Character Clues
This 17-year-old is traveling alone to Bath in the story.
Billy Weaver
Billy stops in this city, famous for its boarding houses and pubs, where most of the story takes place.
Bath
Billy notices two names in the guestbook that are familiar from recent news.
The two missing boys
The author creates tension by describing a warm setting with hints of danger, an example of this technique.
Foreshadowing
Readers can infer that the missing boys’ fate was similar to Billy’s using this clue.
The landlady’s taxidermy hobby
Billy is described as this at the beginning of the story, showing his innocence and naivety.
"polite, ambitious, and a bit naive"
The exterior of the Bed and Breakfast is described as this, which seems welcoming but subtly ominous.
Cozy, small, and quaint
The landlady serves Billy this drink in a way that hints at something sinister.
Tea
This literary device is used when the landlady’s polite exterior contrasts with her dark hobbies.
Juxtaposition
The story explores this theme by showing how appearances can be deceiving.
Deception/the danger of naivety
This character’s behavior is strangely formal yet oddly friendly when Billy arrives.
The Landlady
In paragraph 11, the story creates this type of feeling through description and atmosphere.
Suspenseful, eerie, and creepy
The story subtly foreshadows Billy’s fate using this repeated element.
The Landlady's obsession with stuffed animals
Dahl’s choice to reveal Billy’s thoughts lets readers do this, especially as danger looms.
Infer character motives or anticipate events
Billy’s perspective on men and women subtly reflects this about society at the time.
Gender expectations or social perception
Billy notices the landlady’s peculiar interest in this kind of hobby.
Taxidermy (stuffing dead animals)
The choice between the boarding house and the pub above it reflects Billy’s cautious consideration of these.
Safety and propriety (or perception of men and women)
The landlady’s small house contrasts with this concerning element of her character.
Her murderous intent or sinister behavior
The story ending leaves questions unanswered, a hallmark of this technique.
Suspense/open ending/cliffhanger
The landlady’s polite behavior masks this underlying truth.
Her murderous intent
The landlady exhibits this behavior, which hints at her sinister intentions.
Overly hospitable and slightly controlling
The author uses this combination of cheerful description with strange hints to keep the reader uneasy.
Juxtaposition
Billy’s failure to notice these warning signs leads him toward danger.
Inconsistencies in the landlady’s story and her strange behavior
The landlady repeating “Will you have another cup of tea?” is an example of this stylistic device.
Repetition
The story’s suspense is heightened because readers must do this with Billy’s observations.
Infer meaning from context clues