Name
: Debora Ayu Natalia
SRN
: 2201420175
Literary Reading 2022 (201)
Lectures
: Ruly Indra Darmawan, SS, M. Hum
Reflection Paper
THE LANDLADY
“The Landlady” is a short story by Roald Dahl. The story is set in Bath, England. The story begins
with 17 year old boy, Billy Weaver arriving by train in Bath. The boy has never been to Bath
before and know no one in the town other than a local “Branch Manager”. Billy must find a place
to stay for the night and he was told by a porter that there is a pub called the Bell and Dragon not
too far from the station. He likes the idea to stay in a pub, but his eye is caught by a “bed-andbreakfast” sign in the window of one of the run-down houses he passes. He finds himself strangely
hypnotized by the sign in the window. Billy rings the doorbell and was welcomed by a pleasantlooking middle aged women.She invites him in and offers him a cheap rent for lodging. The
landlady shows Billy to his room. The landlady offers him a dinner but he said that he wants to
start work early in the next day; she asks him to please sign the guestbook in the living room first.
In the guestbook, he sees two other names: Christopher Mulholland and Gregory W. Temple which
he feels certain that he has seen these two names before. He asks the landlady and she demurs,
however she tell Billy that the two “boys” were about the same age as him. The landlady serves
Billy tea, which has an odd, bitter taste, reminiscent of almonds. As he sits with the landlady, Billy
grows gradually convinced that he has seen the other two names in the guestbook from newspaper
headlines. Billy’s reaction to this is not one of horror, but rather “deep admiration”. The story ends
with him declining more tea but remaining with the landlady in her parlor