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Examples Of Foreshadowing In The Landlady

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The story, “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl, takes place in Bath, United Kingdom. In this Mystery, the main character, Billy Weaver finds an interesting lodging that might just change his life forever. Being too trusting is a great quality to have, but when Billy is a seventeen year old who is in a new place, trusting might not cut it. Roald Dahl creates the theme ‘Be cautious of the reader’s surroundings’ by using Foreshadowing and Imagery.
In the story, “The Landlady” the central issue is that Billy Weaver, the main character, is too trusting. Billy is in Bath, United Kingdom for a job and was trying to find a place to stay. After finding a hotel cheaper then what he planned, he decided to stay there even though he knew nothing of the place. …show more content…

This caused foreshadowing and a cliffhanger ending to become two of many craft moves Roald Dahl used in this story. In the story, the author, Roald Dahl uses a cliffhanger ending to show one of his many craft moves. The story quotes, “‘Gregory Temple. Excuse my asking, but haven’t there been any other guests here except them in the last two or three years?’” (5) The story goes on to say, “‘No, my dear’, she said. ‘Only you.’ (5) This ending leaves the reader wondering what happened next and if Billy ever survived. It also leaves the reader questioning about what may have happened to Billy and if the old woman ever claimed another victim. This ending is also mysterious and creepy, leading the reader to ponder over what they just read. The cliffhanger ending was a very smart craft move to use, especially because it’s very hard to accomplish. Another craft move that is difficult is foreshadowing. Another craft move Dahl uses in this story is foreshadowing, which is when the author warns the reader about an event that will happen later in the future. One event in which foreshadowing occurs is when Billy’s tea tasted like ‘bitter almonds’, also known as the taste of poison, on page 5. The short story states, “‘No, thank you,’ Billy said. The tea tasted faintly of bitter almonds, and he didn’t much care for it.” It is concerning to see that Billy thought nothing of the taste of bitter almonds, which can be used as a form of poison. This event is foreshadowing that Billy has been poisoned and will most likely die from it. This leaves the reader wondering why Billy did not confront the woman and ask her about why the tea tasted like bitter

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