The Landlady
She is only known as the Landlady, her real name is not given. Her age is unknown, although she is most likely in her forties or fifties.
Physical appearance: She is described as quite an old woman, with a round shaped face, blue eyes, and a warm smile. She appealed to Billy, as he thought “She seemed terribly nice. She looked exactly like the mother of one's best school-friend welcoming her into the house to stay for the Christmas holidays.” The author likely chose this appearance to make nobody suspect her to be a murderer.
Change
The Landlady does change over the story, making her a dynamic character. She goes from a well-intentioned grandmother figure to a serial killer who murders Billy. However, her personality does not change much even when she kills him.
Conflict
Conflict: The Landlady’s goal is to lure Billy in, make him feel comfortable and sign his name in the guestbook, and then poison him with cyanide and stuff him – like she did with her two previous guests. Everything goes well, and she succeeds in murdering Billy. In the story, Billy’s fate is ambiguous, but it’s heavily implied that he dies.
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Personality
Personality: The Landlady seems very warm and kind, giving cheap prices for rooms and offering Billy snacks and drinks. Billy thinks that she is a bit peculiar, but not in a bad way – she comes off as eccentric but good hearted. However, this is a ruse, as the Landlady has killed at least two people before, and doesn’t show any sign of stopping.
Opinions and Reactions: The only other character shown interacting with the Landlady is Billy Weaver. As stated above, he thinks of her as a bit mad, but in a nice way. He thinks of her like a grandmother, and appreciates her hospitality. He also admires her taxidermy work.
Speech and Comparisons
Speech: The Landlady speaks like a grandmother, talking in a kind manner. However, she also avoids Billy’s questions.
Comparison to Billy Weaver: The Landlady takes a shine to Billy, seemingly in a motherly way, but actually because she plans to kill him.
Thoughts and Feelings: The Landlady’s thoughts and feelings are not revealed, making her quite a mystery to both Billy (The POV character) and the reader.
The End