like a large black eye staring at him through the glass, ... holding him, compelling him, forcing him." Something about this sign is ominous. "Forcing him," alludes to the fact that he doesn't have a choice but to be driven to the house.

6-As Billy looks through the window, he sees a bird and a dog curled up by the warm hearth. Later in the story when Billy enters that room, he finds the animals in the same position... because they have been stuffed, a clue to the whereabouts of previous guests.

Billy should be on the alert?

Queer, peculiar, black eye, compelling and forcing are words used to alert Billy.

I see someone standing there who is just exactly right.

She has a certain profile for her victims.

As Billy is almost remembering the connection between the two boys, what effect did the interruptions from the landlady have on the story?

She interrupts him which builds suspense and distracts him.

The dame was like a jack in the box, she refers to her "nest".

She is ready to pounce on her victim.

What might this foreshadow about the landlady, about Billy, and about how the two might interact later in the story?

She is up to something. Is she magical or sinister? She could not have known Billy was coming. Billy senses something strange.

When Billy arrives in the city of Bath, the first thing he needs to do is find lodgings.

The Pub would be more fun for him as a young man than the boarding house. At the pub there would be beer and darts in the evenings, lots of people to talk to, and it would probably be a good bit cheaper.

How does the author describe the sign and Billy's reaction?

The author includes this information to inform the reader that Billy was compelled to choose this location; he seemed to have little control. The reader understands that Billy's original thoughts may be warranted and to hint at possible strangeness and outcomes of the story.

She is slightly dotty.

The author is revealing bits and pieces of her character that assist the reader to become suspicious of the landlady.

What is the significance of being "brisk" in the story?

The author uses brisk four times in all its forms to indicate the kind of quick, efficient, skipping quality of no-nonsense that a young kid trying to fit into the business world would notice.

What can the reader infer, using evidence from the text, about the two boys that are missing?

The landlady describes the boys in detail: "trifle shorter than you, teeth weren't as white, wasn't a blemish on his body, skin was like a baby's." At this point in the story we have no evidence that Billy suspects his fate, but the reader may be wondering if Billy might be stuffed when she says that, "...I stuff all my little pets myself when they pass away.

Why or why not?

The landlady says the room is "all ready" for him even though he is just "wondering" about a room

"The air was deadly cold and the wind like a flat blade of ice against his cheeks."

This foreshadowing sets up the reader to be on guard for future peculiar happenings (develops the rising action).