46 pages 1 hour read

Roald Dahl

The Landlady

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1959

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Essay Topics

1.

Throughout the story, Billy fails to pick up on what seem to be some fairly obvious hints that all is not right with the landlady. Why do you think that this is? 

2.

Billy is drawn into the house by a strange force, even though he had originally planned to look at some other lodgings first. What do you think that this force is, exactly? Do you think that it is emotional, supernatural, or both?  

3.

Why do you think that the story ends in the quiet way that it does, with Billy’s fate hinted at but not spelled out? How would the story be different if the ending were more graphic and violent, and less ambiguous?

Related Titles

By Roald Dahl

Study Guide

logo

Beware of the Dog

Roald Dahl

Beware of the Dog

Roald Dahl

Study Guide

logo

Billy and the Minpins

Roald Dahl

Billy and the Minpins

Roald Dahl

Study Guide

logo

Boy: Tales of Childhood

Roald Dahl

Boy: Tales of Childhood

Roald Dahl

Study Guide

logo

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Roald Dahl

Study Guide

logo

Danny, the Champion of the World

Roald Dahl

Danny, the Champion of the World

Roald Dahl

Study Guide

logo

George's Marvelous Medicine

Roald Dahl

George's Marvelous Medicine

Roald Dahl

Study Guide

logo

Lamb To The Slaughter

Roald Dahl

Lamb To The Slaughter

Roald Dahl

Study Guide

logo

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me

Roald Dahl, Illustr. Quentin Blake

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me

Roald Dahl, Illustr. Quentin Blake

Study Guide

logo

The Magic Finger

Roald Dahl, Illustr. Quentin Blake

The Magic Finger

Roald Dahl, Illustr. Quentin Blake

Study Guide

logo

The Way Up To Heaven

Roald Dahl

The Way Up To Heaven

Roald Dahl