Compare the Old Soldier in a “A Terribly Strange Bed” with “The Land lady” in Dahl’s story. What are the similarities and differences between them?

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David O'Neill 10.2

Compare the Old Soldier in a "A Terribly Strange

Bed" with "The Landlady" in Dahl's story. What are the similarities and differences between them?

Both stories have the same themes within. They both prove to contain murder by deceit and both stories main characters are taken advantage of under the influence drugs, which "The Landlady" and "The Old Soldier" had planted. Both of the

In both stories the victims are young and are easily fooled by the fact that killers are aged. From the fact that they are aged, the victims believe that they are harmless and don't cause a physical threat to them. Which is backed up by the fact that both murderer's try to gain the trust of there victims by compliments like the one The Landlady said "you have the most beautiful teeth" and "never in my life have I seen such luck" which the Old Soldier complimented on. Both of these compliments are to lead both victims into a false sense of security.

Both stories were set at late at night but both at very different settings in History. The story "A Terribly Strange Bed" was set in the 19th century, 1850's for the exact date. A Terribly Strange Bed is set in France and is about an English man who had finished his college education who was tired from the rich life and decided to visit a Blackguard. We find that he is rich from the fact that he is an English man who went to college in France. Education was paid for in them days and to go to college in France you had to be rich. In Victorian times people are obsessed with the appearance and social class. In the 19th century you were either rich or poor for there were no social classes in between. The Old Soldier may have done this deed on Mr Faulkner because he was so jealous that he was richer than he was. The Landlady was set at
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Later date in the 20th century and to be more accurate the 1960's.

The murderers are both seen as suspicious characters at first but are different things distracting both victims. Mr Faulkner was distracted because he was "gambling drunk" and "If I had been in my sense's I should of considered him, personally, as being rather a suspicious specimen of an old solider" which also shows that he was distracted. The Landlady distracted Mr Weaver by her cheap bed and breakfast price's which we find when it say's "it was less than half of what he had ...

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