How Does Dahl Use Irony In The Landlady

Roald Dahl’s realistic fiction story, “The Landlady” takes place at night in Bath, England. A seventeen year old boy named Billy Weaver needs a place to stay, and when he asks people, they all suggest The Bell and the Dragon. While he is making his way, he spots a boarding house with a sign that reads, “BED AND BREAKFAST.” He decides to stay there instead and is greeted by a middle aged woman who he feels is very kind. Later on, Billy starts to feel like the lady is a little crazy, but he ignores that because he does not want to pass up the cheap offer. Throughout the story, Billy has issues with trusting how he feels. By using irony and foreshadowing, Dahl is able to convey the theme of trusting intuition.

In the story, Billy does not

follow what his mind is telling him. Once Billy rings the doorbell, a lady immediately opens the door. Billy thinks this is a little bit odd, but he does not care very much because he further asks the lady questions about the house. This is a red flag that Billy ignores because normally people have to wait a few seconds for a door to open because people normally do not stand and wait at the door for a visitor to come. Also, when Billy is inside the house and speaking with the lady, he does not seem very concerned about the odd things the lady is saying. Dahl even writes, “The old girl is slightly dotty, Billy told himself. But at five and sixpence a night, who could give a damn about that?”(2). This demonstrates that Billy is not even slightly worried and is staying there just for the good price. Although the old lady shows obvious signs that she cannot be trusted, Billy still does not listen to his instincts. One example of this is when the lady says, “Seventeen! That’s the perfect age!”(5) and never specifies what his age is perfect for. This leaves Billy plenty of room to question the lady, but he just brushes it off as if it is a normal thing to say, which shows he is not trusting himself. Billy ignoring his natural instincts is what gets him in a lot of danger in the end of the story. While the story progresses, Dahl conveys trusting intuition through various craft moves such as irony and foreshadowing.
Dahl is able to convey the message of following natural instincts by using irony.

One way Dahl is able to show this is when he writes, “The old girl is slightly dotty, Billy told himself”(2). This is ironic because earlier in the story Billy keeps mentioning how nice and friendly the lady looks. He makes the connection that she is a little crazy, but he does not listen to what he thinks because of the cheap price of the room. Another example of this is when Dahl writes, “...he spotted a large parrot in a cage. Animals were a good sign in a place like this…”(1). This shows irony because later in the story, Billy finds out that the bird is actually dead and stuffed by the old woman. This connects to trusting yourself because Billy makes the connection that the old girl is a little crazy, and even after he finds out she stuffs all of her dead pets he still does not try and leave the place. Irony is not the only way Dahl is able to convey the message of trusting gut feelings, he also uses foreshadowing. In the story, the lady insists Billy drinks a cup of tea. Later on Dahl writes, “Billy started sipping his tea… he could feel her eyes resting on her face… the tea tasted faintly bitter of almonds”(4). This is foreshadowing because the tea tastes bitter of almonds, which is a sign that it is poisoned. The lady also stares at Billy while he is drinking the tea, which is a sign she is waiting for a reaction from Billy. This example ties into the theme because Billy knows something

is wrong with the tea and the lady, but since the price is so cheap for the room, he refuses to leave. Billy also knows he can go to the Bell and the Dragon and be around more people, but he refuses to. While still using irony along with foreshadowing, Dahl is able to illustrate the story’s theme in a unique way.