“THE LANDLADY”

Your guide to a level 4 mark…

1. What can the reader infer, using evidence from the text, about the two boys that are missing? What does this information lead the reader to believe concerning Billy's possible fate? (2 marks)

Using evidence from the text the reader can infer that the two missing boys have been murdered and stuffed by the landlady. I know this because in the story it is revealed that the boys both visited the Bed and Breakfast and because the landlady is a talented taxidermist. She also tells Billy that both boys are still on the fourth floor. This information leads the reader to believe that Billy’s fate will be similar.

2. Give a detailed description of the setting in The Landlady making sure to include all possible aspects of setting (see your Elements of the Short Story handout). (3 marks)

“The Landlady” is set in a Bed and Breakfast in Bath, England sometime after 1945, but before present day. The mood/atmosphere is ominous because the main character goes to a Bed and Breakfast where there are no other guests. The Bed and Breakfast seems cozy and inviting at first, but as the story goes on the reader becomes aware that the animals in the house are stuffed and the last visitors to the house are boys that had been reported missing in the newspaper.

3. How does the setting in “The Landlady” contribute to the overall mood of the story?

The setting in “The Landlady” contributes to the overall mood of the story because at first the setting seems warm, cozy and inviting, but as the story goes on details about the setting start to make the reader feel the suspenseful and creepy mood of the story. One detail that makes the setting creepy is the lack of any other guests at the Bed and Breakfast. Additionally, it turns out that all the animals in the house are actually dead and stuffed. Finally, the sign on the Bed and Breakfast seems to compel Billy to stay there.

4. When the narrator describes the bed and breakfast setting, he says: "there were no other hats or coats in the hall. There were no umbrellas, no walking sticks-nothing." What does this description of the setting tell the reader about the bed and breakfast? (1 mark)

The description of the setting tells the reader that there are no other guests at the Bed and Breakfast.

When Billy is in the living room, what first alerts the reader that something may be wrong? (1 mark)

When Billy is in the living room the names of the missing boys in the guestbook first alert the reader that something may be wrong.

5. Provide two examples from the text that demonstrate how Roald Dahl uses the setting to create suspense and a sense of foreboding. (2 marks)

One example from the text that demonstrates how Dahl uses the setting to create suspense and foreboding is when he writes: “there were no other hats or coats in the hall. There were no umbrellas, no walking sticks- nothing”. This quote shows that the Bed and Breakfast is empty which builds suspense because it is unusual for a place like that to have no guests. Another example from the text that demonstrates how Dahl uses the setting to create suspense and foreboding is when Billy realizes the Daschund is stuffed. It says: “And suddenly, he realized that this animal had all the time been just as silent and motionless as the parrot”. This builds a sense of foreboding because the setting is full of dead animals.