Tuesday, March 17, 2015

In "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl,what is the theme and conflict?

The basic theme of the story is that a young man who is
about to experience independence for the first time is embarking on his first important
business trip. As a first timer, he has a tendency to become intrigued easily and a want
to experience more. This time, he entered a bed and breakfast whose outside sign
"hypnotized him", and in the same way, he booked the room noticing that only two people
had been there before.  We know as readers that the place is spooky and dangerous, and
that the landlady is up to something. However, the protagonist is too naive and new to
the world to know. In the end, he became a victim of the landlady as did the other two
guests on the guest book.


The conflict is innocence versus
malice: All the elements of danger and malice are present and surround the protagonist.
He, however, is so enthused with the idea of embarking in his own journey that he
ignores the signs, and succubs to them all, as a victim.

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