Final answer:
In 'The Landlady' by Roald Dahl, the landlady serves as a creepy antagonist. She initially appears benign but elicits fear, which is characteristic of an antagonist with a sinister nature. Her subtlety and implied malevolence create a climactic psychological horror and oppose the protagonist's safety.
Step-by-step explanation:
An antagonist is a character, group, concept, or other force that opposes the protagonist in a story. In the short story “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl, the landlady serves as a creepy antagonist. This is because she appears to be a kind and caring hostess, but as the narrative progresses, her true nature is suggested to be sinister and potentially deadly, hinted through her unsettling behavior and the mysterious demise of previous tenants. The landlady's character embodies the quintessential qualities of a creepy antagonist; she is unsettling and elicits fear through her subtle, mysterious actions which oppose and threaten the well-being of the protagonist, Billy Weaver.
The story does not reveal the landlady's malevolent activities directly but implies them through dark foreshadowing and the discomfort she induces in the reader. This indirect revelation of her intent makes her a textbook case of a creepy antagonist, enhancing the psychological horror of the narrative and creating a climactic sense of dread.