4v_The Landlady
Short Stories
4vwo
Lesduur is: 45 minOnderdelen in deze les
Short Stories
4vwo
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Learning objectives
By the end of this lesson, I can:
analyse the plot structure of the story using evidence from the tekst.
identify and explain character development.
recognise the story’s themes.
interpret the point of view.
infer meaning from quotations.
discuss moral and ethical questions raised by the story.
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Roald Dahl (1916-1990)
British writer
Children’s books
Dark humour
Many of his books were turned into films
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What was your first moment of suspicion?
Think back to reading The Landlady.
At what point did you first suspect something was wrong — and why?
Turn to someone next to you. 1 minute.
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How do we write a good answer?
1. CLAIM State your point clearly and directly.
2. EXPLANATION Explain what you mean in your own words.
3. SUBSTANTIATION Support your point with evidence from the text.
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Pair work
For each question:
1. Read each other’s homework answer.
2. Discuss: What does each answer have? What is missing?
Does it have a CLAIM? An EXPLANATION? SUBSTANTIATION?
3. Write one combined best answer in LessonUp.
You have about 3 minutes per question.
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Q7. What details make the landlady seem kind but strange at the same time?
Things to look for in each other’s answer:
• Does it name specific details from the story?
• Does it explain what makes each detail seem kind AND strange?
• Does it use evidence (a word, phrase, or moment from the text)?
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What is missing?
Does this explain WHY these details are strange?
Is there any CLAIM about what Dahl is doing?
Which details create unease?
Think: the price, the animals, the guest book, her manner. How does each work on Billy?
Q7. What details make the landlady seem kind but strange?
Model answer:
The landlady seems kind because she offers a warm fire, a cheap room, and friendly conversation — all the things a tired traveller would want. However, she is also deeply unsettling: her taxidermied animals look perfectly lifelike, she seems to have been expecting Billy, and the price is suspiciously low. Dahl uses these contrasts to create a false sense of safety, making the reader uneasy even as Billy feels reassured.
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Q10. How does Roald Dahl use foreshadowing in the story? Give one example.
• Does it name the technique (foreshadowing) clearly?
• Does it give a specific example from the text?
• Does it explain what the example hints at or prepares us for?
What is missing?
What exactly does she say?
What specifically does it hint at?
Remember: foreshadowing needs a moment + an explanation of what it prepares the reader for. Be precise.
Q10. How does Dahl use foreshadowing? Give one example.
Model answer:
Dahl foreshadows the ending when Billy notices that the two names in the guest book — Christopher Mulholland and Gregory Temple — seem familiar, yet the landlady claims no one else has signed it in years. This hints that the previous guests never left, suggesting the landlady has killed them. The reader senses danger before Billy does, which creates dramatic irony and a feeling of dread.
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Q5. Who is the protagonist and the antagonist of this story? Explain your answer.
Does it name both characters clearly?
• Does it explain WHY each one plays that role?
• Does it go beyond just “Billy is the main character”?
What is missing?
Why is Billy the protagonist?
What does he want? What makes the landlady the antagonist — what force does she represent?
Think about what makes this story unusual: the antagonist pretends to be helpful. How does that affect your explanation?
Q5. Who is the protagonist and the antagonist?
Model answer:
The protagonist is Billy Weaver, a young and naïve businessman who arrives in Bath looking for a place to stay. We follow his perspective throughout and feel his growing unease. The antagonist is the landlady, who works against Billy by luring him into a false sense of safety while concealing her true intentions. What makes her particularly sinister is that she appears welcoming and kind — her friendliness is itself the threat.
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Q11. What theme or message does the story communicate about trust and appearances?
• Does it state a clear theme (not just a topic)?
• Does it connect the theme to specific events in the story?
• Does it say something that applies beyond just this story?
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Q13. “The air smelled of animals and pickled walnuts and new leather.”
How does this description add to the mood of the story?
Model answer:
Dahl uses the strange smell to create an uncomfortable atmosphere. The combination of "animals," "pickled walnuts," and "new leather" is odd because these smells do not belong together in a normal home. The word "animals" connects to the landlady's stuffed pets, which hints that something is not right. By describing the smell, Dahl makes the reader feel uneasy alongside Billy, even though Billy himself does not yet realise that he is in danger.
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Improve it
Q13. Read the quote: “The air smelled of animals and pickled walnuts and new leather.”
How does this description add to the mood of the story?
Student answer:
“The description of the smell adds to the mood because it is strange and makes you think something is wrong.”
In your notebook, rewrite this answer so that it has:
CLAIM → EXPLANATION → SUBSTANTIATION
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Your improved answer
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Q11. What theme does the story communicate about trust and appearances?
Model answer:
The story communicates that appearances can be deeply deceptive, and that our instinct to trust warmth and comfort can make us dangerously blind. Billy repeatedly notices warning signs — the too-low price, the lifelike animals, the familiar names — but dismisses them because the landlady seems so pleasant. Dahl suggests that naïveté and the desire to see the best in people can be fatal.
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Plotline
Billy Weaver, a 17‑year‑old young man on a business trip, walks through a quiet London street looking for a place to stay. He notices a tidy, inviting boarding house with a “Bed and Breakfast” sign. The setting and Billy’s purpose are established.
in the room as the landlady watches him closely.
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Plotline
Slide text
Billy enters the Bed and Breakfast, meets the seemingly gentle landlady, and is drawn in by her warm hospitality and the cheap rent. Small oddities, such as her fixation on taxidermied pets and the smell of “animals and pickled walnuts”, begin to unsettle him. He discovers the guest book containing the names of two previous lodgers who vanished years earlier.
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Plotline
Slide text
As Billy sits down to drink tea, he realises that the two previous guests never left.
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Plotline
Slide text
The landlady continues to behave kindly while making tea and talking about her love of taxidermy and stuffing animals; Billy notices odd details (the parrot/dog, the way she talks about her guests) that increase his alarm. He grows increasingly unsettled but remains in the room as the landlady watches him closely.
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Slide heading
Slide text
The story ends with a chilling implication that the landlady has drugged and preserved her victims and that Billy is likely to meet the same fate, leaving his ultimate fate unstated but strongly suggested.
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