The Landlady In Serial Killers

Most little old ladies bake cookies, the only thing the woman from the landlady is cooking up is death. The landlady went through many phases as serial killers do, specifically the wooing phase and the totem phase. It is In the wooing phase that she captures her victims, and it is in the totem phase where she does something with them after the murder is completed. The landlady went through both phases in the story. The landlady seemed nice at first but the truth eventually, would be uncovered.

The landlady goes through a phase of wooing before the murders by winning over the character with a cozy looking house, the appearance of a harmless little old lady, and a low price to stay for the night. While the character was walking down the street trying to find a place to sleep, he stumbled upon a cozy looking bed and breakfast “ he went

right up and peered through the glass into the room, and the first thing he saw was a bright fire burning in the hearth” (Dahl, 1). It appeared to be a nice place, so he decided to go in. After three years, she must have become good at making the perfect display that would seem cozy enough to entice people to come to stay. In the article “ Serial Murder” by Robert W. Dolan, he talks about a phase referred to as the wooing phase; it is how the killer decides to lure the victim to his or her death. While talking about a serial killer and how they managed to convince their victims to come with them, it states “ the killer chose a victim whom he could control with little difficulty”(Dolan, 52). I think that this relates to the landlady because the man was very gullible, so he didn't suspect a thing which made it easy to drug him. The wooing phase was a big part of the story because it showed how intelligent she was with the display, low price and all the other elements placed in the story.
The landlady goes through a phase caused the totem phase, this is what she does with the body after the murder is complete.

Many serial killers leave the body as is, as demonstrated by the zodiac killer. Also many serial killers have a ritual with the body, or an item to remember there murders. In the landlady the little old woman stuffed her dead dog, and a dead parrot, they looked very real. I think that she taxidermied the man, along with the other two men who never checked out of the bed and breakfast, “ excuse my asking, but haven't there been any other guests here except them in the last two years?” (Dahl, 5). If you don't have guests, you don't make money, so the man is now contemplating how she could still be running a hotel when she says “ no my dear, only you”(Dahl, 5). At this point everything is starting to come together in his mind but it is too late. Based off the fact that she stuffed her dead animals and stated that she is very good at taxidermie, and she said that they are still here, we as the readers can infer that she stuffed the other bodies, to preserve them, because like she stated before, he is just

right.
Throught the landlady billy is very gullible because he doesn't suspect a little old lady to have any problems, he would sadly be mistaken. The landlady goes through a lot of trouble to get her house just right that billy would say yes to sleep there, and she had two years to prepare. Although the only thing the land lady bakes is death, she serves it on a golden platter.