How effective is Dahls use of subtext in his short stories? :: English Literature

How effective is Dahl's use of subtext in his short stories? Subtext is anything that is indirectly communicated to the reader. It can be conveyed in many ways, such as sounds, objects, jokes, colours and temperatures. Subtext expresses a meaning in a subliminal manner. In Roald Dahl's short stories he uses subtext to display the meanings and feelings that are hidden. In 'The Landlady' Dahl uses subtext to convey the true evil behind the landlady's homely exterior. The animals in the boarding house are thought of to be a good feature. 'Animals were usually a good sign in a place like this'. This is ironic because the animals are dead and stuffed. When Billy Weaver first walked into the house he noticed that there was only his coat in the hallway. 'There were no other hats or coats in the hall'. This is subtext because it suggests that the house is empty. Subtext can also be suggested through temperature. All the way through the story, temperature is used subtextually to suggest meanings and feelings. The weather outside was cold. A cold temperature is subtext for death. 'The air was deadly cold and the wind was like a flat blade of ice', this is pathetic fallacy because it is typical horror genre weather. Inside the house heat is used to cover up the coldness of death. 'A bright fire burning' is used to make the house seem warm. The cups of tea are used in the same way. When Billy goes to the house the landlady appears very quickly, 'like a jack-in-the-box'. This indicates that she was waiting for him to arrive. Furthermore it seems as if she has prepared everything for him in advance. In other words she knew the point when he was going to arrive. The landlady says 'we have it all to ourselves'. She also talks about her guests in the past tense. Therefore it is suggested that the guests are no longer there. The landlady is an unconventional monster in this horror story. 'She looked exactly like the mother of one's best school-friend' explains that this woman seemed sweet and familiar to Billy. Her role in the story is reversed when it is revealed that she is in fact a cold killer. The landlady acts very strangely towards Billy, 'her blue eyes travelled slowly all the way down the length of Billy's body'. The landlady's ayes are described as blue. Blue eyes are not usually associated with evil so this makes her seem an irregular villain in the story. The way she looks at him suggests a wicked look but the 'blue eyes' eliminates the evil.