Roald Dahl and William Faulkner explore the curious connection between love and death through their tales of passion-induced murder. Dahl's "The Landlady" and Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" are remarkably similar, but they diverge on key elements of the narrative, namely the differences between the love that Miss Emily shows to Homer Barron and the "love" that the Landlady shows her victims. By juxtaposing these works and analyzing “The Landlady” through the context of its differences from “A Rose for Emily,” it becomes clear that, unlike Miss Emily, the Landlady does not love her victims. Instead, he idolizes their beauty without regard to their identity as people. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To begin, the difference in setting establishes both Emily's love for her victim and the hostess's lack of love for her victims. The landlady has created a trap; everything in your accommodation must be charming and inviting. Seeing the animals through the window, Billy notes that "Animals were usually a good sign in a place like this" (Dahl 1), but the animals are placed on purpose, acting as bait. His sincerity is as much a facade as the stuffed animals that decorate his place. Concurrently, the Grierson house is entirely private to everyone except Miss Emily, her servant, and Homer Barron. The environment Miss Emily creates for her victim is protective. She doesn't lock him in a prison, but in her own little world inside her home, where nothing exists outside of their love for each other. The room is supposed to convey their wedding, but there are details that imply the space is meant specifically for Homer Barron. Not just a “dress, carefully folded; beneath it are the two silent shoes and discarded socks” (Faulkner V) found in the room, but so are the silver toiletries with his initials on them. These details show that Miss Emily doesn't simply want a groom, but Homer Barron in particular. Compare this again to the setting of "The Landlady". Due to the nature of her killing method, the Hostess is unable to customize the environment in which she kills. She tells Billy, “I tend to be…fussy and particular…But I'm always ready. Everything is always ready day and night in this house, on the off chance that an acceptable young gentleman arrives” (Dahl 2). Being always ready means that the environment is constantly changing; a room cannot be left for years and be suitable for sleeping once used. After comparing the environments in which Miss Emily and the landlady carry out their murders, it becomes clear that Miss Emily's efforts to personalize her space demonstrate that she sincerely loves her victim, while, on the contrary, the landlady's availability at home to anyone who meets his expectations shows he does not have the same deep affection for his victims. One of the most revealing differences between the feelings Miss Emily and the landlady have for their victims are the details of the victims themselves. The landlady is a serial killer with three victims, all unknown, at the end of her story. Miss Emily has only one confirmed victim: her boyfriend Homer Barron. Although the difference at first glance seems inconsequential, it shows that the landlady has less regard for her victims than Miss Emily has for hers. Billy Weaver's accounts of his stay at the Bed and Breakfast clearly demonstrate that the landlady collects young men solely on the basis of their objective and attractive qualities. Afterhaving observed that Billy is an acceptable candidate for his institute, the narration notes that "his blue eyes slowly traveled down the length of Billy's body, to his feet, and then back up again" (Dahl 2). This gesture, in particular, denotes sexual objectification. When the landlady sexually objectifies Billy, she turns him into a means to an end, a tool she uses to support her obsession. And in the end, he is literally an object to her. In their findings on serial murder, Ronald M. Holmes and Stephen T. Holmes write: “The victim must satisfy the killer's fantasy in order for him to be satisfied. Since most…serialists kill for sexual purposes, it is evident that the victim should…possess attractive traits” (Holmes and Holmes 223). This “fantasy” is unsustainable, as evidenced by the fact that the landlady claimed multiple victims, but it is also unsatisfactory as an emotional connection. On several occasions the landlady misidentifies or even forgets the names of those she has killed: because later, if I happen to forget your name, then I can always come here and look for it. I still do it almost every day with Mr. Mulholland and Mr.... Mr.... (Dahl 5). He doesn't seem to need a connection with them before killing. Any “love” he might have for them is based on superficial qualities. Further evidence that the landlady does not love her victims, but idolizes their beauty, comes from the juxtaposition of her victims to Homer Barron. Unlike the landlady and her victims, it's clear that Miss Emily and Homer Barron have a connection. The narrator notes that "the streets had long been finished" (Faulkner IV), yet Homer Barron remains in Jefferson with Miss Emily, presumably for her company. Furthermore, the room containing Homer Barron's corpse is described as "decorated and furnished as for a bride" (Faulkner V), confirming that they intended to marry. Cluff, Hunter, and Hinch explain an extremely similar situation to Miss Emily's in their essay on female serial killers: “Female serialists avoid detection... partly because there is reluctance on the part of the community, including the police , to believe that these women are murderers. Generally, the community feels pity for these women who have tragically lost someone close to them” (Cluff and Hunter and Hinch 296). Much like the scenario described, Miss Emily's murder of Homer Barron does not undermine her love for him; she still very clearly cares. Because of their relationship, Miss Emily's reason for killing her boyfriend appears to be love and, more specifically, fear that, like her father, he will leave her. Miss Emily is clearly unperturbed by death, so “going away,” in this case, refers to the physical body being taken away from her. The reader is shown how Miss Emily handles the death of a loved one due to her actions after her father's death: “Miss Emily met [the town women] at the door, dressed as usual and without a trace of pain on her face. He told them that his father was not dead. She did this for three days… Just as they were about to resort to law and force, she collapsed” (Faulkner II). “She collapsed” seems to imply that she stopped denying that her father was dead. However, this is not supported by Miss Emily's actions after killing Homer Barron. Instead, his actions seem to show that he does not see death as the end of his loved ones' existence. While discussing the dichotomies found in the character of Miss Emily, Dennis W. Allen writes that her narrative is “preoccupied with the mutation and corruption of bodies, with violations of the boundary between life and death” (Allen 686). Homer's body has not been proven., 2010.