Roald Dahl – The landlady and Wilkie Collins – The Terribly Strange Bed Essay Example

names in the book that he recognizes and is surprised to find that she has only had two other male guests. Additionally, Billy notices that both the parrot and dog on display are actually stuffed, and the landlady confesses to preserving all her pets. Furthermore, she reveals that the two previous guests mentioned earlier are still present on the third floor. Lastly, Billy detects an odd taste of bitter almonds in his tea.

The Terribly Strange Bed tells the story of two English men in France who are looking to gamble at an authentic, rough gambling house. The first man starts gambling and the other man warns him not to trust this house. Despite the warning, the first man continues to gamble and wins many games, causing the gambling house to run out of money and close the bank. Some of the others at the house become hostile towards the young man, so he befriends an old soldier who advises him to hide his money in a knotted handkerchief for safekeeping.

The suggestion of the Old French soldier is to celebrate by getting some champagne. The English man, who is very drunk, cannot return to his hotel, so the soldiers propose that he stays in an upstairs room at the pub. They inform him that the beds in this establishment are excellent, suggesting he sleeps off the wine's effects and goes home safely as the winner tomorrow. To help the English man sober up, the old soldier offers him a drugged coffee. Unaware of its effects, the English man stumbles to bed, intoxicated and disoriented. The bed resembles a four-poster style with a descending canopy that suffocates

those sleeping in it. To keep his money safe, the English man places his handkerchief under his pillow.

The man ties the handkerchief to the back of his cravat because he sees the canopy moving down as if it's going to crush him when he lies down on his bed. Panicking, the Englishman runs to the window and alerts the police. They return to the pub and instruct the Englishman to hide behind them. The police discover that the pub and the gambling house are both owned by the old soldier. They also find out that numerous men have been drugged, suffocated, and thrown into the Seine, a French river. The old soldier and a woman who worked at the pub were attempting to steal back all the money won at the gambling house. The old soldier, who had been expelled from the army, is revealed to be a thoroughly corrupt and malevolent man! Fortunately, the Englishman survives and lives to recount the story but swears off gambling and playing cards forever.

The Landlady was my favourite character in the first story because she displayed intelligence, cunning, and a touch of madness. Her welcoming smile as she lures Billy into the B&B raises suspicions of her sinister intent to possibly kill and stuff him. The idea of stuffing guests is quite unusual. Throughout the story, she drops subtle hints, almost as if she is teasing Billy, encouraging him to unravel the truth and escape. The uncertainty of whether Billy would uncover the fate of previous guests or if he would manage to escape creates suspense for the reader.

My least favourite character is Billy because he is very

naive and unable to perceive the clues and comments that indicate that his only two guests have been murdered and stuffed, and he is the next target! Despite being only 17 and embarking on his future career, Billy is captivated by the B&B and assumes that the landlady is lonely, frail, and may have lost her son in war. He takes pleasure in the compliments that hint at the truth, like when the landlady remarks that he has the most beautiful teeth.

In the second story, my favorite character is the victim, as it is less frustrating to see that the English man does not recognize the clues. He manages to escape the attack, involve the authorities, and achieve justice. Despite being drugged and slightly intoxicated, the English man thwarts the assassination attempt by an old soldier, adding excitement to the story.

The character in the story is considered nai??ve because despite his friend's warning about the gambling scene, he chooses to stay and continue playing even after winning all the money.

The old soldier, who is my least favourite character in this story, stands out as a classic killer. The tale of the old soldier's scheme is one of successfully deceiving and murdering countless unsuspecting victims.

Even though I was captivated by the concept of the moving canopy that covers the person in bed, I was not fond of the character.

Both stories are similar in context but written in different ways.

Both Collins and Dahl use different techniques to create tension and atmosphere in their writing. Collins achieves this by using long sentences and providing limited clues, whereas Dahl's approach is clear and descriptive, offering more clues to the

reader. For example, Collins writes "the parrot did not make a sound," "the dog didn't move," and "the names in the register ring a bell."

Furthermore, both writers incorporate a significant amount of punctuation in their respective contexts. Dahl utilizes punctuation to provide clues and leave room for the reader's imagination to fill in the gaps. On the other hand, Collins employs punctuation to prolong the revelation of information, thus evoking suspicion. For instance, Collins writes: "he spoke - 'my dear friend, it would be madness to go home in your state; you would be sure to lose your money; you might be robbed and murdered with the greatest of ease.'"

The second story employs a sophisticated language that may impede fluent reading and comprehension. To aid readers, definitions of certain words are provided at the bottom of the page. Nevertheless, this level of complexity may deter some readers from fully engaging with the text.

Dahl's language is both more modern and easier to comprehend, attracting a larger number of readers.

Having an abundance of dialogue not only brings the story to life but also aids in explaining the narrative.

Although the second story includes an attempt to take the life of an English man, the tension and atmosphere build quicker in the first story. However, once it unravels, it becomes quite predictable. The second story builds slowly and takes many turns. I noticed that the paragraphs have varying lengths; Collins' are very long and Dahl's are quite short. This makes it difficult for the reader to follow the story in the second, and it seems to be twice as long.

The characters in both stories are similar, as they are

naive victims and evil vindictive killers. However, they differ in theme, story setting, and ending. Collins is set in France and has a conclusive ending. On the other hand, Dahl's story is set in England and leaves the reader on a cliffhanger, unsure whether Billy will die due to the old Landlady or whether he will live and discover her secret. The stories are similar in that they both involve mysteries, murder, and drugged victims. For example, in Collins' story, the victim states, "I was seized by a fit of giddiness and felt more completely intoxicated than ever" (The Terribly Strange Bed). In Dahl's story, it is mentioned that "The tea tasted faintly of bitter almonds and he didn't care much for it" (The Landlady).

The theme of both stories is similar because both victims are traveling away from home; one for work and the other for pleasure.

Overall, I found "The Terribly Strange Bed" to be the most captivating and "The Landlady" to be more irritating. I appreciated that the second story had a definitive ending and lacked excessive hints, making it less predictable. Despite the more complex language, it remains my favorite tale.