Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Explore the theme of evil
Explore the theme of evil
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Explore the theme of evil
Throughout the Possibility of Evil the theme is clearly shown as looks can be deceiving. On the other hand, some people might interpret that the theme is that you should treat others as they treat you. However it’s only at the end when the townspeople figure out that she is the one sending the letters which shows that karma only comes into play at the end of the story, while the looks can be deceiving is shown throughout the whole story. By showing Miss Strangeworth as a gentle old lady at first and then slowly showing her true colors, Shirley Jackson illustrates the theme that looks can be deceiving. Throughout the story Shirley Jackson makes it clear that the main focus of the story is to not judge someone based on how they look and act. She shows this mainly by portraying Miss Strangeworth as harmless old women at first, then slowly showing Miss Strangeworth's true colors. I think she wrote this story to help teach children the importance of not judging people based on how they look or act around others. As the author starts introducing the nasty letters and makes it clear that Miss. Strangeworth thinks she’s doing it to help better everyone. I believe that by doing this she’s trying to introduce to readers that you never know what exactly another person is cable of, which ties into the theme that looks can be deceiving. …show more content…
She shows it through the way Miss Strangeworth acts around the townspeople Then Shirly shows Miss Strangeworth's true thoughts in the nasty letters Miss Strangeworth writes and how Miss strangeworth believes that she is above all of other townspeople. While some readers think the theme is that you should treat others as you want to be treated, it only comes into play at the end when the townsfolk find out she’s the one who sends the nasty letters. That is why I think the theme of The Possibility of Evil is looks can be
An Analysis of Peter van Inwagen’s The Magnitude, Duration, and Distribution of Evil: a Theodicy
In his 2004 City Journal article, Theodore Dalrymple expresses his view on the tremendous decline in the quality of life in Great Britain. He believed that society has accepted the notion that people are not responsible for their own problems. Also, that it is the “moral cowardice of the intellectual and political elites” that perpetuates the social dynamics that are responsible for the continuing decline of British society. According to the author, a physician about to retire after a career treating criminal justice offenders and victims, there are several pervasive misconceptions that explain the continuing decline of British society.
One of the ways this is achieved is by using an exterior appearance to deceive ones true morals for an intriguing motive. This is seen through the character of Miss. Strangeworth the main character in "The Possibility of Evil" appearing to be a sweet old lady however, she is not what she seems. Her deceiving exterior is seen when the narrator states "Walking down Main street on a summer morning, Miss. Strangeworth had to stop every minute or so to say good morning to someone or to ask after someone 's health (Jackson 1). This quote illustrates Miss. Strangeworth uses her
The hidden secret of Miss Strangeworth leaves everyone speechless. Within the short story “The Possibility of Evil” written by Shirley Jackson, the main character, Miss Strangeworth, has a secret that no one would have expected for a seemingly nice elderly lady. In Miss Strangeworth’s down time, she secretly writes cruel and inconsiderate letters to people within her town. These actions would label Miss Strangeworth as a bully. The unbearable letters she writes, the way she goes about them, and her love and dedication for writing them proves that she is very much a bully.
Miss Strangeworth is a delusional perfectionist with a god complex. Throughout the story she manipulates
Adela Strangeworth is the main character in The Possibility of Evil written by Shirley Jackson. Protagonist character Strangeworth is a genuine, kind elderly lady until her neighbors and friends find out who she truly is, a bitter and rude.
In the story “ The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson Miss Strangeworth is not evil. The Elderly lady just wants to keep her family’s town in place , and make sure that it doesn’t turn bad. Miss Strangeworth also wants to keep her family inherited roses in her town. in fact,the author explains that her family had “built this town”(Jackson 188). Miss Strangeworth feels like the town belongs to her grandfather since he built the first house on pleasant street. Miss Strangeworth has watched her city grow up. She can explain almost anything that happened in the town, so she must have grown really close with her roots. You can see why she may get upset and mad from somebody messing around. Another important part of the story is when the author
The reader is shown how other characters perceive Miss Strangeworth when in the story it says, “Most of the children stood back respectfully as Miss Strangeworth passed, silenced briefly in her presence, and some of the older children greeter her . . . .”(5). These children who treat Miss Strangeworth as an honorable elder emphasize the fact that everyone in the town has been fooled to believe that she is innocent. No one at the post office would be suspicious of Miss Strangeworth’s intentions because they have only seen one side of her. Miss Strangeworth's character is also developed in the last line of the story when it reads, “She began to cry silently for the wickedness of the world when she read the words: Look out at what used to be your roses”(6). Don Crane’s bold action of destroying Miss Strangeworth’s precious roses shows how hurtful and cruel Miss Strangeworth's words are. The way in which Don Crane interacted with Miss Strangeworth compared to how other people interacted with her displays the drastic difference in how she is treated depending on which aspect of her personality is shown. Miss Strangeworth’s multifaceted personality causes her to be regarded in different ways based on which side she reveals to those around
In the beginning of Jackson’s story Miss Strangeworth tries to prove to the town’s people that she is an innocent typical old lady who cares about the community and her roses. “She was seventy one, Miss Strangeworth told the tourists, with a pretty little dimple showing by her lip…” (lines 9-10). The reader could infer that Miss Strangeworth is a normal old lady who enjoys going out of her way to speak with others.
People can be described through characteristics In “The Possibility of Evil” Miss Adela strangeworth is developed by physical description and personality and family and friends relationships and lifestyle and activities .
In “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson, Adela Strangeworth takes a stroll down a scenic Main Street and recounts her family’s role in the shaping of the town. Upon reaching the grocery store, Miss Strangeworth notices that the clerk, Mr. Lewis is unnerved by something, although she cannot tell what. After receiving her items, she leaves the store and runs into Helen Crane with her six month old baby. Miss Strangeworth comforts Helen’s fears that her child is mentally slow and returns home to her beloved rose garden and writes three letters. Each letter is addressed to a local and in one way or another insult the intended reader. When she pushes the Cranes too far by insulting their baby, they obliterate her beloved roses that her
According to the examples of the three characters in the play Macbeth who are deceived by the appearances of other characters, therefore the theme Appearance versus Reality is an important theme in the play. This theme focus on characters having error in judgment with the appearances of other characters, and deceived by other. This error of judgment let them in to tragedies. This theme is also very important to us and other people in our daily life, and I have known some of my relatives and friends who had also tricked by other people. Base on my knowledge from the examples of characters in the play, we should never judge people by their appearances, and I believe that time can clearly show the reality of people.
The theme of appearance versus reality is seen throughout Act 1 and 2 of MACBETH. Under the influence of his own vaulting ambition and the persuasion of his wife, Macbeth Is unable to decipher right from wrong.
For a little over a couple of days out of this week, my English class has been reading “The Possibility of Evil”. The main character, Mrs. Strangeworth, has been punished for sending mean or in this case, evil letters to some people around the community where she lives. Mrs. Strangeworth is a well-known and very liked person in her town. The reading stating, when she walks in the grocery store everyone would stop what they’re doing and turn around to greet her. Disagreeing with her consequences, her all of her roses were cut due to her rude, and mean letters she was sending people throughout the town.
...e ability to achieve anything in life. Hopefully, readers would learn from this novel that beauty is not the most important aspect in life. Society today emphasizes the beauty of one's outer facade. The external appearance of a person is the first thing that is noticed. People should look for a person's inner beauty and love the person for the beauty inside. Beauty, a powerful aspect of life, can draw attention but at the same time it can hide things that one does not want disclosed. Beauty can be used in a variety of ways to affect one's status in culture, politics, and society. Beauty most certainly should not be used to excuse punishment for bad deeds. Beauty is associated with goodness, but that it is not always the case. This story describes how the external attractiveness of a person can influence people's behavior and can corrupt their inner beauty.