“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

the landlady Billy Weaver

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

Billy Weaver the landlady

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 trade off.

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.”