Landlady (disambiguation)

The landlady ( engl. " The Landlady ") is a short story by Roald Dahl. 1959, first published story still has a high profile and is often used in school to clarify what is an open end.

Summary

Seventeen- year-old Billy Weaver makes his professional experience. As the story begins, he is on a business trip and looking in Bath accommodation. From a sign that "Bed and breakfast " ( Bed & Breakfast ) promises, he feels attracted almost magical. The no longer quite young hostess is very friendly and their house very cozy. She has two pets, a parrot in a cage and a dachshund, which is before the fireplace. The landlady, who emits a strange odor, Billy can not assign, offers him tea. While they drink tea together, chatting with the landlady Billy. She seems pleased to hear that he is still so young, his anatomy she appreciates. She also tells about her last two tenants, Mr. Temple and Mr. Mulholland. We learn that the one in Billy's age was, the other a bit older. The landlady speaks of two in the past. Billy believes to have heard the name before, in the same context, possibly from the newspaper. Just as Billy thinks to remember that Mr. Mulholland was a Etonschüler, who had made a hike, cuts him off and says the landlady, " her " Mr. Mulholland had studied elsewhere. The fact that the entries of the two tenants in the guest book of two years ago, Billy do not seem great to worry, the realization that the parrot is stuffed in the cage, too. Only when the landlady makes him aware that the dachshund is stuffed, he shows some emotion. To his surprise, he learns that their "excellent work" of a taxidermist by the landlady herself was executed. She explains that she " all of their favorites" ausstopft. In addition, Billy learns that Mr. Temple and Mr. Mulholland are never undressed, but both are " housed " on the third floor. The Billy illustrated through the whole story as naive rejects another cup of tea, because the drink has a strange taste of bitter almonds, which does not suit him. The hostess mentioned to the conclusion that she has already had no guests for years. In addition to Mr. Temple, Mr. Mulholland ... and Billy.

Open end?

The story presents a typical open end. She stops before the reader learns what is expected for a destiny Billy. And yet enough information is given, so that there is little room for speculation. The landlady is a taxidermist, which explains their uncanny smell. Apparently the landlady prepared not only animals but also humans. Mr. Temple and Mr. Mulholland " were " at a certain age, "are" but the third floor housed (but the wardrobe empty). The reader may rightly assume that they no longer live. Then what happened to the two men, suggest the two stuffed animals. The landlady considered Billy already during the conversation as a collector who is on the hunt for a new, beautiful copy. The taste and smell of bitter almonds is familiar to most readers of detective stories than for cyanide ( very toxic salts of hydrocyanic acid ). Most likely, the landlady Billy has poisoned and will also prepare him. The fact that this is not explicitly stated, gives the reader the opportunity to imagine it themselves and to either shudder or add the black humor.

The landlady

The narrator reported in the third person, solely from the point of view of Billy. But the title draws attention to the landlady. The bizarre characterized figure gives rise to many interpretations, with two points of view prevail:

1 The landlady operates the preparation as a hobby. Humans and animals seem equally suitable for them. You going on in the same way as humans, the butterflies, beetles, birds and collect the like. Her concern is to capture as many fascinating " copies " and preserved. Whether she is insane or sane, is irrelevant for this approach to interpretation, it leaves both interpretations.

2 The landlady is a mentally ill woman who suffers from her loneliness. You can not stand the idea that their "favorites " (English " pets", which can mean both pet and favorite ) they leave. Therefore, they preserved them so that they stay on with her forever.