The Landlady By Roald Dahl Analysis

In the short story “The Landlady” the author Roald Dahl demonstrated the lesson that when something looks too good to be true, it probably is. Throughout the story the protagonist, Billy, is welcomed in to a seemingly perfect Bed and Breakfast by a sweet, old lady who turns out to have a twisted side to her. At the beginning of the story the Bed and Breakfast seems exactly too good to be true because the cost was much lower than expected. Dahl writes, “It was fantastically cheap. It was less than half of what he had been willing to pay.” Through this quote the reader understands that this Bed and Breakfast is extremely good pricing and that because of the great deal it seems a bit strange of why a place so nice is so inexpensive. However after Dahl writes “‘If that is too much,’ She added, ‘then perhaps I can reduce it just a tiny bit.’” By adding this, it adds a sensation that the landlady will do anything in order to make sure that Billy stays there. Next, the landlady who seems kind but somewhat odd makes a couple comments that sounds as if she is shopping at a store. She says, “‘I see someone standing there who is just exactly right…like you’” This doesn't just seem like a faltering compliment. It seems as if she is looking at like she was a child in a candy store.

Will you have another cup of tea?’” It is a bit sinister to stuff old pets yourself and keep them on display in your living space. Also once explaining this the landlady quickly changes the subject so that Billy wont have time to speculate on that information. Billy then declined the offer for more tea because he thought “…the tea tasted faintly of bitter almonds.” From that information the reader can infer that there may be some poison in the tea because bitter almonds extract a poison called hydrogen