The Umbrella Man Analysis

Unit 1 Theme Essay

Do you ever meet someone, and assume that they are something based on what they do, and then later realize that that’s that who they are? Lots of people make that mistake in life. It also happens in stories by Roald Dahl. In The Landlady by Roald Dahl and The Umbrella Man by Roald Dahl, think the main character is one thing, but is is not due to false leads and characterization that the author gives away. After all, people are not always who they seem to be.

In the story The Umbrella Man by Roald Dahl, a “polite, well spoken, well dressed, 70 year old man came to a mother and daughter asking for money for money for a cab ride home. He walked to far and was to tired to walk home. He explained to them why he needed the

money and that he would trade his silk umbrella for it. “I’ve got myself into a bit of a scrape. I need some help,” he said. The mother finally gave in and made the trade. After that the old man ran into a bar and spent the money they gave him on a drink. He walked out of the bar with a new umbrella in his hand and proceeded to play the same trick on someone else. The author used false leads to make the reader think that the old man was something he was not. The old man, was not who they thought he would be.

Also, in the story The Landlady by Roald Dahl, “a nice and welcoming lady” welcomed Billy Weaver, who was in town for business, into her “Bed and Breakfast”. She opened the door before Billy could even take his finger off the bell. “I was on my way to the Ball and Dragon, but the notice in your window just happened to catch my eye,” Billy said. She was very nice and welcoming and a little creepy. She continued to talk to Billy and made him sign the guest book. Billy had seen the names somewhere but he couldn’t remember where he heard them. The dates before him were from more than two years ago. He was getting suspicious. He noticed that the Landlady stuffed animals. He drank lots of tea with the Landlady. He started to get woozy from the poisoned tea and passed out. The Landlady undressed him and took him up to his room and stuffed him. The author used false lead to convince the reader that the Landlady was harmless. The Landlady was not who she seemed to be.

In both of the stories, Roald Dahl uses false leads to make you think that the characters are something they're not.

In The Umbrella Man the author used characterization to make you think the little old man was a nice gentleman who just wanted money for a cab ride home. The mother thought he was a gentleman because of his shoes, but is still suspicious. He makes a deal with her to trade his expensive silk umbrella for money. She gives in and makes the trade. He sprints away clearly not looking for a cab. The mother and daughter follow him. They see him walk into a bar and buy a drink with the money they gave him. When his is finished he grabs another umbrella from the coat rack and proceeded to play the same trick on another stranger. It wasn’t till the end that the mother and daughter realized that he was not who they thought he would be. In The Landlady the author opened the story by a man named Billy Weaver looking for a place to stay. He found a nice “Bed and Breakfast” and he rung the doorbell and the lady opened the door before he could even take his finger off the bell. She talked to him and made him sign a guestbook which had names in it from more than 2 years ago. He recognized the names and started to get suspicious. He noticed a couple of stuffed animals. The landlady did it herself. He continued to drink the tea and he got tired and then passed out. He woke up to the landlady getting ready to stuff him. He had been poisoned by the tea. In the end the plot revealed that she was a killer who stuffed things for her own enjoyment. The Umbrella Man and The Landlady both have plots that use false lead that makes you think that people are not who you assume they

are.