Question

In the context of the short story, how do people face death? The landlady hints at her sinister intentions throughout the text - do you think Billy should have realized her plans? Was he in denial of his own fate? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

Answer 1

A) In the context of the story "The Landlady", people face death many times, without knowing they are initially.

Billy did think there was something odd about the way he was received and ushered in. Only that he kept excusing them away.

B) Billy, I think, should have realised her plans. There was nothing ordinary about an Inn that had had only two guests in two years and whose guests were still in the Inn.

Another pointer to just what she was capable of, was the fact that she was skilled in the ability to enbalm dead bodies.

C) Billy was probably under a spell and not in denial. From the moment he walked into the Inn. There were lots of clues to show that the Inn was unusual. First was the fact that with such a ridiculous price, he was the only guest that night and many nights before.

A guest in their right minds would have taken an objection to staying.

Cheers