The Landlady And The Possibility Of Evil

The theme of “The Landlady” and “The Possibility of Evil,” are things are not what they seem. In “The Landlady,” the owner of a little bed and breakfast is an old lady, but she’s hiding the true purpose of her bed and breakfast. She somehow knows when the person she selects is in town and she summons them into her bed and breakfast. Where she then acts all innocent and drinks tea with them. Soon readers realize that something's not right, and start to notice the signs. This short story ends up with the visitor being poisoned and dying, later he is stuffed by the Landlady. Similarly, in the short story “The Possibility of Evil,” the town's oldest resident is proud and a perfectionist, but to a drastic point. She constantly brags about her family
and their worth in the town, but meanwhile, she acts all innocent and caring. Readers soon discover that she is writing multiple letters in colorful pages and colorful envelopes to her fellow “friends” in the town. No one currently knows about who writes the letters, and to keep the secret she hides her beautiful handwriting with very big and small block-ish letters. These letters are about people and their most cherished things, and one day she receives a letter of her own. Miss Adela Strangeworth the writer of these horrible letters, cherishes her roses, and everyone in the town loves them too. One day though she gets a letter with a threat and her beautiful roses are all butchered. In both stories, there's an old lady who seems all innocent and sweet, but its all an act covering up for her true dark form.