Examples Of Manipulation In The Landlady

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The Landlady is a jarring short story about a woman who owns a bed and breakfast. Throughout the narrative she shows an increasing amount of psychosis, which can be characterized by delusions, tendencies to manipulate and lie, and severe attachment and obsession with a person, thought or item and. For the purpose of this essay, I will be looking analyzing three characteristics being; obsession, delusion in the form of flirtation and, finally, manipulation. She uses these traits to lure a potential victim into her bed and breakfast, where it is foreshadowed that she practices taxidermy on her guests so they may never leave her. Throughout the duration of the tale, whether it be to convince Billy Weaver to enter her bed and breakfast, or to drink the assumed to be poisoned tea, the Landlady, who …show more content…

Simply the welcoming manner through the way the bed and breakfast is set up is the first case of manipulation, acting as a disguise, hiding the true terrors beyond a ‘homey’ exterior. “...the first thing he saw was a bright fire burning in the hearth. On the carpet in front of the fire, a pretty little dachshund was curled asleep with its nose tucked into it’s belly.” (page 107) Later do we find out that this “pretty little dachshund” is dead and has been preserved by the Landlady herself. The fire is welcoming during a cold night in a new place. “Animals were usually a good sign in a place like this, Billy told himself; all in all, it looked to him as though it would be a pretty decent house to stay in.” (page 108) This proves to be wrong, however the placement of the animals, the burning hearth, and the warm presence of the bed and breakfast is perfect for luring handsome young

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