The Landlady

Roald Dahl

Important Concepts

Mood: the feeling the reader gets based on the writer’s words and use of imagery. You can think of mood as the atmosphere that is created.

Foreshadowing: a technique authors use to signal the reader that something is going to happen.

Irony: when the outcome of a situation is the opposite of what is expected

Setting: time and place

Vocabulary

Compelling:

evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way.

Congenial:

(of a person) pleasant because of a personality, qualities, or interests that are similar to one's own.

Vocabulary

Chrysanthemum:

a popular plant of the daisy family, having brightly colored ornamental flowers and existing in many cultivated varieties.

Dithering:

to be indecisive

Vocabulary

Façade:

the face of a building, especially the principal front that looks onto a street or open space; an outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant or creditable reality.

Vocabulary

Rapacious:

to be aggressively greedy or grasping.

Swanky:

stylishly luxurious and expensive.

Comprehension Questions

1. For what reason is Billy in Bath?

Billy is in Bath on business. He has never been to Bath before.

Comprehension Questions

2. What characteristics of the house make Billy feel it would be a good place to stay?

Billy notes that the house has pleasant furniture, such as a baby-grand piano, a big sofa, and several plump armchairs. He spots a parrot and a sleeping dog, and believes animals to be a good sign when looking for a place to stay.

He ultimately decides the house would be more comfortable than The Bell and Dragon.

Comprehension Questions

3. What was unusual about the way the landlady responded to the doorbell?

The narrator emphasizes the speed at which the landlady answers the door, which might suggest she is up to something. Perhaps the landlady was watching Billy as he observed the house.

We get a sinister vibe from the landlady and Billy senses something strange.

Comprehension Questions

4. Why does the landlady seem like she can be trusted?

Billy assumes the landlady can be trusted because she is very nice and too old to cause him any harm.

Billy notes the landlady is “not only harmless […] but she was also quite obviously a kind and generous soul” (line 250-253)

Comprehension Questions

5. What are the first signs that the landlady is very odd?

It is strange when she answers the door before Billy even took his finger off of the bell, even though he heard the bell ringing far away in a back room.

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

Comprehension Questions

6. What do you think the landlady means when she says, “I stuff all my little pets myself when they pass away?”

At first, we believe the landlady performs taxidermy on her pets, but as we read further, it is hinted that the landlady has also performed taxidermy on her guests.

Comprehension Questions

7. What do you think happens to Billy after the story ends? Do you think he realizes what will happen? Explain.

Billy notices a “peculiar smell” (line 392) coming from the landlady and relates the smell to the corridors of a hospital” (line 397)

Billy notes the tea “tasted faintly of bitter almonds,” which suggests it might contain cyanide.

Comprehension Questions

8. Based on Billy’s view of old ladies explain why the ending of the story is ironic.

Billy notes that the landlady “appeared slightly off her rocker [but this] didn’t worry Billy in the least.” In reality, Billy should be very worried.

Billy goes as far as to call her “not harmless” and a “kind and generous soul,” when we know she is clearly not kind.

Billy would never expect the landlady to stuff “acceptable young gentlemen,” but as we can assume, that is what happens.

Foreshadowing & Mood

Billy is like a fly that has flown into a spider’s web, though neither he nor the reader is aware of it at first. The tension increases rapidly; we know something is going to happen, probably something terrible, but we don’t know what.

This tension in a story is called suspense.

Foreshadowing & Mood

Q: What clues can you find early in the story that foreshadow the peculiar situation Billy is in?

Something about this sign is ominous. "Each word was like a large, black eye staring at him through the glass, ... holding him, compelling him, forcing him...” (line 104-107) alludes to the fact that he doesn't seem to have a choice, but is being driven to the house.

“There were no other hats or coats in the hall” (line 167) – no evidence of any other living people around

Foreshadowing & Mood

…Continued…

“You see, it isn't very often that I have the pleasure of taking a visitor into my little nest” (lines 172-173). The words ‘little nest’ compare her to an insect, a wasp or spider.

“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?” (lines 241-244). This line suggests she’ll be breaking the law at some point.

Foreshadowing & Mood

Q: At what point in the story are you (the reader) fairly certain that Billy is in danger? Explain what words, phrases, or images the writer used to give you this feeling.

The landlady describes the other 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. Will you have another cup of tea?”

Foreshadowing & Mood

…Continued…

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.

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

Pre-Writing Task

“The Landlady” is a chilling tale that teaches the reader that when something looks too good to be true, it probably is.

On your evidence sheet, provide examples from the text that demonstrate how Roald Dahl creates suspense and a sense of something sinister as he drives the reader to discover the moral of this tale.