Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Consider the differences between the terms “tradition” and “modernity.” What values are associated with each? How are the two ideas antithetical?

Teaching Suggestion: This question orients students with the thematic discussion of the story. As a part of his focus on The Anonymity of Modern Life, Dahl juxtaposes the harsh, cold, and “brisk” exterior of Billy’s modern world with the warm, inviting, safe-seeming interior of the landlady’s traditional home. However, this security is false, as Billy’s modern and detached outlook does not protect him from the landlady’s trap. In this sense, tradition and modernity are linked, and the anonymity that the modern world creates—note the two young men have already vanished and been almost forgotten—allows the landlady to prey on young men and avoid suspicion. Ultimately, the landlady remains anonymous—neither Billy nor the reader ever learns her name.

• This 2011 article from BBC explores darker elements represented in Dahl’s stories.
• This 2016 in-depth article from Smithsonian Magazine discusses Dahl’s background along with his motivations for writing.