The Landlady Theme

Words: 500

Pages: 2

Open Document

The main theme of Roald Dahl’s “The Landlady” is that something safe and comforting might be the most evil. The story starts with our main character, Billy, arriving in the town of Bath, England for a new job. He is searching for a place to stay and comes across a nice looking bed and breakfast. He was about to ignore it and walk away but something about the sign just seemed to draw him in. Billy looked into the window and saw a bird and a dog sleeping in front of a fire. He thought they looked very peaceful. This relates to the theme because the character believes that if there are pets, the place cannot be too bad. As soon as he knocks on the door, the landlady immediately answers. The reader can tell that the lady was watching him through …show more content…
It is very cheap for what is provided and Billy gladly accepts the offer. The lady then shows Billy to his room on the second floor. Before Billy sets off for bed, the lady reminds him that he must go back to the ground floor and sign the guest book. Even though Billy noticed that the landlady seemed crazy, he didn’t care. This more shows his naivety. While signing the guest book, Billy noticed only two other names, Christopher Mulholland and Gregory Temple. The names sparked a memory in Billy’s brain but he couldn’t put his finger on where he heard the names before. Billy then noticed that the guests signed in two and three years ago. Billy finds it odd that he is the only guest that has been in the bed and breakfast for two years. As Billy starts to finally remember where he heard the names from, the old lady cuts him off and makes him lose his train of thought. This shows that there is something peculiar this lady doesn’t want Billy to remember, but his naivety gets the best of him and he goes on ignoring the fact that something is going on. The lady then starts to talk about her old guests. She starts to talk about them in the past tense form. Also she talks about how Mr. Temple’s skin was as smooth as a

Theme Of Foreshadowing In The Landlady

Roald Dahl’s realistic fiction story, “The Landlady”, takes place in London during winter. Billy Weaver, a seventeen year old, is looking around for a place to stay. He notices chrysanthemums in a window. Billy decides to stay at the boarding house When he is signing in the guestbook, he sees there are only two other names. Dahl uses foreshadowing and word choice to create the lesson that judging someone can be harmful in the future. Judging someone before getting to know them is the story’s…

Words 679 - Pages 3

Foreshadowing In The Landlady By Roald Dahl

In the story “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl, Billy Weaver, the main character, finds himself in a strange situation. Billy needs a place to stay when he comes across a small, cheap, and quiet bed and breakfast. It is a cold night, in Bath, United Kingdom. The theme of the story is to always be aware of your surroundings, because things are not always as they seem in life. The author uses craft moves like point of view and foreshadowing. Overall, by using these craft moves, Roald Dahl is able to create…

Words 697 - Pages 3

The Landlady By Roald Dahl

The narrative that I decided to analyze was “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl. I was first introduced to this short story in the middle school and prior to reading it another time, I still remembered it quite vividly as being one of my favorite stories. The author has a fantastic writing style and the story unravels before you in a rhythm that allows you to feel almost connected to the fate of the the main character. The story takes places in Bath, outside of London on a brisk night in the warm confines…

Words 643 - Pages 3

Stardust Theme

Stardust: Book Report Stars fall out of the sky every day, one typically identifies a falling star as a shooting star, however, who could have known that a shooting star can determine one’s fate? Neil Gaiman, an award winning author, explores the theme of love, youth, dreams, and imagination through his 250 pages awe-inspiring love and adventure story, known as Stardust. This work of fantasy fiction, published by Harper Collins Publisher in 2006, gives readers a glimpse of the very slender and ruptured…

Words 1320 - Pages 6

What Happen In The Lamb To The Slaughter

Have you ever watched a crime scene where the police eat the murder weapon? Well, that's what happens in the lamb to the Slaughter which is a short fiction thriller story by Roald Dahl. The theme to the story is betrayal. Patrick told Mary he wanted to leave his pregnant wife. Lamb to the Slaughter takes place back in 1953. It was late in the afternoon, around 5:36, and the air was clean with “the curtains drawn.” The main characters in the story are Patrick and Mary Maloney. “I'm home,” Patrick…

Words 229 - Pages 1

Poetry and Bukowski Essay

Don’t Try Tristan J. Flood North Pocono School District Abstract This paper explores the life and tragedies of Charles Bukowski, with accordance to his writing. It delves into the relationship between his love for the skid row lifestyle, isolationism, and women; all which become main topics of his poetry. Bukowski also found influences for his writing from his troubled childhood. Living with a an abusive father who did not support his creativity and a grade school experience filled with bullying…

Words 3411 - Pages 14

Essay on Crime and Punishment-

English: Witten Assignment 1 May 2016 The Theme of Suffering in Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment In the psychological thriller, Crime and Punishment, the author, Dostoyevsky, creates one of the first mystery and crime novels. A novel of murder, regret, and suffering, Dostoyevsky utilizes the setting of St. Petersburg, Russia to create the overall mood of the novel. With the manipulation of the setting and dreams, the development of the reoccurring theme of suffering is created throughout Dostoyevsky’s…

Words 1702 - Pages 7

Who Is Satrapi's Identity In Persepolis

argues that the primary purpose of this graphic-novel is to dispel the fallacies of western observers and display Iran’s multi-faceted culture for the reader(McIntosh, 2013). A more important theme arises when the reader analyzes the transformation and discovery of the main character. The primary theme of Persepolis is that one’s identity can not be found, but instead it is the cumulation of one's personality, current surroundings, and previous experiences. Whether buying black market music or…

Words 720 - Pages 3

Sacrifice In Lord Of The Flies

Practice Identifying ICE Go to the document that your team was assigned… ❖ Highlight the Introduction in YELLOW ❖ Highlight the Quote in RED ❖ Highlight the Explaination in BLUE ❖ Then answer the question that follows Team 1 Sacrifice is a theme in Myers’ “Kitty and Mack: A Love Story.” For instance, Kitty is an intelligent girl with a very promising academic future. However, after Mack is shot, she stops going to school in order to show Mack how much she loves him. For example, Kitty tells her…

Words 830 - Pages 4

Black Boy Rhetorical Analysis

Dannica Doplayna, Period 3 Ms. Reid, English 10 / 10 Honors 13 December 2015 ORP 2 Dialectical Journal / Theme Statement Paragraph Wright, Richard. Black Boy. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1944. Print. Passages quoted from the text Responses 1. “He could not punish me now without risking his authority. I was happy because I had at last found a way to throw my criticism of him into his face” (13). Wright’s actions towards the kitten may have been violent, but they felt justified. Wright…

Words 1513 - Pages 7