The short story, The Land Lady by Roald Dahl, tells a story of an innocent young man who ends up dead as a result of crossing paths with the landlady. I personally enjoyed reading this story as it kept me on the tip of my feet and ended with a dark plot twist. It also teaches a lesson on how you should never be quick to trust someone.
The story starts off with 17 year old Billy Weaver coming off a train from London to Bath, to look for a new job. As he was looking for an affordable resting place, he comes across Bed and Breakfast. Billy notices a cozy lit up fire place, a bird in a cage, and a dog sleeping. He is greeted by a sweet middle-aged women, and he finds the prices extremely cheap and affordable. The landlady tells Billy he must sign the guest book. As he signs the guest book, he discovers the two very familiar names of Christopher Mulholland and Gregory W. Temple. When Billy was served tea by the landlady, he remembered that Christopher Mulholland had suddenly disappeared two years ago. The landlady explains how she remembered Christopher as a handsome student, and that both of the men were staying upstairs. Billy then discovers the women had stuffed her pet dog and bird. As Billy drinks his tea he finds his tea tasting like bitter almonds. In the end of the story, Billy asks the landlady if she had any guests besides the two men and she replied, “No, only you”.
In conclusion, Roald Dahl was probably trying to tell the reader that the women had poisoned Billy’s tea, and was going to stuff Billy as she did to her pets and the two other men. Therefore, I think the theme of the story would be that things aren’t always what they seem, and you should always keep your guard up against strangers. This is the theme, because Billy first thought the housing was cozy and cheap, but later on he ended up on his deathbed.