When you deceive someone, it basically means that you cause them to believe something that is not true, typically in order to gain some personal advantage. In the short story “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl and “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson both have characters that have appealing looks that deceive many people. The antagonists Miss Strangeworth and The Landlady have many similarities and differences. They both have evil intentions behind their pleasant faces and appear to be lonely but in a similar setting, however, they have different hobbies.
First of all, Miss Strangeworth and the Landlady have similar facial features like, “blue eyes….” and a, “round pink face….” However, in both stories, we later realize that they both like to have a negative impact on other people. The Landlady treats Billy Weaver like a king, as she offers him a room at, “five and sixpence a night,” offers him supper, and takes the liberty of making him tea and getting his bed ready. However, her generosity conceals her evil side which is to, “stuff all my little pets myself when they pass away….” and makes Billy Weaver a part of her taxidermy collection. Similarly, Miss Strangeworth does the same, while she runs her errands like getting groceries and tea, she not only greets people but also judges them. For example, when she runs into Helen Crane, Adela comments, “all babies are different…some develop much more quickly than others…” Later, when Miss Strangeworth gets home, she begins, “writing her letters…in childish block print…” so none knows it is her writing them. Those letters had a bad impact on those people and their families, just like the negative impact the Landlady had on all the three boys.
Secondly, both Miss Strangeworth and the Landlady appear to be living alone. When Billy Weaver came to the Bed and Breakfast the Landlady mentions how she,” has the pleasure of taking a visitor into my little nest…” Also, the last time someone came to the Bed and Breakfast was at least three years ago. Similarly, “Miss Strangeworth was living alone in the Strangeworth house on Pleasant Street.” Due to their loneliness, they have developed odd passions that they enjoy doing. However, both of their houses are described as prize homes, meaning they have features that make you want to just look at them. Miss Strangeworth has her house decorated with roses that were blossoming and made the surrounding air smell sweet. The Landlady, just like Adela, had her Bed and Breakfast covered with flowers, “the chrysanthemums looked wonderful beside them.”
Though the many similarities, the two antagonists have many differences, the biggest and most important one being their hobbies. The Landlady likes to, “stuff all her little pets herself when they pass away…,” while Miss Strangeworth actually, “like writing letter…” She had been writing her letters, “two or three times a day for a week, sometimes no more than one in a month. However, like Miss Strangeworth, the Landlady has a passion, however she is fond of stuffing other people. Aside from their differences, they both negatively other people’s lives. While Miss Strangeworth enjoys writing her letters and delivering them to the people around town, the Landlady enjoys expanding her taxidermy collection.
In conclusion, looks can be deceiving and you should never assume someone is nice or decent without truly knowing them. Miss Strangeworth and the Landlady though had pleasant faces, they also had evil intentions in a similar setting, though their ways of presenting them were different. To sum everything up, though you may think what you’re doing is right, you may be actually ruining a person’s way of life.
