“The Landlady” by Roald Dahl
Point of View Analysis
Point of View
• “The Landlady” is told from
the third person limited point of view.
• This means that the narrator is not a
character in the story, but the narrator
has access to the thoughts and
feelings of one character in the story.
Point of View
• In “The Landlady” the narrator tells a
suspense story as Billy Weaver
experiences it.
Narrator
Billy Weaver
the landlady
Point of View: What if?
• Imagine that the author decided to tell the
same story, still third person limited point
of view, with access to the landlady’s
thoughts and feelings—not Billy’s.
Narrator
the landlady
Billy Weaver
Point of View: What if?
• If the narrator had access to the
landlady's thoughts and not Billy’s, this
would not alter the events of the story.
Billy would still come to the Bed and
Breakfast.
Billy would still talk to the
landlady and drink the tea.
Point of View: What if?
• If the narrator had access to the
landlady's thoughts and not Billy’s,
readers would know the landlady's
thoughts about what was happening in the
story..
Point of View: What if?
• At the same time, there would be a tradeoff. While readers would know what
the landlady thinks, they would no
longer know what Billy thinks.
• However, the readers would
still hear what Billy says
out loud.
✔
Point of View: What if?
• This change shapes
the story in a different
way, since the two
people would have
completely different
descriptions of and
thoughts about the
exact same events.
Point of View: What if?
• The author might use or emphasize
different suspense techniques based on
the character the narrator has access to.
Point of View: What if?
• To summarize: if the narrator has access
to the landlady’s thoughts and feelings and
not Billy’s,
• the reader would no longer have access to
information about Billy’s thoughts and ideas.
• The reader might have access to
new information based on the
landlady’s thoughts and ideas.
Point of View: What if?
• To summarize: if the narrator has access to
the landlady’s thoughts and feelings and not
Billy’s,
– the reader would have a different experience
because these changes would affect
mood
setting
theme
use of
suspense
techniques
Point of View: “What if?”
Eliminated Information Example
• If the narrator has access to the landlady’s
thoughts and feelings, the reader would no
longer know that
• Billy arrives in Bath for a new job and quickly
needs to find a place to live.
• Billy wants to be an adult like the “successful”
people he works for.
Point of View: “What if?”
Eliminated Information Example
So What?
• Without knowing how important it is to Billy that he look
and act like much older than he is, the reader would no
longer know how naïve and unsuspecting he is.
• It is important for the reader to know that Billy is
unsuspecting and focused only on being a mature adult
because this is why he doesn’t recognize the warning
signs of the dangerous situation he is in with the
landlady.
Point of View: “What if?”
Eliminated Information Example
So What? (Part 2)
• By portraying Billy as naïve and unsuspecting, the
author uses the suspense technique of foreshadowing.
» The reader can predict that Billy’s naivety– his
innocence and inexperience--will cause him harm.
• If the reader no longer knows
how unsuspecting Billy is,
he/she cannot predict that
Billy is putting himself in
danger.
Point of View: “What if?”
Potential New Information Example
• If the narrator has access to the landlady’s
thoughts and feelings, the reader might gain
new information. For example,
• The narrator might describe the
landlady’s reaction to Billy’s
reluctance to drink the tea. The
landlady might feel frustrated
and annoyed with Billy.
Point of View: “What if?”
Potential New Information Example
So What?
• If the narrator describes the landlady’s frustrated
reaction to Billy’s reluctance to drink the tea, the reader
might learn more about her personality, that she is cold
and calculating.
• The reader might become more fearful (mood) for Billy’s
fate because he/she realizes how determined the
landlady is to poison Billy.
Point of View: “What if?”
Potential New Information Example
So What? (Part 2)
• With this new knowledge, the primary suspense
technique becomes dramatic irony.
• The reader would likely know
that (unsuspecting) Billy is
about to drink poisoned tea.
Point of View
Analysis Graphic Organizer
Your Turn!
Use the examples we just explained as
models for the “Point of View Analysis
Graphic Organizer.”