The Umbrella Man Analysis

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Unit 1 Theme Essay

Do you ever meet someone, and assume that they are something based on what they do, and then later realize that that’s that who they are? Lots of people make that mistake in life. It also happens in stories by Roald Dahl. In The Landlady by Roald Dahl and The Umbrella Man by Roald Dahl, think the main character is one thing, but is is not due to false leads and characterization that the author gives away. After all, people are not always who they seem to be.

In the story The Umbrella Man by Roald Dahl, a “polite, well spoken, well dressed, 70 year old man came to a mother and daughter asking for money for money for a cab ride home. He walked to far and was to tired to walk home. He explained to them why he needed the …show more content…

In The Umbrella Man the author used characterization to make you think the little old man was a nice gentleman who just wanted money for a cab ride home. The mother thought he was a gentleman because of his shoes, but is still suspicious. He makes a deal with her to trade his expensive silk umbrella for money. She gives in and makes the trade. He sprints away clearly not looking for a cab. The mother and daughter follow him. They see him walk into a bar and buy a drink with the money they gave him. When his is finished he grabs another umbrella from the coat rack and proceeded to play the same trick on another stranger. It wasn’t till the end that the mother and daughter realized that he was not who they thought he would be. In The Landlady the author opened the story by a man named Billy Weaver looking for a place to stay. He found a nice “Bed and Breakfast” and he rung the doorbell and the lady opened the door before he could even take his finger off the bell. She talked to him and made him sign a guestbook which had names in it from more than 2 years ago. He recognized the names and started to get suspicious. He noticed a couple of stuffed animals. The landlady did it herself. He continued to drink the tea and he got tired and then passed out. He woke up to the landlady getting ready to stuff him. He had been poisoned by the tea. In the end the plot revealed that she was a killer who stuffed things for her own enjoyment. The Umbrella Man and The Landlady both have plots that use false lead that makes you think that people are not who you assume they

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