The Landlady
Foreshadowing in the “The Landlady”
The Landlady, a short story written in third person point of view, by Roald Dahl, takes place at a bed and breakfast in Bath, England. In this story, Billy Weaver arrives in Bath, England on a cold night, and must find a place to sleep. Dahl uses many examples of foreshowing to hint at Billy’s impending doom.
In this short story Billy comes to Bath, England for business on a train. He then finds a boarding house to spend the night at. He soon discovers that no one has stayed here for years, and that the Landlady is a little crazy. There might not have been guest because the Landlady might be taken as weird so people avoid her.
The first paragraph of this story has a lot of foreshowing in it. For example, the “air was deadly cold” and “the wind was like a flat blade of ice on his cheeks” (1). The flat blade of ice on his cheek might foreshadow Billy’s death. Also the deadly wind could foreshadow that there will be death later on in the story. Based on this, readers might infer that that Billy will soon meet his end.
Houses that are well taken care of usually have owners that are responsible and that can care for themselves. However, the paint on the boarding house is peeling and the windows are cracked (1). This could foreshadow that the person that lives there is not responsible and cannot care for themself. Maybe they have aged and cannot clean up their house. Readers can infer that the owner of the house may not be able mentally or physically able to take care of him or herself.
Successful boarding houses often have many borders. However, there were no coats, hats, or umbrellas in the hallway when Billy walked in (3). This could mean that there are no other boarders staying there. Maybe there are no boarders because the Landlady is searching for just the right person. Since there are no other coats or hats readers might infer that Billy won’t be a boarder for much longer.
Boarding houses usually
The Landlady, a short story written in third person point of view, by Roald Dahl, takes place at a bed and breakfast in Bath, England. In this story, Billy Weaver arrives in Bath, England on a cold night, and must find a place to sleep. Dahl uses many examples of foreshowing to hint at Billy’s impending doom.
In this short story Billy comes to Bath, England for business on a train. He then finds a boarding house to spend the night at. He soon discovers that no one has stayed here for years, and that the Landlady is a little crazy. There might not have been guest because the Landlady might be taken as weird so people avoid her.
The first paragraph of this story has a lot of foreshowing in it. For example, the “air was deadly cold” and “the wind was like a flat blade of ice on his cheeks” (1). The flat blade of ice on his cheek might foreshadow Billy’s death. Also the deadly wind could foreshadow that there will be death later on in the story. Based on this, readers might infer that that Billy will soon meet his end.
Houses that are well taken care of usually have owners that are responsible and that can care for themselves. However, the paint on the boarding house is peeling and the windows are cracked (1). This could foreshadow that the person that lives there is not responsible and cannot care for themself. Maybe they have aged and cannot clean up their house. Readers can infer that the owner of the house may not be able mentally or physically able to take care of him or herself.
Successful boarding houses often have many borders. However, there were no coats, hats, or umbrellas in the hallway when Billy walked in (3). This could mean that there are no other boarders staying there. Maybe there are no boarders because the Landlady is searching for just the right person. Since there are no other coats or hats readers might infer that Billy won’t be a boarder for much longer.
Boarding houses usually