The Stuffed Pets Symbol Analysis

The landlady’s stuffed pets—which Billy initially mistakes for living, breathing animals—symbolizes the landlady’s immense and surprising skill for deception. As Billy peers through the window of the Bed and Breakfast at the beginning of the story, he notices a “pretty little dachshund” sleeping by the fire, and a “large parrot in a cage.” For Billy, the presence of these animals is assurance enough that the Bed and Breakfast “would be a pretty decent house to stay in,” and he tells himself that “[a]nimals [are] usually a good sign.” The dog and the parrot, then, evoke feelings of safety, love, and care, and convince Billy that whoever owns the pets will probably look after him, too. It is not until much later that Billy realizes that the parrot and the dachshund are old pets that have died and been stuffed. When the landlady reveals that she is the taxidermist, Billy expresses his “admiration” for the landlady’s skill and precision, which he considers a surprising but impressive hobby for such a sweet old lady. It is clear to the reader, however, that the landlady has also stuffed the two missing boys, Christopher and Gregory, and intends to do the same to Billy. Ironically, then, the stuffed pets are not “a good sign” at all, and the caged parrot in particular comes to symbolize the trap that Billy is in. Like the seemingly innocent cup of tea she serves Billy, the landlady’s animals are evidence of how first impressions can be both misleading and dangerous.