The Landlady By Roald Dahl

In Roald Dahl's “The Landlady,” the plot can be used to demonstrate the theme of the story, which is not to judge a book by its cover. Dahl writes that Billy Weaver, the main character, “would very much like to stay at the [bed and breakfast]” (Dahl 75). This quote serves as the exposition, which set one up with the story. Later on in the story, Billy has to sign his name in a book to help the old lady remember who stayed there for future reference. As he's doing this, he recognizes Christopher Mulholland “rather unusual name” (Dahl 77), which serves to be the plot’s climax since it has the highest point of tension between Billy’s internal battle of attempting to figure out where he heard the name, and the landlady trying to convince Billy
otherwise. Exiting the climax, the landlady decides to make Billy some tea, in which she pours cyanide in. Along with that, she reveals that the animals in her house are dead and stuffed. Helping him realize his fate, as he goes to pet the dog, “[Billy] could see the skin underneath, greyish-black and dry and perfectly preserved” (Dahl 79). This leads to the denouement, when Billy supposedly dies from cyanide poisoning. This leads the reader to the conclusion and moral behind the plot of Dahl’s “The Landlady.” Throughout the story, Billy puts his faith in the landlady simply because she appeared to be harmless. Due to this trust, Billy perished because he thought that she could so no harm to him judging by the low price, quiet building, and her innocent features. However, she murders him. If he hadn’t judged her so quickly, his fate could have been avoided. Thus, the theme of the “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl is to not judge a book by it’s cover.