The Landlady by Roald Dahl: A Chilling Summary
Introduction
Roald Dahl’s short story “The Landlady” is a masterpiece of suspense and foreshadowing. First published in 1959 in The New Yorker, it tells the tale of a young man who comes to regret his choice of accommodation in a small town in the English countryside. In this analysis, we will examine the literary devices Dahl employs to create a growing sense of unease and uncertainty in the reader.
Summary of the Story
The story opens on a cold November evening as the 17-year-old protagonist Billy Weaver arrives by train to the small village of Bath, where he plans to start work. Shivering against the bitter chill, Billy sets about finding accommodation for the night before his job begins.
Seeking Lodging
Billy chances upon a family-run bed and breakfast with a sign offering rooms. The landlady welcomes him inside with an enthusiasm and familiarity that Billy finds peculiar for a stranger. However, he is instantly charmed by her comforting motherliness as she fawns over him.
The Sinister Signs
At first, Billy pushes aside the small but strange behaviors he notices – why can’t he carry his own luggage to his room? Why must the landlady insist he have tea before even taking off his coat? Why does she hover around him at dinner with such close interest in the details of his life? More intriguing are her repeated mentions of the striking resemblance between Billy and her former guests – two young men named Christopher Mulholland who have seemingly disappeared.
The Portraits & Clues
The landlady shows Billy portraits of the near-identical Christopher guests she has hosted. She highlights that all were 17 years old when they stayed with her, just like Billy. In her nostalgic recollections about them, Billy starts to notice disturbing clues. The landlady talks of both Christophers dying of illnesses soon after leaving, despite having no luggage when they arrived. She also mentions having all her animal antiques specially “preserved” and “stuffed” after they expired.
The Chilling Realization
It slowly dawns on Billy that the landlady has murdered her previous victims, including the young Christophers whose youthful appearances she so admired. The bitter tea is likely poisoned to allow her to “preserve” their bodies, just like her animal figures. When the landlady speaks approvingly that the tea will warm Billy’s chilled bones, he shudders, realizing he will soon join her catalog of stuffed cadavers.
Dahl excellently atmospherizes the quaint bed-and-breakfast into a house of horrors through Billy’s dawning awareness of the landlady’s sinister intentions. The story’s frightening twist leaves readers concerned over whether Billy can escape becoming the landlady’s next embalmed decoration.
Analysis of the story
Central Theme: Appearances Can Be Deceiving
The central theme of the story revolves around how outward appearances rarely reflect reality. On the surface, the landlady seems to be a welcoming, motherly woman who charms Billy with her attentiveness and grace. However, as eccentricities pile up, they point to the sinister monster that lurks beneath the façade.
The theme alerts readers not to take people purely by face value and that innocence can disguise corrupt intent. Even the seemingly charming English village hides darkness in the form of the murderous landlady.
Mood and Atmosphere Dahl creates an atmosphere of escalating eeriness and tension through descriptive language. He uses words associated with cold, gloom, and death. Phrases like “deadly chill in his bones” and references to the bitter November chill characterize the creepy atmosphere.
The stuffed animals contribute majorly to the mood. Their lifelike yet artificial glass eyes and presence in every room signify premature death and constant surveillance. Names like “Robin Redbreast” deathly allude to the dead guests.
The story has only three main characters – Billy Weaver, the protagonist, the landlady who runs the Bed and Breakfast, and Christopher Mulholland, a former guest at the house. Dahl skillfully characterizes all three to build suspense. Billy is portrayed as a naive 17-year-old who fails to recognize the sinister signs around him. The affable yet strange landlady piques the reader’s suspicion from her very first appearance. The mention of her former guest Christopher, who appears in a strange portrait, foreshadows later events.
Setting
The setting of the isolated Bed and Breakfast in a small village also contributes majorly to the sinister atmosphere. The winter evening grows darker early, matching the mood of the plot. Details like the stuffed animals and the guestbook with only two names despite the landlady claiming the place is popular provide a subtle sense of things being not quite right.
Foreshadowing
Dahl makes masterful use of foreshadowing throughout the story to hint at the sinister finale. Besides the stuff animals and Christopher’s portrait, there are other signs that Billy tragically fails to interpret correctly, like the landlady mentioning her former guest had “no luggage” and that the animals needed “preserving”. Her strange behavior upon learning Billy’s age also hints that his days are numbered.
The Ending
The ending provides a chilling twist when it’s revealed that the landlady has murdered and embalmed all her guests, including 17-year-old Christopher, and now plans the same fate for Billy. The story leaves a lasting impact on the reader through its suspenseful build-up and disturbing climax.
Conclusion
Through calculated characterization, an unnerving setting, subtle foreshadowing and a shocking finale, Dahl weaves an masterfully suspenseful tale in “The Landlady”. The story stays with the reader long after and is a stellar example of Dahl’s abilities as a short story writer.