How effective is Dahl's use of subtext in his short stories?

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How effective is Dahl's use of subtext in his short stories?

Subtext is anything that is indirectly communicated to the reader. It

can be conveyed in many ways, such as sounds, objects, jokes, colours

and temperatures. Subtext expresses a meaning in a subliminal manner.

In Roald Dahl's short stories he uses subtext to display the meanings

and feelings that are hidden.

In 'The Landlady' Dahl uses subtext to convey the true evil behind the

landlady's homely exterior. The animals in the boarding house are

thought of to be a good feature. 'Animals were usually a good sign in

a place like this'. This is ironic because the animals are dead and

stuffed.

When Billy Weaver first walked into the house he noticed that there

was only his coat in the hallway. 'There were no other hats or coats

in the hall'. This is subtext because it suggests that the house is

empty.

Subtext can also be suggested through temperature. All the way through

the story, temperature is used subtextually to suggest meanings and

feelings. The weather outside was cold. A cold temperature is subtext

for death. 'The air was deadly cold and the wind was like a flat blade

of ice', this is pathetic fallacy because it is typical horror genre

weather. Inside the house heat is used to cover up the coldness of

death. 'A bright fire burning' is used to make the house seem warm.

The cups of tea are used in the same way.

When Billy goes to the house the landlady appears very quickly, 'like

a jack-in-the-box'. This indicates that she was waiting for him to

arrive. Furthermore it seems as if she has prepared everything for him

in advance. In other words she knew the point when he was going to

arrive. The landlady says 'we have it all to ourselves'. She also

talks about her guests in the past tense. Therefore it is suggested

that the guests are no longer there.

The landlady is an unconventional monster in this horror story. 'She

looked exactly like the mother of one's best school-friend' explains

that this woman seemed sweet and familiar to Billy. Her role in the

story is reversed when it is revealed that she is in fact a cold

killer.

The landlady acts very strangely towards Billy, 'her blue eyes

travelled slowly all the way down the length of Billy's body'. The

landlady's ayes are described as blue. Blue eyes are not usually

associated with evil so this makes her seem an irregular villain in

the story. The way she looks at him suggests a wicked look but the

'blue eyes' eliminates the evil.

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