The Landlady Essay
Oct 1, 2010 17:17:19 GMT -5
Post by Hayley on Oct 1, 2010 17:17:19 GMT -5
Okay, so this is an essay I wrote last week (I think it was Sunday) for ELA. It's one of my firsts and I'm only in 7th grade so it may not be up to par to some of these other high school things. But here's trying!
Mysteries are an intriguing genre. Dynamic details, heart-racing chases, and wacky characters form this type of writing into one for all ages. Once you delve into the world of mysteries, you can never back out. Short mystery stories, such as “The Landlady” will have you hanging on the edge of your seat. The short story “The Landlady” is worthy of reading for its memorable characters, ability to hold the reader’s attention, and a shocking and dynamic conclusion.
The cast of “The Landlady” has a memorable quality that is difficult to repeat. The landlady is an older woman, who Billy describes as “slightly dotty”, and is about forty-five or fifty. Her hands are “…small, white, quickly moving hands, and have red fingernails.” Apparently, the landlady isn’t very good at hiding her secrets. All throughout the story she constantly hints at Billy his fate in ways such as, “I stuff all my little pets when they pass away,” and “Because later on, if I happen to forget what you were called, I could always come down here and look it up.” Billy Weaver is 17 years old, and arrives in Bath on business. He is determined to be brisk, which is how his upper businessmen conduct themselves. He is very naïve and trusting, seeing as he’s only a teenager. Readers may think of Billy as very unobservant, for he never reacts to the landlady’s numerous hints of his demise. Even when she says things like, “Everything is always ready day and night in this house…” Billy is oblivious. Who wouldn’t become suspicious of something like that? Billy of course! You can’t help but like him, though, but just for the plain fact that the landlady is so creepy. As you can tell, the characters of “The Landlady” are some of the craziest most interesting creatures you’ll ever meet.
Right off the bat, Roald Dahl creates an effect on the reader with the haunting words “But the air was deadly cold, and the wind was like a flat blade of ice on his cheeks.” In the beginning, you have to wonder about the landlady. When she says creepy things like, “I’m so glad you appeared. I was starting to get worried,” when Billy had only been looking in the window a few moments. When she opens the door and Billy doesn’t even have time to take his finger off the bell, you have to think, “How did she get there so quickly?” After a few moments, the story gets even weirder. “We have it all to ourselves,” is usually a nice way to describe a boardinghouse or hotel. No people hanging around, no waits at dinner, and hot water, always. But in Billy’s case, it affects him way more than getting hot water in a shower. Near the conclusion, you realize that the landlady is definitely not right in the head. When Billy asks who Christopher Mulholland left, she simply replies, “Left? But my dear boy, he never left. He’s still here. Mr. Temple is also here. They’re on the fourth floor, both of them, together.” Why would someone who checked in over two years before, never check out? The questions you ask and the answers you get keep you on the edge until the very end.
The conclusion of “The Landlady” is an interesting one, but lets you decide what happens to Billy. At the near end, the landlady gives Billy some tea and a ginger biscuit. But this is no ordinary tea. This tea “…tastes faintly of bitter almonds…” Can anyone figure out what that means? If you can’t, just read the story. It will become clear soon enough. It is also then, that the landlady reveals her little…..”hobby.” She introduces Billy to her “little Basil”, a stuffed dachshund. When asked if there had been any other guests in the past two years, all the landlady can say is “No, my dear. Only you.”
“The Landlady” is a timeless classic. It has mystery, possible death, and….maybe I shouldn’t give away the rest. The great Roald Dahl has formed this extremely creepy short story, into a read that is impossible to put down. His mysteries are always classic, but never clichéd. Like I said, once you delve into these mysteries, it’s impossible to get out. [/color][/size]
If you have any suggestions or comments just reply.
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Double Identity
Mysteries are an intriguing genre. Dynamic details, heart-racing chases, and wacky characters form this type of writing into one for all ages. Once you delve into the world of mysteries, you can never back out. Short mystery stories, such as “The Landlady” will have you hanging on the edge of your seat. The short story “The Landlady” is worthy of reading for its memorable characters, ability to hold the reader’s attention, and a shocking and dynamic conclusion.
The cast of “The Landlady” has a memorable quality that is difficult to repeat. The landlady is an older woman, who Billy describes as “slightly dotty”, and is about forty-five or fifty. Her hands are “…small, white, quickly moving hands, and have red fingernails.” Apparently, the landlady isn’t very good at hiding her secrets. All throughout the story she constantly hints at Billy his fate in ways such as, “I stuff all my little pets when they pass away,” and “Because later on, if I happen to forget what you were called, I could always come down here and look it up.” Billy Weaver is 17 years old, and arrives in Bath on business. He is determined to be brisk, which is how his upper businessmen conduct themselves. He is very naïve and trusting, seeing as he’s only a teenager. Readers may think of Billy as very unobservant, for he never reacts to the landlady’s numerous hints of his demise. Even when she says things like, “Everything is always ready day and night in this house…” Billy is oblivious. Who wouldn’t become suspicious of something like that? Billy of course! You can’t help but like him, though, but just for the plain fact that the landlady is so creepy. As you can tell, the characters of “The Landlady” are some of the craziest most interesting creatures you’ll ever meet.
Right off the bat, Roald Dahl creates an effect on the reader with the haunting words “But the air was deadly cold, and the wind was like a flat blade of ice on his cheeks.” In the beginning, you have to wonder about the landlady. When she says creepy things like, “I’m so glad you appeared. I was starting to get worried,” when Billy had only been looking in the window a few moments. When she opens the door and Billy doesn’t even have time to take his finger off the bell, you have to think, “How did she get there so quickly?” After a few moments, the story gets even weirder. “We have it all to ourselves,” is usually a nice way to describe a boardinghouse or hotel. No people hanging around, no waits at dinner, and hot water, always. But in Billy’s case, it affects him way more than getting hot water in a shower. Near the conclusion, you realize that the landlady is definitely not right in the head. When Billy asks who Christopher Mulholland left, she simply replies, “Left? But my dear boy, he never left. He’s still here. Mr. Temple is also here. They’re on the fourth floor, both of them, together.” Why would someone who checked in over two years before, never check out? The questions you ask and the answers you get keep you on the edge until the very end.
The conclusion of “The Landlady” is an interesting one, but lets you decide what happens to Billy. At the near end, the landlady gives Billy some tea and a ginger biscuit. But this is no ordinary tea. This tea “…tastes faintly of bitter almonds…” Can anyone figure out what that means? If you can’t, just read the story. It will become clear soon enough. It is also then, that the landlady reveals her little…..”hobby.” She introduces Billy to her “little Basil”, a stuffed dachshund. When asked if there had been any other guests in the past two years, all the landlady can say is “No, my dear. Only you.”
“The Landlady” is a timeless classic. It has mystery, possible death, and….maybe I shouldn’t give away the rest. The great Roald Dahl has formed this extremely creepy short story, into a read that is impossible to put down. His mysteries are always classic, but never clichéd. Like I said, once you delve into these mysteries, it’s impossible to get out. [/color][/size]
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If you have any suggestions or comments just reply.
