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The Landlady
Lecture Notes
A. Audio
1. Recording: ‘EAIH - Emily Reads Horror - "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl’ (19’28”)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFWBsMeIYlM
B. Video
2. Tales of the Unexpected Series 1 Episode 5 The Landlady 21 Apr 1979 (24’09”)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpDb4EcSnLE
3. The Landlady - Short Film (7’59”)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTy6FZmOQNc
C. Text
http://juliestanaway.weebly.com/uploads/9/6/3/1/963190/landlady.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3DSR3AzeEYe2YVLZUpXmAVKnxDS3ajZzPdq9vSNS1YJ-hBYn7ztZZ74M
Lesson 1
Arriving in Bath
(Text: Lines 1-98 / Recording: up to 4’36”)
1. What is the setting of the story? (Bath, bitter cold - ‘a flat blade of ice’, night - ‘around
nine p.m.’, a lonely train station facing an empty street, the moon over two rows of
houses on both sides, decrepit houses of past splendor.)
(NB. The setting Initiates the main backdrop and builds up the mood of the story, e.g.
Billy arrives in an unknown town alone and only one porter is mentioned - a suspenseful
sense of isolation/unreality, danger/death, etc. Notice other menacing images like ‘the
air was deadly cold and the wind was like a flat blade of ice on his cheeks’, a lonely train
station, empty street, the moon, the decrepit houses. All these images foreshadow
something unexpected and unpleasant is going to happen, i.e. Billy’s tragedy. Perhaps
you would think Dahl’s description of the setting is nothing but a casual introduction to
an ordinary common English town with usual cold weather, yet the setting so described
still:
● makes the subsequent surprise or the unexpected experience stand out oddly.
● reinforces the message that the unbelievable can happen everywhere and to
everyone, like you or me.)
[NB. Note how Dahl deliberately creates a sense of isolation by giving very little
description of other human persons, except the porter and, later, the landlady.]
[NB. Note the dilapidation of the swanky houses, which already suggests handsome
things can be ugly or the other way round.]
2. Why is Billy in Bath, and where is he headed? (To report to a new assignment and start
his career in a new place. “He didn’t know anyone who lived there. But Mr. Greenslade
at the head office in London had told him it was a splendid town (L15) and “...report to
your branch manager as soon as you’ve got yourself settled.” (L18). At the train station
talking to the porter, “Billy thanked him and picked up his suitcase and set out to walk
the quarter-mile to The Bell and Dragon. He had never been to Bath before.” (L13).
3. To describe Billy, the author uses the words “brisk” in all its forms such as “briskly”,
“briskness” (L22-26).
a. What does the author mean by the word “brisk”? (Dictionary meaning: active
and energetic. But Dahl uses it to indicate Billy has the kind of quick, efficient,
skipping quality of no-nonsense, which means Billy is interested in achieving
what is intended without wasting time or listening to any unusual ideas. In
short, Billy is, and believes himself to be, down-to-earth and practical.)
b. What is the significance of the idea of “brisk” in the story? (It shows Billy, a
young kid at the age of 17, trying to fit into the business world by looking at
what is impressive and trying to look impressive, successful and confident
himself. Evidence: “Briskness, he decided, was the one common characteristic
of all successful businessmen. The big shots up at the head office were
absolutely fantastically brisk all the time. They were amazing.” (L24). Billy has
unreflectively accepted the dominant view and value of society.
Billy’s briskness is pretentious and precocious. It has betrayed his inexperience
and naivete. Believing himself to be as brisk and smart as a successful
businessman, Billy naturally looks for a good bargain and also feels he can
understand and handle the complexity and vicissitudes of life. This explains
why:
(a) he readily accepts the landlady’s offer: “Five and sixpence is fine...I should
like very much to stay here.” (L120)
(b) he tries to make up a reason himself for the landlady being “slightly off her
rocker” by guessing that “she had probably lost a son in the war...and had never
gotten over it.” (L193).
Billy’s briskness actually has made him unable to detect any signs of pending
danger.)
[NB. Note Dahl has made no direct comments on Billy’s character. He just
describes Billy’s behaviour and thoughts.]
[NB. Billy 'walked briskly down the street…’ (L22). Is Billy really ‘brisk’ or is he
trying to be more like someone whistling in darkness to appear to be confident?]
4. When Billy arrives in the city of Bath, the first thing he needs to do is find lodgings. Why
is Billy dithering about staying at a pub instead of a boarding house?
(Feeling pretentiously brisk and smart, Billy believes he can reason and deliberate
about cost and benefit, advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand he knows: A.
‘a pub would be more congenial. There would be beer and darts in the evenings, and
lots of people to talk to, and it would probably be a good bit cheaper.” (L60) - good for a
young man like Billy. B. On the other hand, the boarding house right before him looks
cozy, welcoming and comfortable because it is decorated with wonderful
chrysanthemums, warm with a bright fire burning in the hearth, pleasant furniture, and
animals which are usually a good sign. So, he decides “it would be a pretty decent
house to stay in.” (L52-58). As a result, flattered or fooled by his own assumed
briskness to be practical and even ‘rational’, Billy overlooks the importance of
intuition, thus easily giving himself over to tempting things such as cute little dogs,
comfortable furniture, low prices...of the B&B, and therefore missing the chance to go
on a reliable path that saves his life. [NB. His “briskness” also blinds him to other
ominous signs about the landlady and the boarding house: the B&B signs, the landlady
popping out like a jack-in-the-box, ‘no other hats or coats in the hall’, the reduced
charge, the bedclothes turned up ready for someone to get in, the strange glance and
words of the landlady, the names in the guestbook, the ‘peculiar smell’ emanated
from the landlady, the mention of physical features of the other guests, the stuffed
pets, the bitter tea. So he cannot save himself.]
On the surface, it is the coziness of the B&B that has attracted Billy. But more deeply
and likely, it is Billy’s own pretentious briskness that causes him to eventually choose
the B&B. Like most businessmen thrilled with new ventures, Billy also feels that he
should try out something new. Somehow he “had never stayed in any boarding houses”
before (L63) and he believes he can handle if any problems arise. This is the real source
of temptation for him! His temptation is actually a result of distraction [Think: Can you
tell ‘distracted’ by what?] rather than attraction.
With assumed briskness, Billy feels that he is practical and even ‘rational’. For him,
intuition or common sense has no role to play at all when making rational judgements
(That is why Billy tries to reason with himself whether to stay in The Bell and Dragon or
the B&B.). Despite the fact that his intuition and common sense have vaguely but
rightly alerted him to pending dangers [Evidence: “He had never stayed in any boarding
houses, and, to be perfectly honest, he was a tiny bit frightened of them. The name
itself conjured up images of watery cabbage, rapacious landladies, and a powerful smell
of kippers in the living room. After dithering about like this in the cold for two or three
minutes, Billy decided that he would walk on and take a look at The Bell and Dragon
before making up his mind.” (L62)], Billy still chooses to be lured towards the Bed and
Breakfast by its inviting appearance, thus fatally missing the chance to go on a reliable
path to the pub that would spare his life. People make mistakes either because they are
too stupid or too clever. Perhaps Billy has tried to be too clever, so he also becomes too
stupid to be able to see things clearly. NB. Although Billy does not trust intuition, he
does trust his first impressions/preconception/stereotype ideas he has about people
or things. This is because, brisk as he thinks he is, Billy always tries to impress or be
impressed by others. As a result, and without his own knowing, Billy’s view of the
world is nothing but a replica of the majority view and the dominant value in society.
Billy takes all these for granted.
[Think: For Dahl, is reasoning less important than intuition?]
(Rational = over-rational? Rational = calculating/instrumental? Rational = following
the majority view? Rational = complete understanding and control of everything?
Rational = no room for common sense/value/foolhardiness/humour? ...)
5. From Lines 37-58:
a. What words and phrases does the author use to describe the Bed and Breakfast?
(“beautiful, wonderful chrysanthemums,” “bright burning fire in the hearth,”
“pretty little dachshund curled up,” “pleasant furniture,” “plump armchairs,”
“animals were usually a good sign in a place like this”.)
b. What inference does Billy make about the Bed and Breakfast based on these
observations? (“All in all, it looked to him as though it would be a pretty decent
house to stay in. Certainly it would be more comfortable than The Bell and
Dragon.”(L55).
6. On page 23, the author says that Billy turns to go, “And now a queer thing happened to
him.” (L72).
a. Summarize what happened. (The author says that “…his eye was caught and held
in the most peculiar manner by the small notice that was there. BED AND
BREAKFAST, it said.” (L74). Bed and Breakfast in capital letters was repeated
four times. “...and the next thing he knew, he was actually moving across from
the window to the front door of the house, climbing the steps that led up to it,
and reaching for the bell.” (L80).
b. How does the author describe the sign? (“Each word was like a large black eye
staring at him through the glass, holding him, compelling him, forcing him to
stay...and not to walk away from the house…” (L76).
c. How does the author describe Billy’s reaction? (Dahl emphasizes that Billy was
compelled to choose this location and has little control of the situation. This
description alerts the readers to the possible strangeness and outcomes of the
story.)
[Think: Is Dahl superstitious? Why do you think he has described the B&B sign
in a rather supernatural way?]
(As mentioned in Q4 above, if Billy wants temptation, Dahl doesn’t mind
exaggerating the temptation for him by ironically putting in some supernatural
elements when describing the B&B sign. Apart from creating the dramatic
effect that shows how strongly Billy has been tempted, Dahl also wants to
show that the world is full of complexity and perplexity, and that reality can
end up being something totally beyond the grasp of understanding or control,
no matter how brisk, smart or rational you claim to be.)
[Think: Is human life and human society only organized in terms of rational
principles such as rules, means-end algorithms, cause and effect, etc.]
[Think: Is Dahl just telling a story of crime? Is he criticizing the childishness of
young people like Billy? Is he criticizing a dominant mindset or prevalent value
in society? Is he expounding his view of life?]
7. Which words used by the author in Lines 72-83, suggest that Billy should be on the alert?
(‘Queer’, ‘peculiar’, ‘black eye’, ‘compelling’ and ‘forcing’ are words used to alert Billy.)
8. The narrator emphasizes the speed at which the Landlady answers the door.
What might this foreshadow about (a) the landlady, (b) Billy, and (c) how the two might
interact later in the story?
(a) The landlady. She is up to something because she could not have known Billy was
coming - readers may wonder if she is magical or sinister or if she, more likely, has been
watching Billy while he is still outside observing the B&B - “I saw the notice in the
window,” he said...and the landlady said “Yes, I know.” (L101).
(b) Billy. He actually sensed something strange at once - “But this dame was like a jackin-the-box...and out she popped! It made him jump.” (L90). However, complacent of
himself being brisk, Billy soon explains away his strange feeling by saying that “The old
lady is slightly dotty.” (L135) and “slightly off her rocker.” (L199).
(c) When the Landlady and Billy interact. The landlady might control the upcoming
situations and is able to manipulate Billy.
[Some examples of how the landlady manipulates Billy later in the story:
(i) ‘the desire to follow after her into the house was extraordinarily strong.” (L99). (ii)
“Then perhaps I can reduce it just a tiny bit” and consequently Billy, in compliance, says
“I should like very much to stay here.” (L116). (iii) “But before you go to bed, would
you be kind enough to pop into the sitting room...and sign the book.” (L182). (iv) “Wait
a minute...wasn’t that the name of the Eton schoolboy…” but then the landlady
interrupts Billy by saying ‘“Milk?” she said. “And sugar?”’ (L279). (v) The whole time
Billy is mentioning the guest names, the Landlady also tries to make Billy sit beside her,
both to distract and control the situation: “But come over here now, dear, and sit down
beside me on the sofa and I’ll give you a nice cup of tea and a ginger biscuit before you
go to bed.” (L266). “Come over here now and sit next to me and warm yourself in front
of this lovely fire... She patted the empty place beside her on the sofa, and she sat there
smiling at Billy and waiting for him to come over.” (L287). At last Billy “crossed the
room slowly and sat down on the edge of the sofa. (vi) She placed his teacup on the
table in front of him.” (L293) and “Billy started sipping his tea.” (L297)].
Lesson 2
Into the B&B
(Text: Lines 99-198 / Recording up to 9’24”)
1. Read the paragraph on page 24 that begins, “Please come in, ...” (L96).
a. What words or phrases does the author use to describe what happens next?
(“Billy found himself automatically starting forward. The compulsion or, more
accurately, the desire to follow after her into that house was extraordinarily
strong.” (L96).
b. How does Billy feel about the situation? (Billy seemed to have little control of
the situation.)
c. Should Billy have been suspicious at this point in the story? Why or why not?
(First, this strong desire to follow her into ‘that’ house should have alerted him
that something might not be quite right, especially just a moment before that,
the B&B sign had compelled him to stay. Second, it was also strange that the
landlady answered the door - like a ‘jack-in-the-box’ - before he even took his
finger off of the bell, even though he heard the bell ringing far away in a
backroom. Third, the landlady says the room is “all ready” for him - as if she has
been expecting Billy for long - even though Billy is just “wondering” about a
room. Yet Billy shows no suspicion of all these unusual signs.)
2. (a) What does the landlady do or say that shows she is unusually well-prepared for
Billy’s arrival? (i) “It’s all ready for you, my dear.” (L105). (ii) “If that is too much…I can
reduce it…” (L116). (iii) “Everything is always ready day and night in this house just on
the off chance that an acceptable young man will come along…who is just exactly right...
Like you…” (L143). (iv) “He noticed that the bedspread had been taken off the bed and
that the bedclothes had been neatly turned back on one side, all ready for someone to
get in.” (L167).
(b) Why do you think she is so ready for Billy? (The landlady is up to something and
Billy happens to be her right target - “You see, it isn’t very often I have the pleasure of
talking a visitor into my little nest.” (L133). “I'm inclined to be just a teeny-weeny bit
choosy and particular” (L140). The landlady is looking for the kind of “acceptable young
gentleman” (L145). [NB. It turns out all her guests seem to have common physical
characteristics: “They were tall and young and handsome, my dear, just exactly like you.”
(L239). “Seventeen!...Oh, It’s the perfect age! Mr Mulholland is also seventeen. But I
think he was a trifle shorter than you are.” (L321). “...and his teeth weren’t quite so
white. You have the most beautiful teeth.” (L323). About Mr Temple, the landlady says
“...There wasn’t a blemish on his body” (L331) and “just like a baby’s.” (L333).]
3. How does the landlady’s speech (Lines 99-198) hint at some future event? (a. “...and we
don’t want to go breaking the law at this stage of the proceedings, do we?”(L185) - what
about the later stage? b. “I’m so glad you appeared...I was beginning to get worried.”
(L172) - readers will ask what she needs to ‘get worried’ about. [With hindsight, readers
will also think it ironic because it should be Billy, not the landlady, who needs to get
worried.]
4. What ironic remarks the author has used to make readers question the landlady? (He
uses phrases such as “terribly nice” (L123), the old girl is “slightly dotty” (L135), “inclined
to be a teeny weeny tiny bit particular” (L140), “slightly off her rocker”. (L189).
5. Why does the author include the line, “There were no other hats or coats in the hall.
There were no umbrellas, no walking sticks - nothing.”? (L129). (The author gives the
readers the hint that Billy is possibly the only guest, thus making the readers wonder
why. Somehow as Billy himself remarks: “I should’ve thought you’d be simply swamped
with applicants.” (L136).
6. What characteristics does the landlady have that make Billy feel she is trustworthy?
(“She was about forty-five or fifty years old, and the moment she saw him she gave him
a warm welcoming smile.” (L93). “Please come in,” she said pleasantly” (L96). “She had
a round pink face and very gentle blue eyes.” (L105). “She seemed terribly nice. She
looked exactly like the mother of one's best school-friend welcoming her into the house
to stay for the Christmas holidays”. (L123)
7. Can you suggest any four things that the landlady says or does that seem strange or
unusual. (1. "He pressed the bell. Far away in a back room he heard it ringing, and then
at once - It must have been at once because he hadn’t even had time to take his
finger from the bell button - the door swung open and a woman was standing there.”
(L84) 2. “I saw the notice in the window,” he said, holding himself back. “Yes, I know.”
(L103) - as if the landlady has been watching Billy for a long while outside the B&B. 3. “I
was wondering about a room.” “It's all ready for you, my dear,” she said. (L105). 4.
She had a round pink face and very gentle blue eyes” but “…her blue eyes travelled all
the way down the length of Bill’s body…” (L152). 5. “Thank you,” Billy said. “Thank you
ever so much.” He noticed that the bedspread had been taken off the bed, and that the
bedclothes had been neatly turned back on one side, all ready for someone to get in.”
(L168). 6. “I’m so glad you appeared,” she said, looking earnestly into his face. “I was
beginning to get worried.” (L172).
Lesson 3
Missing Guests
(Text: Lines 199-296 / Recording up to 14’46”)
1. When Billy has come down to the living room, what first alerts the reader that
something may be wrong? (First, Billy goes downstairs and sees a fire going in the living
room with the dog curled up sleeping - “...the little dachshund was still sleeping soundly
in front of it” (L198). The dog has not moved a bit since Billy’s arrival! Second, when
signing the guest book, Billy sees only two names. “Now where on earth had he heard
that rather unusual name before?” (L210). He recognizes these two names, maybe from
newspaper headlines. “I’m almost positive I’ve heard those names before
somewhere...Isn’t that odd? Maybe it was in the newspaper.” (L232). Third, there is no
evidence in the house of other guests. The readers wonder again where they are and
where they have gone.)
2. Why does the landlady keep forgetting Billy’s last name? (Possible reasons: a. She is
looking for victims, not friends, and she is only interested in the bodies of his victims but
not their names. b. Possibly too many victims - including someone called Mr Perkins
(L160) and Mr Wilkins (L249), apart from Mr Muliholland and Mr Temple. c. A hint that
foreshadows Billy will appear just as another name only to be forgotten in the guest
book, like those of the missing guests (Evidence: “You did sign the guest book, didn’t
you?...That’s good. Because later on, If I happen to forget what you were called, then I
could always come down here and look it up. I still do that almost every day with Mr
Mulholland and Mr...Mr…” (L368)
3. Billy doesn’t finish his sentence about Christopher Mulholland.
a. What was he about to say? (“...wasn’t that the name for the Eton school boy
who was on a walking tour through the West country and then all of a sudden…”
‘And then all of a sudden...” (L280). Billy almost remembers the guests have
been missing!
b. Why was he interrupted? (Interrupted twice: “Milk...And sugar?” (L282) and
“Eton schoolboy?” (L284). a. To distract Billy from remembering what happened
to the other guests - somehow “He was positive now that he had seen them in
the newspapers - in the headlines.” b. To get Billy to drink the tea quickly - “Billy
started sipping his tea...But Billy knew that she was looking at him...and he could
feel her eyes resting on his face, watching over the rim of her teacup.” (L297)
c. What literary effect does the author want to create with a description of the
landlady’s interruptions? (Build up suspense - Will Billy eventually finish his
thought and remember that the two guests disappeared? Will he meet their
fate if he doesn’t remember?)
4. ‘“I’m a lucky fellow.” He thought, rubbing his hands. “This is a bit of all right.”’ (L200). Do
you agree Billy is lucky?
Lesson 4
Billy’s Fate
(Text: Lines 297-378 / Recording up to 19’28” )
1. What might the “peculiar smell” (L302) suggest? “...a whiff of a peculiar smell” (L302)
that reminds of “the corridors of hospital”. (L306). This hints at the landlady’s taxidermy
skills in preserving dead bodies.
2. What has the landlady said that seems to contradict the following statement: “Left?”
she said. “But my dear boy, he never left. He’s still here. Mr. Temple is also here.
They’re on the fourth floor, both of them together.” (L313)? (a) Unusual for guests to
have stayed for such a long time: “The last entry is over two years old.” (L242)...”And
Christopher Mullholland’s is nearly a year before that - more than three years ago.”
(L245). (b) Now there are no signs of any guests! (c) The Landlady has been using past
tense before to describe the two guests - see L237-239, L285, L307).
3. What do you suspect has happened to both missing guests? How did you arrive at that
conclusion?
(a) Killed: “The tea tasted faintly of bitter almonds” (L365), which gives a hint that the
tea has been poisoned. Yet the landlady says: “never in my life have I seen anyone drink
as much tea as dear, sweet Mr Mulholland.” (L308).
(b) Bodies kept upstairs: “Left?...But my dear boy, he never left. He’s still here...They’re
on the fourth floor, both of them together.” (Cf. The landlady’s early remark to Billy:
“And this one is all yours.”(L55)
(c) Taxidermy: (i) The landlady can describe the missing guests’ physical features in
detail: “trifle shorter than you, teeth weren’t as white, wasn’t a blemish on his body,
skin was like a baby’s.” (ii) The ‘peculiar smell’. (iii) the stuffed pets.
[NB. Students should explain how different events, when logically linked up, can show
what might have happened to the missing guests before or Billy later.]
4. Billy seems to be thunderstruck by a sudden realization about the landlady. How does
he react to the weird things said and done by her?
(a) When told of Mr Mulholland and Mr Temple being still in the B&B, “Billy set his cup
down slowly on the table and stared at his landlady.” (L316).
(b) When told of Mr Temple’s body having no blemish, ‘“A what?” Billy said...There was
a pause...He waited for her to say something else...He sat there staring straight ahead of
him into the far corner of the room, biting his lower lip.’ (L332).
(c) Realizing the parrot is not alive and that the landlady has stuffed it, Billy says: “You
did?” and “it’s most terribly clever the way it’s been done.”(L340).
(d) When finding out the dachshund is also stuffed by the landlady, Billy says: ‘“Good
gracious me...How absolutely fascinating.” He...stared with deep admiration at the
little woman beside him on the sofa.’ (L357).
(e) Till the end of the story, Billy still thinks of the missing guests and remains puzzled by
the fact that there are no other guests around: “Excuse my asking, but haven’t there
been any other guests here except them in the last two or three years.” (L372).
[Think: What can you say about Billy’s reactions? What can you tell about his
character?]
5. Are there any descriptions in this lesson that impress you the most about the landlady
being scheming, evil, cold-blooded and devoid of feeling for others?
(a) The way she looks at Billy - “...and he could feel her eyes resting on his face,
watching him over the rim of her teacup.’ (L300). ‘“She looked up at him out of the
corners of her eyes and gave him another gentle little smile. “No, my dear,” she said.
“Only you.”’ (376). [Cf. “...her blue eyes travelled slowly all the way down the length of
Billy's body, to his feet, and then up again.” (L151)]
(b) Smiles and gestures - Having said the two missing guests are still upstairs, “she
smiled back at him, and then...she patted him comfortingly on the knee.” (L317). After
Billy asked if there were any other guests in the past two or three years, she “...gave him
another gentle little smile.” (L377) and said “Only you.”
(c) Silences - Suddenly told of Mr Temple having no blemish on the body, Billy “waited
for her to say something, but she seemed to have lapsed into another of her silences.”
(L336).
(d) Emotionless - ‘“It doesn’t look in the least bit dead. Who did it?”’ ‘“I did.”’ (L345), “I
stuff all my little pets myself when they pass away. Will you have another cup of tea?”
(L361). “No my dear...Only you.” (L378)
{That the landlady is devoid of feeling can be seen from her short answers like “I did”.
This answer not only has a ‘business as usual’ tone but it also shows the landlady is a
person who seldom reveals her feelings. A normal pet lover - If she has feelings at all would not shy away from sharing her joy or sorrow about her pets, even the dead ones.
But her curt reply “I did” is so awkward. That the landlady has no intention to share any
of her feelings is clear because she says “Will you have another cup of tea?” immediately
after she tells Billy “I stuff all my little pets myself when they pass away.” (362). It is
possible the landlady has felt so sad she does not feel like talking about her pets. But if
she really feels that way, the question is why she displays the stuffed pets in the sitting
room in the first place. Don’t forget it’s the landlady herself taking the initiative to
introduce her stuffed dog to Billy: “And have you met my Basil as well.” (349)}.
6. What information at the end of the story foreshadows Billy's possible fate? (Earlier
when the landlady suddenly says Mr Mullholland and Mr Temple are still staying
upstairs together, readers begin to wonder if the two guests might have been killed.
Now at the end of the story, although the author still has said nothing explicit about
Billy’s eventual fate, the readers should have a clearer idea that Billy, like the other
guests, has been killed and how the landlady has handled all her victims. Evidence: 1.
“...I stuff all my little pets myself when they pass away.” (L361). 2. The suspicious taste
of the tea - ‘“Will you have another cup of tea?”...The tea tasted faintly of bitter
almonds,’ (L364) But Billy “didn’t much care for it.” (L365). 3. When Billy asks
“...haven’t there been any other guests here except them in the last two or three
years?”, the landlady “looked up at him out of the corner of her eyes and gave him
another gentle little smile”. Then she says her only other guest is Billy - “Only you.”
(L377), which implies that if all the guests are doomed, so is Billy.)
Lesson 5
Literary Elements
Literary elements that help create tension and suspense:
1. The setting
● General setting: Bath, around nine p.m. Bitter cold (‘a flat blade of ice’) - evokes
the idea of danger and death. A lonely train station facing an empty street with
the moon over two rows of houses on both sides - gives an eerie and unreal
feeling.
(NB. Billy arrives in an unknown town alone and only one porter is mentioned - a
suspenseful sense of isolation. Decrepit houses of past splendor - a feeling of
deception and strangeness. Overall, the setting and the eerie image of Billy
walking alone at night through a dilapidated neighborhood set the tone for the
story.)
● The B&B setting: Cozy sitting room with ‘a vase of yellow chrysanthemums, tall
and beautiful’, a bird and a dog curled up by the warm hearth - taken as good
signs, etc. [However, a. Chrysanthemums are commonly used as funeral
flowers in many European countries! b. In fact all animals are all dead! c. Each
word on the B&B sign “was like a large black eye staring at him through the
glass, ...holding him, compelling him, forcing him.”, which suggests something
ominous and everything is deceptive!]
The story is set in a seemingly normal, everyday environment but, from
beginning to end, something is just not right and even sinister and nightmarish
things can take place unexpectedly. (E.g. the hypnotic B&B sign, the absence of
others’ belongings such as hats, coats, and umbrellas in the front receiving room,
guest bed ready for use, the names in the guest book, the cryptic words of the
landlady, etc.) .
2. The plot
● The plot is simple: 1. Arriving at the train station. 2. Discovering and staying at
the B&B. 3. Discovering the names in the guestbook. 4. Almost remembering
what happened to the missing guests. 5. Being told the guests are still upstairs.
6. Discovering the pets are only stuffed representations. 7. The odd smell of the
tea.
● [NB. Though the plot is simple, it’s difficult to judge which is the climax (e.g.
discovering the missing guests’ names? That the missing guests are still
upstairs in the room? The pets are stuffed? The poisoned tea…?) because
what really happened to Billy or the other guests are only hinted at but not
explicitly pointed out. Hence tension keeps rising and there seems to be a
climax after climax.]
3. Foreshadowing
Warn the readers that the events will not continue in an ordinary way as it seems.
Some examples below (can be used as a worksheet):
Example of Foreshadowing
1. “And now a queer thing happened to
him. He was in the act of stepping
back and turning away from the
window when all at once his eye was
caught and held in the most peculiar
manner by the small notice that was
there.” (L72)
What is Being Foreshadowed?
The words “queer” and “peculiar” indicate
that something is happening beyond Billy’s
control. The use of these words suggests he
should be on the alert.
2. “He pressed the bell. Far away in a
Billy’s arrival is not a coincidence for the
back room he heard it ringing, and
landlady at all.
then at once - it must have been at
once because he hadn’t even had time
to take his finger from the bell button
- the door swung open and a woman
was standing there. Normally you ring
the bell and you have at least a halfminute’s wait before the door opens.
But this dame was like a jack-in-thebox. He pressed the bell - and out she
popped! It made him jump.” (L84)
3. “It’s all ready for you, my dear.”
(L105)
The landlady has emphasized ‘all’, like she has
something more planned besides the room.
4. “Everything is always ready day and
night in this house just on the off
chance that an acceptable young
The landlady most likely looks at each person
and picks who she thinks will be an easy
victim to welcome in. It shows the landlady is
gentleman will come along. And it is
such a pleasure, my dear, such a very
great pleasure when now and again I
open the door to see someone
standing there who is exactly right.”
(L143)
excitedly up to something, thus giving a
glimpse on what the outcome might be like at
the end of the story.
“I'm so glad you appeared,” she said,
looking earnestly into his face. “I was
beginning to get worried.” (L171)
5. “…and we don’t want to go breaking
any laws at this stage in the
proceedings, do we?” (L185)
The stress on “this stage” suggests that she
will probably want to break a law later in the
story.
6. “His landlady wasn’t there, but the fire
was glowing in the hearth, and the
little dachshund was still sleeping
soundly in front of it.” (L197)
This hints at the fact that something is not
normal with the dog because it is unusual
that the dog is still sleeping soundly. In fact,
he has been dead and stuffed.
7. “Now and again, he caught a whiff of a
peculiar smell that seemed to
emanate directly from her person…he
wasn’t quite sure what it reminded
him of? Pickled walnuts? New
leather? Or was it the corridors of a
hospital?” (L301)
Maybe the lady has something to do with
hospitals or chemicals; she might pickle or
preserve things. This foreshadows the fact
that she has stuffed her parrot and dog, and
even the guests.
8. “Oh no, I don’t think they were
famous. But they were incredibly
handsome, both of them, I can
promise you that. They were tall and
young and handsome, my dear, just
exactly like you.” (L238)
Billy says the two guests were both famous
for the same reason, and the landlady is
hinting that they were just like him. So, he is
going to be as famous for the same thing (i.e.
missing) as them.
9. “There wasn’t a blemish on his body.”
“A what?” Billy said. “His skin was just
like a baby’s.” (L331)
The readers start to question how the
landlady could know so much about the body
of her guest. They begin to feel that Billy is in
danger.
10. “It must be most awfully difficult to do Like the pets, Billy would most likely be
a thing like that” (Billy). (L359)
stuffed, too.
“‘Not in the least’, she said. ‘I stuff all
my little pets when they pass away.’”
(the Landlady). (L361)
11. “The tea tasted faintly of bitter
almonds, and he didn’t much care for
it.” (L364)
The tea probably has been poisoned, and Billy
will be the landlady's next victim.
12. “You did sign the book, didn’t you?”
“Oh, yes.” “That’s good. Because
later on, if I happen to forget what
you were called, then I could always
come down here and look it up. I still
do that almost every day with Mr
Mulholland and Mr...Mr…” (L366)
Billy will soon be the next victim and his
name, like those of the missing guests, will
stay in the guest book for the landlady to
remember.
4. Juxtaposition
● The B&B being a bright and joyful place of respite and its yellow chrysanthemums vs.
The decrepit neighboring houses (‘peeling paint and cracked facades’).
● Juxtaposition of setting. While Billy steps off the train into the “deadly cold” and
“wind…like a flat blade of ice,” vs. The B&B provides a warming fire and a seemingly
calm reprieve from the harsh weather outside.
● The landlady’s quiet boarding house vs. The lively Bell and Dragon full of people and
entertainment. Choosing the B&B means Billy has isolated himself and therefore
cannot comprehend the dangers he is facing.
● Billy, with his youthful innocence, vs. The older landlady, who seems like a friend’s
mother but uses her experience to manipulate Billy through action and conversation
(e.g. She lures him in with a “fantastically cheap” price and then steers the
conversation as Billy begins to question the identity of her former guests.)
5. Irony
● Situational irony (In situational irony, there occurs a disparity between what
happens and what was expected). “Now, the fact that his landlady appeared to be
slightly off her rocker didn’t worry Billy in the least. After all, she not only was
harmless - there was no question about that - but she was also quite obviously a
kind and generous soul.” vs. The landlady is actually a murderer who kills young
boys by poisoning and then stuffs them.
● Another situational irony: “… and in one corner he spotted a large parrot in a cage.
Animals were usually a good sign in a place like this, Billy told himself; and all in all, it
looked to him as though it would be a pretty decent house to stay in.” vs. The fact
that the parrot was actually killed and then stuffed by the landlady as Billy will be
later on. Therefore, the parrot was used as a good sign in the beginning of the
story, whereas it is actually a bad sign that reveals the evil side of the landlady and
also it is a kind of a warning which gives the message to the reader that Billy might
also be killed and then stuffed by that old lady.
● Dramatic irony (In dramatic irony, the reader has the information about something
that the character in the story is not aware of). When the landlady tells him that the
parrot is dead and she stuffed it, Billy does not become worried about anything
and he does not start to question that this hobby of the landlady is weird; he
continues to consider her as a nice and hospitable old lady whereas the reader
starts to figure out her evil intentions on Billy from the way of her talking.
● Another dramatic irony is that Billy is well aware that appearance is not reality when
he tells the landlady about his teeth: “They’re not as good as they look...They’ve
got simply masses of fillings in them at the back.” (L326). Yet readers begin to
realize Billy has been deceived by the appearance of the landlady and the B&B!
● Verbal irony (Verbal irony occurs when characters say something but actually mean
another thing that is completely different from what they say, mostly the opposite
meaning). 1. When the landlady shows the room to Billy and says, “It’s all ready for
you, my dear.” (L105), this indirectly makes the reader realize that she does not only
mean bed and breakfast for a couple of days. Instead, she has given a message to
the reader that something else - the planned killing - is also ready and that the stay
of Billy will last longer than he himself thinks. 2. Also, because the landlady has
actually stuffed her two guests and kept them in their own rooms on the other floor,
it’s really ironic when she tells Billy while showing him his room: “And this one is all
yours”, implying that Billy’s body will not be kept together with the other two. 3.
The landlady also tells Billy: “I’m so glad you appeared…I was beginning to get
worried.” (L171). How ironic because it should be Billy, not the landlady, who needs
to feel worried. If the landlady really feels worried at all, it is not about Billy’s life
but her plan to commit another killing again!
6. Descriptive Language
● “The air was deadly cold and the wind was like a flat blade of ice against his
cheeks.” ‘Deadly cold’ and a ‘flat blade’ cleverly imply death has either
happened or will soon occur.
● “Each word was like a large black eye staring at him through the glass.” (L76).
● “But this dame was like a jack-in-the-box...and out she popped!”
● “You see, it isn’t very often that I have the pleasure of taking a visitor into my
little nest.” The words “little nest” compare her to an insect, a wasp, or spider
awaiting her next victim.
● “he turned and saw the landlady sailing into the room with a large silver tea tray
in her hands. She was holding it well out in front of her, and rather high up, as
though the tray were a pair of reins on a frisky horse.” (L226).
● Third person narration enables readers to observe the evil side of the landlady
whereas Billy, left in the dark, still thinks that the old landlady is kind and
generous.
7. Characterization
A. Billy:
● He is young - 17 years old, dressed in a rather old fashioned way (e.g. “new navyblue overcoat, a new trilby hat and a new brown suit”); inexperienced but wants
to show his independence; wants to do everything briskly; naively impressed by
other people and even things (e.g. his superiors being brisk and successful, the
porter’s suggestion, the landlady’s ‘kindness’, the coziness of the B&B).
● He is dithering about his lodgings – a choice between a congenial pub or a B&B –
but eventually impressed, involuntarily drawn, and taken in by the cozy
appearance of the landlady’s B&B.
● Billy demonstrates a sense of complacency when faced with warning signs (e.g.
Billy dismisses the landlady as ‘slightly dotty’, content with the cheap price,
doesn’t press the landlady for further explanation about the two guests, the
body smell, the bitter tea… He is even impressed by the landlady’s taxidermist
skills!).
● Billy views the landlady (in fact all adults – his senior colleagues and the porter as
well!) as an authority figure with a sense of respect and decency. He has a blind
faith in a woman he categorizes as a motherly figure who will protect and
safeguard him – a teenage boy traveling alone. Billy is under the sway of
stereotypes and preconception.
● [Hence the landlady can make use of Billy’s characters to manipulate while Billy
remains fairly oblivious to her malicious gestures and remarks (e.g. she keeps a
room ready just for an “acceptable young gentleman” and says that Billy is “just
exactly right.” She scrutinizes Billy’s entire body as she takes him to his room.
She speaks of Mr. Mulholland and Mr. Temple in the past tense although she
says they are still “on the third floor, both of them together”) - But Billy doesn’t
press her further for an explanation.]
B. Landlady:
● She seems perfectly nice on the surface, but there is something more than a
little eccentric about her. She is viewed merely as ‘slightly dotty’ but she can
spring to open the door like a ‘jack-in-the-box’ – a shocking and frightening
image devoid of non-human qualities – ready to pounce on her victim:
● Deceiving: “She was about forty-five or fifty years old, and the moment she saw
him, she gave him a warm welcoming smile.” (L93). “Please come in,” she said
pleasantly.” (L96). “She had a round pink face and very gentle blue eyes.” (L105).
“If that is too much,” she added, “then perhaps I can reduce it just a tiny bit.”
(L116). “She seemed terribly nice. She looked exactly like the mother of one’s
best school friend welcoming one into the house to stay for the Christmas
holidays.” (L123). “After all, she was not only harmless – there was no question
about that – but she was also quite obviously a kind and generous soul.” (L190).
● Eccentric: “The old girl is slightly dotty.” (L135). “I'm inclined to be just a teeny
weeny bit choosy and particular – if you see what I mean.” (L140). “…her blue
eyes travelled slowly all the way down the length of Billy's body, to his feet, and
then up again.” (L151). “… his landlady appeared to be slightly off her rocker.”
(L190)
● Scheming and cunning: “You see, it isn’t very often I have the pleasure of taking
a visitor into my little nest” (L132) but Billy is “just exactly right.” (L148). “and
we don’t want to go breaking any laws at this stage in the proceedings, do we?”
(L184). When Billy begins to remember what has happened to the two guests,
saying “Wait just a minute. Mulholland ... Christopher Mulholland ... wasn’t that
the name of the Eton schoolboy who was on a walking tour through the West
Country, and then all of a sudden…” (L278), the landlady interrupts and distracts
him by saying “Milk?”, “And sugar?” (L282).
● Sinister: Her evil intention is revealed and she feels no qualms for her victims
that she has murdered or is going to kill. Examples: “She was half way up the
stairs…turning her head and smiling down at him…and her blue eyes traveled
slowly all the way down the length of Billy’s body, to his feet, and then up again.”
(L148). “But they were extraordinarily handsome, both of them, I can promise
you that. They were tall and young and handsome, my dear, just exactly like
you.” (L238). “But Billy knew that she was looking at him. Her body was halfturned towards him, and he could feel her eyes resting on his face, watching him
over the rim of her teacup.” (L298). “…a whiff of a peculiar smell…seemed to
emanate directly from her person. It was not in the least unpleasant, and it
reminded him – well, he wasn’t quite sure what it reminded him of. Pickled
walnuts? New leather? Or was it the corridors of a hospital? (L302). “Left?” she
said, arching her brows. “But my dear boy, he never left. He’s still here. Mr
Temple is also here. They’re on the third floor, both of them together.” (L313).
“Seventeen!” she cried. “Oh, it’s the perfect age! Mr Mulholland was also
seventeen…and his teeth weren’t quite so white. You have the most beautiful
teeth.” (L321). “Mr Temple, of course, was a little older… There wasn’t a
blemish on his body.” (L328). “His skin was just like a baby’s.” (L333). “I stuff all
my little pets myself when they pass away. Will you have another cup of tea?”
(L361). “The tea tasted faintly of bitter almonds, and he didn’t much care for it.”
(L364). “Because later on, if I happen to forget what you were called, then I can
always come down here and look it up. I still do that almost every day with Mr
Mulholland and Mr . . .Mr...” (L368). “Excuse my asking, but haven’t there been
any other guests here except them in the last two or three years?” “…she looked
up at him out of the corners of her eyes and gave him another gentle little smile.
“No, my dear,” she said. “Only you.” (L372).
8. Themes
1. Appearances versus reality. By contrasting appearance and reality, Dahl reminds
his readers that appearances (also the first impressions of them) may be
deceiving. Some examples:
● The streets: They seem grand and elegant but the ‘swanky’ houses along
them have facades which ‘were cracked and blotchy from neglect.’
● The B&B: a. Its vase of yellow chrysanthemums, which are commonly
used as funeral flowers in Europe, could be read as a warning rather than
an invitation. b. The little dog and the parrot in its sitting room were
taken as good signs but they were actually dead and stuffed - a very bad
sign indeed.
● The landlady: She seems ‘terribly nice’ being a motherly figure but in fact
she is scheming, cunning and evil because she intentionally manipulates
Billy in order to lure him (e.g. by offering cheap rent, supper, comfortable
room, etc.) to stay to become her next victim.
● Etc.
2. First impressions, preconceptions and stereotype thinking may be dangerous.
Some examples:
● Although Billy is attracted to the coziness of the Bed and Breakfast, he
does admit to himself that ‘he was a tiny bit frightened’ of boarding
houses. He is also sure that The Bell and Dragon pub would be a livelier
and more ‘congenial’ place to stay. Despite his better intuition, however,
Billy is lured towards the B&B by its inviting appearance. The terrible
events that follow inside the B&B prove that Billy’s first impression of the
B&B is both deceptive and fatal.
● Billy assumes that the landlady is sweet and harmless just because she
seems motherly - an adult figure usually looked upon as both
authoritative and trustworthy. Although Billy notices immediately that
she is a bit ‘dotty’ and later that she ‘appeared to be slightly off her
rocker,’ his initial perception of her remains fixed and, therefore, makes
Billy unable to notice the evil of the landlady. He underestimates the
landlady hugely, believing that ‘she not only was harmless - there was no
question about that - but she was also quite obviously a kind and
generous soul.’
● Etc.
3. Possible themes associated with the conflict of Billy vs. himself:
● Stay on the reliable path (e.g. keep going to the pub which he knows is
more ‘congenial’.) and don't get distracted by tempting things such as
cute little dogs, comfortable furniture, and low prices.
● Things aren't always as they seem. Just because something looks nice
doesn't mean that it is safe.
● Character is destiny.