The Landlady

• Engels
• Middelbare school

The Landlady by Roald Dahl

The Characters 

There are two principal characters in the story 'The Landlady' - the landlady herself, and Billy Weaver, a young man arriving in an unfamiliar city and looking for accommodation. Billy is 17 years old, optimistic and innocent. The landlady is middle aged with a friendly and welcoming manner; but does she have a sinister motive? 

Billy Weaver is introduced right at the beginning of the story, and we learn the following about him immediately:

"Billy was seventeen years old. He was wearing a new navy-blue overcoat, a new brown trilby hat, and a new brown suit, and he was feeling fine. He walked briskly down the street. He was trying to do everything briskly these days. Briskness, he had decided, was the one common characteristic of all successful businessmen. The big shots up at the Head Office were absolutely fantastically brisk all the time. They were amazing." 

 

"He had never been to Bath before. He didn't know anyone who lived there. But Mr. Greenslade at the Head Office in London had told him it was a splendid town. 'Find your own lodgings,' he had said, 'and then go along and report to the Branch Manager as soon as you've got yourself settled.'"

1. The weather was most likely

1. rainy
2. hot
3. cold

2. The work Billy did was probably

1. on the assembly line of a factory
2. on a building site
3. as a hairdresser
4. in an office

3. The important people at the Head Office

1. intimidated Billy
2. admired Billy
3. inspired Billy
4. bored Billy

4. Billy was

1. starting a new job
2. moving to a new post with the same company
3. running away from his old job
4. managing a new branch for his company

5. The Head Office had

1. expected him to find his own accommodation
2. suggested some alternative accommodation
3. not been able to find accommodation
4. arranged a place for him to stay

If you were seventeen years old and being sent to do some work for a company in an unfamiliar town, would you expect the company to organise accommodation for you in advance or not?

The Landlady

The landlady herself - we never discover her name - is clearly described in the story. The physical description paints a fairly detailed picture.

Which words give you a positive feeling for the landlady?

"She was about forty-five or fifty years old, and the moment she saw him she gave him a warm welcoming smile."

Which words give you a positive feeling for the landlady?

"She had a round pink face and very gentle blue eyes."

Which words give you a positive feeling for the landlady?
"She seemed terribly nice. She looked exactly like the mother of one's best school-friend welcoming her into the house to stay for the Christmas holidays."