Traits, Setting, And Point Of View In 'The Landlady'

Everyone has come across someone whom they initially believed was kind but afterwards discovered wasn't. In this story, a young guy named Billy enters what appears to be a welcoming inn, but he soon finds himself trapped by a wicked lady. Roald Dahl's short tale "The Landlady" uses character traits, setting, and point of view to expose the theme of the story, which is that looks can be deceiving. The first element Roald Dahl used to show the theme was point of view. There is a lot of evidence to prove this, but there was one piece in particular that stood out to me more than others, and that was when the story stated that Billy felt drawn to the inn, and to the evil old lady. The story quotes “She stepped aside, holding the door wide open, and Billy found himself automatically starting forward into the house. The compulsion or, more accurately, the desire to follow after her into that house was extraordinarily strong.” (Dahl,

The story has two main characters: Billy Weaver and the landlady. Both characters have different personality traits that help reveal the theme, which is that looks can be deceiving. Billy Weaver is a young, innocent character who is looking for a place to stay while he is on a business trip. The story stated that “Billy was seventeen years old. He was wearing a new navy-blue overcoat, a new brown trilby hat, and a new brown suit, and he was feeling fine” (Dahl, Roald. The Landlady.) Since he is young, this makes him an easy victim for the landlady, who is able to lure him into her boarding house. The Landlady, on the other hand, is a manipulative character who uses charm and kindness to lure her victims in. She is described as “nice” and “charming”. These traits make her seem like a harmless old lady, but as the story continues, it's obvious that she isn't all that she seems to be. Overall, the character traits of the Landlady are important in showing the theme, which is that looks can be