Literary Elements of The Landlady

Literary Elements of “The Landlady” Setting – state the time and place Theme – identify at least three themes The time setting for the story is in the first part of the 20th century, either shortly after the Great War or the Second World War as it was stated in the story that the landlady had probably lost her son to ”the war”. The story takes place in Bath, England at a boarding house with a “BED AND BREAKFAST” sign. Three themes identified: 1. Deception. • The landlady initially appeared harmless along with her boarding house, it turns out to be the otherwise. 2. The dangers of youthful naivete. • Billy weaver’s naivete had led him into a danger when he overlooked the warning signs surrounding him. 3. The dangers of seclusion • Instead of lodging at the lively Bell and Dragon, Billy makes a mistake of staying at the landlady’s empty and isolated boarding house. Characters – describe each of the characters briefly Tone – state the tone in relation to the whole story and specific scenes Billy Weaver – The story’s protagonist, an enthusiastic seventeen-year-old boy. Although he appears innocent, he is held down by his youthful naivete and blind trusting nature. Dark tone The short story, The Landlady, gives a dark tone, specifically scary tone and sinister tone that relates to the dark plot of the whole story. The Landlady – The story’s antagonist is the unnamed landlady who runs the Bed and Breakfast that Billy chooses to stay in. Although she appears to be sweet, friendly, and generous, the story’s plot twist reveals that she is a cruel woman, or insane, capable of horrifying and wicked crimes. In this part of the story “…nine o’clock in the evening and the moon was coming up out of a clear starry sky. But the air was deadly cold and the wind was like a flat blade of ice on his cheeks.” seems to convey a sinister tone. Mr. Greenslade – Mr. Greenslade, one of the “big shots” from the “Head Office in London” is the businessman who encourages Billy to move to Bath for work. Although he is only mentioned briefly, he is an important figure as Billy clearly looks up to him. Christopher Mulholland – Mr. Mulholland was one of the landlady’s previous guests and victims. Throughout the story, it becomes clear that he checked into the landlady’s Bed and Breakfast several years ago and has been missing ever since. The story implies that his disappearance was reported in the Meanwhile in the following part of the story, “even in darkness, he could see that the paint was peeling from the woodwork on their doors and windows, and that the handsome white facades were cracked and blotchy from neglect.” seems to convey a scary tone. newspapers, which is how Billy became familiar with his name. Gregory W. Temple – Mr. Temple is the other of the landlady’s previous guests and victims along with Mr. Mulholland. The landlady describes how Gregory was a little older than Christopher when he arrived at her boarding house. Plot – briefly explain the plot Exposition Billy is introduced as a boy from London, he gets off a train that comes from London at Bath, England. Inciting Action Billy is asking around for the cheapest lodging around the town. He asks a porter where he could stay for the night and the porter answers that he could go to Bell and Dragon. Rising Action When Billy is on his way to Bell and Dragon, a sign in the window of a boarding house catches his eyes, “Bed and Breakfast” is written on the sign. He approaches the front door and is welcomed by the landlady. He decides to stay there after the landlady offers half the price than what he is willing to pay for at Bell and Dragon. The landlady then shows him around the house and his room. Climax After he settles in, the landlady asks Billy to sign a book downstairs. He notices something strange in the book, only two other people ever signed the book, and the last entry was over two years old. The names, Christopher Mulholland and Gregory W. Temple, sounds awfully familiar to Billy. He then finds out that the landlady’s pets are dead and stuffed, and the landlady is a taxidermist. Falling action Billy tries to figure out who the other two guests were while he drinks tea with the Moral Values – identify at least three moral values, briefly explain each in relation to the story 1. Do not judge a book by its cover – The story conveys that danger lurks everywhere, even in the most harmless settings. Billy sees no harm from the landlady as she appears to be kind and warm towards Billy. She reminds Billy of “...the mother of one’s best schoolfriend welcoming one into the house to stay for the Christmas holidays.” It turns out that the landlady is a serial killer, and that she performs taxidermy on her victims and keep the victims in her house. 2. Do not trust people too easily – In the story, blind trust can put you in a dangerous situation that could ultimately kill you. Billy is putting himself at risk by trusting the landlady even though she’s living in a peculiar and secluded neighbourhood, all because “She seemed terribly nice.” In the end, Billy seems to be poisoned by the landlady because “The tea tasted faintly of bitter almonds,” Presumably, Billy becomes her next victim all because Billy commits to blindly trusting her. 3. One should be thrifty but not to the extend where he risks his life – The story also conveys that one should be frugal with their money but not to the point where one’s life is at risk. Instead of lodging at the lively Bell and Dragon, Billy makes a mistake of staying at the landlady. The landlady seems to be avoiding the conversation about the other two guests by distracting Billy, asking if he wants milk and sugar with his tea. Billy then finds out that the landlady’s pets are dead and stuffed, and the landlady is a taxidermist. Resolution Billy stops drinking the tea when he notices the tea tastes like bitter almonds. He asks the landlady if there were any other guests that came to the house other than the two guests before him in the last two or three years. “No, my dear” the landlady answer. “Only you.” landlady’s empty and isolated boarding house because “It was fantastically cheap. It was less than half of what he had been willing to pay.” The story ends with Billy being poisoned by the landlady. The Bell and Dragon is a much safer option for Billy even if it means that he needs to spend more for the lodging.