Foreshadowing the Theme of Appearance Vs. Reality in “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl

The idiom “do not judge a book by its cover” is frequently used when meeting new people and basing opinions on stereotyped appearances. Prejudgment leads to false impressions that can have negative consequences. In the short story “The Landlady,” Road Dahl uses foreshadowing to effectively develop the thematic idea that what appears to be reality is not always absolute. Firstly, the way the landlady refers to her prior guests foretell her true intentions of murdering Billy. When Billy asks about her former visitors, she says, “I don’t think they were famous, but they were extraordinarily handsome” (Dahl 4). The hostess refers to her guest’s appearances and possible accomplishments in past tense, but later admits to Billy that they still reside “on the third floor, both of them together” (Dahl 5). The landlady’s manner of speech leads readers to infer that she kills her guests and stashes their corpses in her residence. The news of the prior visitors’ deaths foreshadows that the same fate is destined for Billy, who becomes an official guest when he signs his name in the guest book. Secondly, through Billy’s description of the tea’s distinct flavor, Dahl warns readers that the tea is dangerous. Billy does not care much for the landlady’s tea and remarks that “the tea tasted faintly of bitter almonds” (Dahl 6). Although it is not directly implied, the tea is poisoned with cyanide, which is “described as having a ‘bitter almond’ smell” (National Center for Environmental Health ). Furthermore, tea is commonly associated as a welcoming drink with many healing benefits, but Billy’s tea is poisonous and harmful against usual presumptions. In conclusion, Roald Dahl proves to the readers that you cannot prejudge solely based on outward appearance through many examples of foreshadowing in “The Landlady.” Be this a lesson to all that appearances are often misleading, and it is important to be cautious around strangers.