Introduction
Over the past decades, women were considered weaker as compared to men in most societies. Some traditions were made to ensure that women stay home and be under the leadership of men. As time elapsed, some women grew tired of treatments and sought freedom and make decisions just like men (Caprioli, 2003). Since they wanted equality as men, they had to prove capable of ending discrimination. This paper shall expound on the stories such as "The Landlady," "Neverhome," "The dream of Armageddon," and "Desiree' Baby."
The Landlady
The short story "The Landlady" by Ronald Dahl is narrated by a third-person narrator who solely functions as an observer of events. The narrator covers Billy's journey to Bath, where his feelings and thoughts are covered. The narrator begins the story by expounding on the main protagonist Billy Waiver who traveled to Bash for business reasons. Billy arrived at Bash at around 9 pm, so he had to seek accommodation (Dahl, 1959). As he strives for this place, a porter recommended him to stay at Bell and the Dragon Hotel. Billy's exposition is accomplished when he looked throughout the city to find Dragon and Bell. From this point, readers get to know more about Billy's characteristics. Billy was a young lad about seventeen years old. However, in the early stages, Billy is portrayed as a successful businessman. At that time, his attire matched the true identity of a successful businessman by wearing brisk that day.
As Billy works to Dragon and Bell, he sees a boarding house entitled with a big sign as "Bed and Breakfast." After some time, it seems Billy was hypnotized when he choose to sleep at the boarding house even though he had purposed to sleep at the pub at the early stages. When Billy pressed the bell of the boarding, a landlady suddenly appeared to him (Dahl, 1959). The reception at itself is strange in the sense that normally, when the bell is rung, a person needs to wait for a while before the door is actually opened.
One of the conflicts that appear so unique in this context is the man against man. The conflict is experienced between the landlady and Billy (Dahl, 1959). Even as he stays at the landlady's house, Billy feels something strange. Such that, he doubts the care showed to him by the landlady by being curious to understand more.
The other type of conflict that is experienced in "The Landlady" is the internal conflict. In this context, Bill had to face his naivety and memory lapses since he could not remember the exact time where he had known the names of the guest.
The setting of the short story "The Landlady" shapes the plot and the characters. At the beginning of the story, readers are introduced to a seventeen-year-old young lad, Billy Waiver, who has journeyed alone from London to Bath on an afternoon train (Dahl, 1959). The story unfolds that when he reached Bath, it was late amidst the cold outside. Before Billy arrived at the pub, he receives a recommendation from a porter making him counter a quaint bed and breakfast. Typically the phrase "bed and breakfast" signifies lodging and meals, which is completely conducted at someone's residence.
The conflict in the short story "The Landlady" has four symbols. One of the symbols is the taxidermy animals represent a lack of perception that Billy has towards the ulterior motives of the landlady. When Billy peeped through the window of "Bed and Breakfast," he realizes that the animals believe they are alive (Dahl, 1959). Billy considers these animals a representation of a safe home. However, the dead animals suggest that Billy is more likely to be led in a false sense of security.
The other symbols are the houses at Bath. The houses constructed on the way to Bath is an indication of the business culture of the place. For that reason, Billy feels attracted by this culture. The houses look identical and pristine, which mirrors the stereotypical appearance of business operators wearing the same pristine attires. Likewise, there are houses with cracked paints and decayed based on years of neglect.
The short story expounds more about the tea, which symbolizes the criminality, cruelty, and horrific deception of the landlady. In essence, the symbol reveals the sharp contrast between reality and appearance. The landlady appears as interestingly a nice person, yet she is not.
In the boarding house, the yellow chrysanthemums seem perched in the landlady's window containing various layers of symbolic significance. In most part of Europe, chrysanthemums are widely known as a symbol of death. Chrysanthemum is widely used as a funeral flower. Therefore, the story foreshadows the grave that Billy is more likely to meet. The idea is stemmed from unwitting acceptance of lodging from the landlady who has selected Billy as her next victim. Billy narrowly thinks that the flower symbolizes safety and comfort. As Billy peeps through the window of the boarding house, he is attracted by the lovely blooms (Dahl, 1959). Billy is attached to the place, ignoring the previous proposal of going to Bell and Dragon, as was recommended by the Porter. The conflict occurs between Billy's association, and the traditional symbolism of the flower sparks the major conflict perpetrated in the story between reality and appearance. The external environment of the Bed and Breakfast comprises of cheerful-looking and bright flowers in the window, which completely confuse Billy and lulls him into a false sense of safety. The symbols that could be used as a warning is disregarded by the naïve, young lad who ends up in a deadly situation.
The short story "The Landlady" addresses appearance against reality in a broader perspective. Every event that unfolds from the appearance of the Landlady's house, such as cozy and warm reception, including her demeanor, is deceptive. Even though she is associated with the traits of kindness and caring, she is indeed a monster (Dahl, 1959). Billy is taken by her kindness, countenance, and gentle nature. Although these traits are simply a ploy, she was using to kill some two victims. Indeed, her traits summarize the quote, "don't judge a book with its cover.'
The writer also reveals the conflict through the use of irony. In essence, it is quite ironic for Billy to believe that "Bed and Breakfast" are more attractive than Bell and Dragon. Readers can conclude that it would have better for Billy to go to the pub instead of going to the boarding house. Billy is deceptive with the looks of "Bed and Breakfast," where he described the place as "more comfortable" and "pleasant furniture," which is not really the case.
A Dream of Armageddon
"A Dream of Armageddon" by Wells expounds on a man's experience who is dreaming about death. In this context, Armageddon is used to foreshadow unprecedented death. The first person narration raises curiosities that are more personal with less trustworthy (Wells, 1901). Although the interpretation of the dream is quite different from reality, readers can easily examine the truth since the provided description compares his experiences with the dream of the man.
The plot of the story is given when the narrator finds himself on a train listening to the protagonist's dream. The white man is haunted by the vivid dream where he inhabits the life of another person living in the future.
One of the conflict covers in this short story is the man against self. The storyteller, who is not the narrator of the story, is confused about reality and death. The incident takes place on a train in the 1900s (Wells, 1901). The story is a typical science fiction since it is narrated as a premonition or dream. In this context, love is more pronounced over war by the character. The narrator and storyteller do not know each other, but they are connected by time and place and driven by curiosity and dreams.
One theme shown in the short story is love. In this context, readers can understand that love is blind. Such that duty is the death of love, and love is the death of duty (Voldman, 2018). The narrator is haunted by the vivid dream of another man's future. The reader understands how the dream is since the narrator insisted that he had been to Capri even though it is clear that he never did.
The narrator is interrupted by the stranger since he wanted to confirm that he had been to Capri. However, the white man affirms that he had not gone to Capri but only through his dream. The quote, "I interrupted suddenly: You have been to Capri, of course? Only in this dream, he said," explains theme where reality can be misunderstood and confused by how the dream is perceived (Wells, 1901). Thus, a person needs to hold on reality as it is possible to get confused to determine what is real and what is not. For that reason, one has to develop a clear line to determine what is real to be considered sane? The writer uses this quote to allow the readers to understand the theme, the plot, the setting, and the character of the story.
The quote "this madness war" expounds on the conflict to the society faced by the dreamer. Thus, the dreamer is led to make a choice, which leads to the plot by having a significant impact on the end of the story. Together with the quote, "love and reason, " they reflect the theme "love is the death of duty," which ends in "duty is the death of love." In this context, choosing a lover over the responsibility and duty for the dream is more reasonable to them. From here, readers can see that the dreamer wants peace over the war. In this case, the human invention creates a conflict in which humanity alive. In essence, people should not be guided by their feelings in making decisions but on rationality. The two quotes help the reader to understand the theme, the conflict, the plot, and the character of the story.
Desiree Baby
The narrator expounds more about the events and places in which emotions and thoughts of characters are displayed. The idea is supported by the text "when the baby was about three months old, Desiree awoke one day to the conviction that there was something in the air menacing her peace" (Welle & Heilman, 2007). The readers are introduced to the term "quadroon." Typically, a quadroon refers to an individual who is one-quarter African by descent. The child born has a skin color that is similar to a quadroon. The baby is of African descent. Since Desiree does not clearly understand the origin of parents, Armand argues that one of her parents was black. From this perspective, readers understand how black skin was deemed inferior. In most instances, black people were considered slaves.
From the story, the reader can learn that things were not smooth on Desiree's side. When Desiree explains that he had not punished one of the slaves by claiming that the baby softened him to the mother, it merely clarifies that Armand had an obscured side. The mood of tense is created when the written phrase "desire awoke one day to the conviction that there was something in the air menacing her peace" (Welle & Heilman, 2007).
Conflicts that are displayed in this story entails man against society. Readers can see the extent to which having a black child can cause a person in society. In the story, readers understand that Desiree baby is against all society.
The other aspect is the man against man. The readers can understand that there is a conflict between Desiree and Armand over the origin of the child. The parents battle on who might have come from African ancestry.
One of the conflicts covered by the writer is internal conflict. In essence, the conflict arises, especially when the child has no identity. In other words, the baby was nameless and could not tell about her birth parents.
