Roald Dahl's short story 'The Landlady' Marginalisation of women as 'damsels in distress'
'A frequent representation of women in literature is the role of the damsel in distress' Respond to this statement by referring to the character of the landlady in the short story of the same name.
Women are often portrayed as a damsel in distress in literature. This stereotype affects our reading of Roald Dahl's short story, The Landlady, and the reaction we have with its title character. Style, point of view and setting as well as characterisation amalgamate in The Landlady to support this bias.
The text introduces the Landlady as a woman of about forty-five to fifty years, with blue eyes and a round pink face. This description is amicable and shows good feeling on Billy's part towards the Landlady. Billy's sees her as "…exactly like the mother of one's best school-friend…" (pg. 5). This shows that Billy sees her as no threat and trusts her fully, as she fits in with the stereotype of a kindly older woman in need of company. He thinks that she is lonely and "slightly dotty." Though this is not particularly harsh, it shows that he believes the Landlady is a damsel in distress and therefore treats her as such.
A Bed and Breakfast in Bath is the home of the Landlady, and as it is her own domain, she is very much in control. Her accommodation is depicted in explicit detail, and shows that she is very proud of her home and is comfortable in her surroundings. She owns many luxuries, a bright fire, pleasant furniture, piano, animals and plants. Although we see that the Landlady has the upper hand, we do not believe she has any ill wish, as her home is so accommodating and her manner so friendly. We disregard the clues before us, as the stereotyped view of her as a damsel in distress is so firmly lodged in our minds.
Third person limited point of view is used in the Landlady. This tells us the story from Billy's perspective and is consequently highly biased. He sees the Landlady as fragile, dotty and harmless, "…no question about that." (pg. 7). He sees her quirks
Women are often portrayed as a damsel in distress in literature. This stereotype affects our reading of Roald Dahl's short story, The Landlady, and the reaction we have with its title character. Style, point of view and setting as well as characterisation amalgamate in The Landlady to support this bias.
The text introduces the Landlady as a woman of about forty-five to fifty years, with blue eyes and a round pink face. This description is amicable and shows good feeling on Billy's part towards the Landlady. Billy's sees her as "…exactly like the mother of one's best school-friend…" (pg. 5). This shows that Billy sees her as no threat and trusts her fully, as she fits in with the stereotype of a kindly older woman in need of company. He thinks that she is lonely and "slightly dotty." Though this is not particularly harsh, it shows that he believes the Landlady is a damsel in distress and therefore treats her as such.
A Bed and Breakfast in Bath is the home of the Landlady, and as it is her own domain, she is very much in control. Her accommodation is depicted in explicit detail, and shows that she is very proud of her home and is comfortable in her surroundings. She owns many luxuries, a bright fire, pleasant furniture, piano, animals and plants. Although we see that the Landlady has the upper hand, we do not believe she has any ill wish, as her home is so accommodating and her manner so friendly. We disregard the clues before us, as the stereotyped view of her as a damsel in distress is so firmly lodged in our minds.
Third person limited point of view is used in the Landlady. This tells us the story from Billy's perspective and is consequently highly biased. He sees the Landlady as fragile, dotty and harmless, "…no question about that." (pg. 7). He sees her quirks